Original Crimean War Battle of Chernaya Engraved French Capture Russian Model 1843 Luttich Percussion Carbine by P.J. Malherbe of Liège Serial No. 725

Original Item: One of a Kind. Here we have a fantastic Battlefield Captured example of a rare Russian Model 1843 Luttich Percussion Carbine from the Battle of Chernaya, part of the Crimean War of October 1853 to March 1856. 

The outside of the patch box was engraved with a dedication after capture:

SOUVENIR DE TRAKTIR

16 AOUT 1855

CLERC À SON AMI PAILLARD

This translates to "Souvenir of Traktir, 16 August 1855, Clerc to his friend Paillard", a presentation dedication that could possibly be researched. 

The Battle of the Chernaya (also Tchernaïa; Russian: Сражение у Черной речки, Сражение у реки Черной, literally: Battle of the Black River) was fought at the Traktir Bridge on the Chernaya River during the Crimean War on August 16, 1855. The battle was fought between Russian, French, Piedmontese and Ottoman troops. The Chernaya River is on the outskirts of Sevastopol, near the line of the allies' siege of the city. In the battle, the Russians were the attacking side. It ended in a Russian retreat and a victory for the French, Piedmontese, and Ottomans.

The battle was a disaster for the Russians. Even with numerical superiority, the Russians had managed to lose the battle and suffer almost five times as many casualties as the Allies. Tsar Alexander had hoped for a Russian victory so that he could negotiate a peace with favorable terms. That hope was now lost. As a result of the slaughter that took place at the battle, the Russian soldiers had lost their trust in the Russian commanders and it was now only a question of time before the Russian army would be forced to surrender Sevastopol.

During the 19th Century, Imperial Russia based their arms designs mostly on those from Western Europe, with most of their pistols based on the French designs, while their long arms generally looked to Britain for inspiration. When looking to arm specialized rifleman in the army with a more accurate long arm, they chose the British P-1837 Brunswick to base their Model 1843 rifle on. Then instead of having it produced by one of the state arsenals in Russia, they chose maker PJ Malherbe & Cie of Liège, Belgium to produce them. "Luttich" is the spelling of Liège in German, which is why they are referred to as "Luttich Carbines".

This lovely short rifle has a lovely aged patina, with past peppered oxidation on much of the iron and steel metalwork, so it may have been laying out for a bit of time before it was captured, or maybe it was simply not possible to protect it. It measures just over 46 inches in overall length, with a 30 inch 0.69" caliber barrel. It still shows the two U-shaped inlets in the end of the barrel where the two-groove rifling starts, so this has not been shortened. The lock plate indicates that this Brunswick Two-Groove Rifle was made under contract to the Russian Empire in Liège, Belgium:

P.J. MALHERBE
A LIÈGE

This is a known maker from the period, who also made many guns under contract to various German states, which were then very often imported for use in the U.S. Civil War. There is also some type of marking or cartouche towards the tail of the lock plate, which we were not able to identify. There are also some proof marks on the breech end of the barrel. The brass butt plate of the rifle bears an intricate CROWN over the Russian Imperrial DOUBLE HEADED EAGLE, which is definitely executed with a high level of artistry. Next to this is № 725, which looks to be the serial or rack number of the rifle. This number is also marked on the cap nipple cone bolster, on the brass end of the ramrod, and on the leaf of the rear sight, which is a very advanced design for the time.

The back of the wrist has a brass escutcheon, which is marked with another CROWN marking, and under this is what looks to be H / 1, or possibly some cyrillic letter, and we believe this is most likely the company designation of the rifle. There are additional small single letter proofs on various components, typical for guns produced in Belgium during the mid 19th century. The inside of the brass patch box looks to be marked with 6881, which is probably from when these were cast in bulk.

Overall condition is very nice, with a great aged patina and no signs of major restoration. The rear sight is fully functional, as is the lock, which holds correctly at half cock, firing at full. Both sling swivels are still present, and the brass tipped ramrod is stored under the barrel. The large brass end can actually be unthreaded from the front, and smaller end is also brass tipped, with what looks like an area where a tool could be installed, however it is clogged with dirt and rust.

A great piece of history from the Crimean War, ready to research and display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: Circa 1850
Caliber: about .69" with two-groove rifling
Ammunition Type: "Winged" Lead Bullet & Powder
Barrel Length: 30 inches
Overall Length: 46 1/4 inches
Action: Side Action Percussion Lock
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

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