Base marks on Enfield bullets

[vcorps70]

Does anybody have an idea of which of the many Enfield base markings have actually been found on civil war sites and which are from foreign sites ?

[emike123]

This is a tough question to answer.  There are a couple such as "CS" which are questionable whether they exist anywhere or were made up.  As for the others, they have pretty much all been found in US locations, but the vast majority of the numbered ones (1-9) are from foreign locations.  The fired ones you see with a yellowish tinge to the patina are from a firing range in an onion field in Canada.

Here are some of the numbered ones recovered in Virginia.  C.H. = Cold Harbor and G.M = Gaines Mills.

[vcorps70]

Mike, thanks for your very helpful information! I was checking through some older posts and found one of your displays (very nice), where you showed an Enfield with an iron base cup, are those “good finds” also?

[emike123]

I am aware of some "Enfields" with the iron base being tested and found around Harper's Ferry.  This was just before the war when the concept of the conical ball for rifled muskets was being experimented with.  They soon found no need for the iron insert to make the bullets expand to the rifling.  The ones at Harper's Ferry I know of were for .69 caliber "Tower" Enfields, not the .577 caliber ones.  I don't know if those have been found in the US (others might) but they have certainly been found in foreign locations, ie around Sevastopol for the Crimean War.

[vcorps70]

Mike, thanks for the additional information.  As I look at any iron cup bullet as a “first generation” Minnie ball, I have added one to my collection even if it’s most likely from north of the border.

[Jim T]

Base marks are from the dies in Anderson type bullet presses. Ludlow, Eley, Schlesinger, Pursall, the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, and probably some others yet unknown all utilized engraved dies.  The 1-9 numbers are from Woolwich and should not be considered American Civil War bullets although a few could have slipped through. As Mike has stated, these are recovered from British garrison sites. The reason being that the British government could not sell government stores to the South since acknowledging the Confederacy would be deemed an act of war against the Union. Only private companies (like those listed above) made sales.

The iron cup (or culot) is early Enfield production, like Crimean War vintage. It was found that the iron cup often shot right through the round and the boxwood plug was later adopted.

[CarlS]

Jim T: Great info.  Thanks.

[vcorps70]

Super information, thanks!

[XRdsRev]

Interesting to see the numbered “broad arrows on base” Enfield dug here in the US.  I have owned numerous Crimean War Enfields of the two major types used and they all have 4 Broad Arrows on the base.  Interestingly the iron cup .577 Enfields have a number in the base in addition to the four raised base arrows.  The larger caliber Enfield also frequently have a number in the plug base also.