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LOT 1130
New Haven Arms Co. Henry
Lever Action Rifle Attributed to
Confederate Major John H. Hannah
with Family Letter - Serial no. 807,
44 Henry RF cal., 24 1/4 inch octagon
bbl., blue/brass finish, walnut stock. The Henry rifle was
one of the most advanced firearms of the American Civil
War, and most of the Henry rifles manufactured by the New
Haven Arms Co. were purchased by individual Federal soldiers who wanted the advantages of a 15-shot repeating rifle. Many were purchased by soldiers fighting in the Western Theater of the war, such as the 23rd Illinois Infantry. Smaller numbers were also purchased by Confederates, but most used by the Confederacy were captured. Some were issued to advanced Confederate units such as the 7th Virginia Cavalry and some of Jefferson Davis’s guards.
The included letter from Jim Hannah on July 16, 1979, at the time of the sale of this rifle to Hank Culbert states the rifle had been in his family since the Civil War when it was used by his grandfather Major John H. Hannah. Hannah was wounded in battle and later died at Oliver Springs in 1880. The rifle was passed down through his family. Jim Hannah received it from his father, General Harvey H. Hannah. Copies of information on Major John H. Hannah (1838-1880) are also included. This information originated from “The Old Nineteenth Tennessee Regiment, C.S.A. June, 1861-April, 1865” by Dr. W.J. Worsham from 1902. Hannah was born in Polk County, Tennessee, and came from “Old Virginia Revolutionary stock.” His parents had moved from Virginia prior to his birth. His 75 year old father, John P. Hannah, along with J.H. Hannah and his four brothers all joined the Confederate Army. His father helped raise a company for the Old 19th Tennessee and then resigned due to his age. J.H. Hannah served as captain of Company
F. He was noted as “kind hearted and esteemed by all, he made a good soldier and gained the respect of his superior officers.” The 19th fought
in nearly every campaign with the Army of
Tennessee, including fighting at Fishing Creek and
Shiloh. Hannah was wounded by a piece of a shell
that struck him in the chest and left him with lung
issues for the remainder of his life. The wound is
believed to have occurred at Shiloh. He was promoted
to major on October 10, 1864, when Major Deaderick
was promoted to colonel of another regiment. The
19th suffered heavy losses throughout the war and only
consisted of less than 100 men when they surrendered with
the Army of Tennessee on April 26, 1865, at Greensboro, North
Carolina. After the war, he married, had two sons (Gerarld and
Harvey H. Hannah), and worked in wholesale. Harvey H. Hanna (1868- 1936) was the lieutenant colonel of the 4th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish-American War and then adjutant general for Tennessee as well as a railroad and utilities commissioner and a noted orator and supporter of William Jennings Bryan. His son Jim T. Hannah was born in 1917.
The rifle has a rounded brass blade front sight, notch and folding ladder rear sight, second rear sight dovetail on the frame, additional mounting hole and tap visible on the upper tang, “HENRY’S PATENT. OCT. 16. 1860/ MANUFACT’D BY THE NEWHAVEN ARMS CO. NEWHAVEN.CT.” on top of the barrel, the serial number stamped on the top of the barrel at the breech,
sling swivel on the right
side of the stock, and a screw
fastened loop for a sling hook on the
right side of the barrel and magazine.
CONDITION: Good “out of the attic” condition overall
with dark brown patina, mild oxidation and pitting, moderate dings and scratches, some absent or replaced screws, and fairly moderate overall
wear. The stock is also good and has some thin cracks, small chips at the
edges, and general scratches and dings. Mechanically fine. Overall, a solid
and interesting Confederate associated Henry lever action rifle. 109 Estimate: 20,000 - 30,000