Description
Fine example of the Starr carbine as issued to Arkansas cavalry units during the Civil War. Overall this carbine is in fine condition with crisp markings, tight action and strong bore. The Arkansas marking is crisply stamped in the top of the receiver, as most surviving examples are.
As the War Between the States began, the federal government ordered 20,000 carbines and earmarked these Civil War carbines for cavalry units in the West. Cavalry carbines from 19 different manufacturers were fielded by Union soldiers in the Civil War. Ebenezer Starr’s was the fifth most issued. Starr Carbines trailed Spencer (94,196), Sharps (80,512), Burnside (55,567), and Smith (30,062).
Starr’s carbine was patented in 1858 in .54 caliber with a falling block design activated by the trigger guard. A solid metal breechblock slides up and down in grooves cut into the breech, sealing the firing chamber.
The Starr Carbine fired a linen wrapped cartridge with a .555 inch lead bullet. It had a 21-inch barrel with an overall length of 37.6 inches. It featured a single brass barrel band and brass buttplate on the walnut stock.
Ten thousand men form Arkansas served in the Union Army. The First Arkansas Cavalry was the most famous of them, sometimes called the Mountain Yankees. Just as was the case with neighboring Missouri and Alabama (and, indeed, with all Southern states), the mountain areas were strongest for the Union.
In 1862, a group of men from Arkansas showed up to enlist in the 6th Missouri, and it was decided to raise a separate regiment of Cavalry from Arkansas. The 1st Arkansas Cavalry was the result.
