Many of these early Maynard rifles and carbines manufactured c. 1858-1859 were sold to buyers in the South, including orders by the governments of Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi. The rifles were significantly rarer than the carbines and were insufficient to meet southern demands. However, Mississippi's Dec. 20, 1860, order included 175 rifles, and these were shipped on January 21, 1861. Known issues of the rifles early on include to the following Mississippi units: Company D of the 9th Infantry (24 rifles), Company D of the 14th Infantry (3 rifles), and Company G of the 15th Infantry (4 rifles). Other early Maynards were purchased by individuals and units in the South before the war. Serial number 897, for example, has southern militia markings noting it as private property. Throughout the Civil War, the Maynard remained a popular firearms with southern troops, particularly the famous Confederate cavalry. It has a rounded nickel silver blade front sight, dovetailed notch rear sight, a peep sight with integral base on the upper tang, "MAYNARD ARMS CO./WASHINGTON" on the right side of the frame, "MANUFACTURED BY/MASS. ARMS CO./CHICOPEE FALLS." on the left side, the serial number on the bottom of the barrel at the breech and inside on the primer door, a small "M" behind the barrel hook and on the lever, a sling ring on the lower tang, the four-line patent marking on the patch box, a recess from the mounting of a now absent plaque on the left side of the buttstock. Provenance: The George Moller Collection

Good with mottled gray patina, mild oxidation/pitting, generally distinct markings with the exception of the patch box, a faint crack in the lever near the front, and a bent upper tang causing the stock to sit slightly askew. The slightly undersized stock has mild overall wear and the noted absent plaque. The rifle has a non-functional tape primer, but otherwise is mechanically fine. This is a classic early First Model Maynard and may have seen considerable use during the Civil War.