Your Enfield was apparently made in Birmingham, under a British Government contract let during the Crimean War. Many of these contracts were not finished until after the war, and the guns themselves were not delivered until 1858 or 1859.

By 1861, these guns were considered "2nd Class" by the British military, and many of them were sold off, into the eager hands of both US and CS purchasers. Yours *MAY* have been bought by a CS purchaser. The circle with an I.C in it is thought by some to be a marking of S. Isaacs, Campbell & Co., a British exporter that sold mainly to Southern purchasers.

The other markings are British Govenrment markings. TOWER was a standard mark of the period, and did not mean the gun was made at the Tower of London. V.R was the royal cypher for Queen Victoria - Victoria Regina. The small crowns and numbers are British military inspectors' marks. The many markings around the breech are the barrel proof marks and inspector marks - the Bs indicate Birmingham.

FRASER was probably the stock maker, but I would have to check my lists (which I don't have at hand just now).

So ... your Enfield (likely a Pattern 1853, 2nd Model) was made under contract to the British military, and likely later sold to a private purchaser. Said purchaser may have been buying for the Civil War, and *may* have been a Southern purchaser.

Geoff Walden