Original U.S. Civil War J.H. Merrill M1858 Breech Loading Cavalry Carbine Converted to Muzzle Loading Short Rifle - Serial 5290 MG 15 flying mostly personnel and cargo

flying mostly personnel and cargo transport missions while based at Itami

This is the uniform jacket & garrison cap of Private First Class Ralph W

complete with a set in wood rondel marked "E"

The buckle is marked with an interlocking P u C in a diamond

Original U.S. Civil War J.H. Merrill M1858 Breech Loading Cavalry Carbine Converted to Muzzle Loading Short Rifle - Serial 5290 MG 15 flying mostly personnel and cargoOriginal Item: One of a Kind. This is a very interesting example of what was originlly a percussion breech loading Civil War Saddle Ring Carbine. As they use both a cap and a type of breech loaded cartridge, they are often referred to as "capping breech loaders". Somewhere around 14,500 were made by J. H. Merrill of Baltimore for the Union Cavalry, mostly between 1863 and 1865. The carbines were produced in two versions: First Type and Second Type.