This is a great looking original Civil War model 1861 Springfield military rifle with a cool story to tell! This one has the 1862 production date on the lockplate as well as the desirable "SPRINGFIELD" arsenal mark and Union eagle. These 1862 dated Springfields are tough to find because as you can imagine most of them went straight into service and were used up and worn out. The mechanics of the lockplate still catch on each position just as they should. The barrel is full-length with correct front and rear sight intact. The rear sight has both of the original two leafs present as well. At the breech of the barrel it unmarked which I will explain further into the description. Inside the barrel it still retains the original bore with lands and grooves but it is dark and untouched. The stock is full-length with a nice dark grain to the wood. The stock has the usual light bumps and bruises that a gun that was carried in the War will have. On the flat of the stock it has the remnants of the correct "ESA" inspector cartouche. These are the initials of Erskine S. Allin who inspected the guns for the US Government. Both of the sling swivels are present and they still pivot. It has a nice original ramrod in the channel underneath the barrel. As you can see the gun has a very pleasing look all over that makes an attractive display. What makes this one extra special is one simple letter stamping. In front of the triggerguard it has the block letter "Z". Research now lets us know that this is the marking where a gun was captured and re-issued by the Confederacy. There is a similar marking in the center of the cover of the new book by Captain Steven W. Knott entitled "Captured and Collected" Confederate Reissued Firearms. He explains how these guns were captured and then cleaned and repaired by Confederate workshops and then reissued to arm the Confederates during the War. It is believed that this letter "Z" stands for Captain Louis Zimmer who was assigned to the Richmond Arsenal / Artillery Workshop. The barrel is unmarked. This probably means that it came in with a damaged barrel and they replaced it and sent it out for Confederate service. This is a nice, complete and authentic Civil War 1862 dated Springfield rifle with the correct cartouches and was Confederate re-issued.