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Civil War New Haven Arms Co. Henry Lever Action Rifle Attributed as Captured by Dr. George O. Brosnaham of the Confederate Prattville Dragoons from Sergeant Clinton Kendall of the 64th Illinois Infantry (Yate’s Sharpshooters) - Serial no. 4395, 44 Henry cal., 24 1/4 inch octagon bbl., blue finish, walnut stock. This rifle was manufactured by the New Haven Arms Co. c. February 1864 and has a blue octagon barrel with integral magazine, a square back nickel silver front sight, an added rear sight dovetail cut through the front of the “HENRY’S PATENT OCT.16.1860./MANUFACT’D BY THE NEWHAVEN ARMS.CO. NEWHAVEN. CT.” marking, and a notch and ladder rear sight. The magazine has the second style, large brass follower. The second style receiver lacks the rear sight dovetail found on rifles up to about serial number 3,000. The first style buttplate has a rounded heel. The stock compartment contains a four-piece jointed steel cleaning rod. The serial number is stamped on the top of the barrel between the rear sight and the receiver, on the lower left side of the receiver tang, in the upper tang inlet of the stock, on the inside of the buttplate and on the shanks of the two hand fitted buttplate screws. All of the serial numbers match. The barrel collar and barrel have the matching assembly number “377.” Sling mounts are fitted to the left side.
As discussed in the included research file, Fred McDonald of Houston, Texas, purchased this rifle from dealer James Mitchell of Mobile, Alabama, at the Houston gun show in 1980. Mitchell indicates he had purchased the rifle from Henry A. Brosnaham Jr. of Pensacola, Florida, in late 1979 or early 1980. He indicated that Brosnaham was the great nephew of Dr. George O. Brosnaham, and the latter is said to have told him that he captured the rifle from a wounded Union sergeant named Kendall that he captured near Atlanta in 1864. Brosnaham had promised he would return it to the Union officer, if possible, if the Yankee survived the war and used the rifle himself until the war ended.
He later had the rear sight moved forward, and then a new sight was later installed in the original rear dovetail. The younger Brosnaham owned the rifle since he was a young boy and kept it until he was 80, when he wanted to get two nice shotguns for his relatives.
Included records show that Dr. George Othman Brosnaham (1835-1933) was the son of a physician that served in the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812. He was born in Pensacola and on May 25, 1861, enlisted as a private in Co. H (Prattville Dragoons) of the 3rd Alabama Cavalry. He received recognition from the Confederate government for his service at Shiloh. Brosnaham was promoted to assistant surgeon on Nov. 3, 1864, with rank from July 18, 1864, and on September 30, 1864, transferred to Darden’s Artillery. Dr. Brosnaham died in 1933. He and his great nephew Henry Ashton Brosnaham Jr. (1896-1985) are both buried in St. Michaels Cemetery in Pensacola, Florida.
The 64th Illinois Infantry in the Army of the Tennessee, under Major General James B. McPherson during the Atlanta Campaign, are known to have been armed with many Henry rifles as is noted on pages 25 and 30 of “The Historic Henry Rifle” by Wiley Sword. Both the 3rd Alabama Cavalry and the 64th Illinois fought hard and suffered many casualties during the Atlanta Campaign, including during the siege of the city. Sergeant Clinton Kendall served in Company K, 64th Illinois Infantry (Yates Sharpshooters), which was one of the companies organized
in February and March 1864 by Captain M.W. Manning and then fought in the Atlanta Campaign. The 64th fought at the Battle of Resaca on May 14-15, various skirmishes in May-July, the Battle of Atlanta on July 22, and the Siege of Atlanta until August 25. Kendall was wounded and captured near Atlanta and sent to the dreaded Andersonville Prison, and then died from typhoid fever on March 26, 1865, after being transferred to Sherman Hospital in Wilmington, North Carolina.