*** Photos Added *** Spencer Carbine serial number 20777

[TDavis]

HI, I have a Spencer carbine ser no 2077, the barrel is stamped 19991, the 20" barrel is shot  out, don't know what the caliber is.
Weapon has been handed down through my family in Laurel Miss.  Don't know how it came to be in Miss.  Could have been captured.

I tried to post pictures but was not successful.  I can email them if needed.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thank You Tom

[Two Flints]

Hi Tom,

Serial # should be same on receiver and underside of barrel . . . your Spencer may have been altered, repaired at some time in its ownership.  Spencer Carbine with serial # 20777 may have been issued to Company D, 12th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry in 1864.

Email me JUST A FEW photos of your Spencer, especially of the receiver area, top, bottom, and sides.  fsgrand2@fairpoint.net  Send me NICE, SHARP, Well-exposed photos.  NO white background.

Two Flints

[TDavis]

Thank you Two Flints I'll email them to you.  Tom





                             (Photos Added by Two Flints)

[treebeard]

This caught my attention because my family is from that area in Mississippi. I did a fast look on google and found that
the 12th was in the Gulf south in the 1864-1865 period. If that unit was unlucky enough to come up against N.B. Forrest
then it would not surprise me that that Spencer was a capture. Forrest armed his escort company with captured Spencers.

[TDavis]

Thank you for the info treebeard, looked up Nathan B. Forrest, I had not heard of him, found him very interesting.  I'll do some more research on him.

I've also looked up the Free State of Jones.  The documentation on the Free State seems to have two stories one where they are heroes and the other they are traitors depending on who wrote it.

Tom 
     

[Herbert]

This carbine looks to be a 1865 model not made till after the war was over

[TDavis]

Thank you for the info Herbert.  Tom