The Enfield in the Civil War
Geoff Walden
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The Enfield in the Civil War Geoff Walden
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"To Blue, or Not to Blue ..." The following lists articles and letters to the editor in the Camp Chase Gazette that deal with the Enfield bluing controversy. Jan-Feb 1987 issue (Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 30-31 -- article stating that repro Enfields have to have the bluing removed to be authentic (Troop Repass) April 1987 issue (Vol. 14, No. 5, pp. 24-25) -- letter to the editor, listing numbers of soldiers holding dark vs. light finish Enfields in period images (Geoff Walden) June 1987 issue (Vol. 14, No. 7, p. 23) -- letter stating that period Enfields were browned, not blued (Orton Begner) July 1987 issue (Vol. 14, No. 8, pp. 25-26) -- my reply to the previous letter, stating the difference between browning and bluing Sept. 1987 issue (Vol. 14, No. 10, p. 27) -- Orton Begner's reply to the previous letter, stating his original Enfield is brown Jan-Feb 1988 issue (Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 27-28) -- My reply to the above letter, plus a letter from Curtis Miller, with details on how a period blued finish can "turn plum" over time March 1992 issue (Vol. 19, No. 4, p. 32) -- article by Cal Kinzer, "A Dozen Inexpensive Ways to Improve Your Personal Impression," stating that Enfields must be burnished to be authentic, since period British bluing didn't last long under cleaning, thus, Enfields in American service were bright May 1992 issue (Vol. 19, No. 6, pp. 9-10) -- letter from my brother and me, refuting the above Aug. 1992 issue (Vol. 19, No. 9, p. 6) -- letter from L. Scott Hanes in reply to Cal Kinzer's article, stating that the weapons curator (unnamed) at the Museum of the Confederacy told him that none of the four Enfields in their collection was burnished - all were either blued or browned Oct. 1997 issue (Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 8-9) -- letter from Bob Wall in reply to Cal Kinzer's article, stating that "Dick" Kennedy of The Gun Room in Smyrna, Georgia, told him that imported Enfields were blued
And so it goes ... More recently, the debate has continued to rage on internet forums, with the same claims dating back to the 1980s still being put forth, still without period references to back them up. |
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