POTD: Pattern 1858 Artillery Carbine – The British Gun That Chose Sides
Sam.S 07.09.25
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! This Bentley & Playfair-marked Pattern 1858 Artillery carbine tells the story of how Britain played both sides during our Civil War. Made in 1861 at the Tower of London – you can see the “1861/TOWER” marking right there – this percussion carbine was part of the massive British arms trade that kept America bleeding for four years. The Pattern 1858 was built for British horse artillery, shorter than the standard infantry Pattern 1853 Enfield so cavalry could handle it easier. Same .577 caliber bore though, firing those devastating Minié balls that made the Pattern 1853 the second most common rifle of the Civil War after the Springfield.
That Bentley & Playfair marking is what makes this interesting. They were a London commercial outfit that specialized in selling military gear overseas. Britain claimed to be neutral, but British companies were happy to sell guns to anyone with cash. Confederate agents worked right out in the open in London, buying everything from rifles to entire warships. Union buyers were fighting for the same weapons from the same dealers. The 1861 date puts this right at the war’s start, when both sides were desperate for modern weapons. The Confederates especially needed British imports since the South couldn’t manufacture enough rifles. You’d have Confederate units carrying British rifles shooting at Union troops with identical British rifles from the same factory.
This carbine shows how our “domestic” war was really a global business. European industry kept the killing going while Britain pretended to stay neutral – as long as both sides kept paying. Every British rifle that made it across the Atlantic stretched out the war. Britain stayed officially neutral while making money off American blood.
“Bentley & Playfair Marked Commercial Pattern 1858 Carbine.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5012/79/bentley-playfair-marked-commercial-pattern-1858-carbine. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
