JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – There is a model of a 1841 Mississippi rifle on display at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson.
“This rifle belonged to a man named Charles Gibbs, who fought with the first Mississippi Infantry in the Mexican-American War. And at the time, the colonel of the first Mississippi Infantry was Jefferson Davis, who resigned his seat in Congress at the time to serve as colonel the regiment. And he was also a graduate of West Point Military Academy. So, he knew a lot about military and the weaponry that was out there. And he insisted that his regiment be outfitted with this model 1841 rifle, which was a percussion lop rifle, which was much more accurate, could do better in bad weather. And since his regiment used this rifle, the rifle ended up taking the name of the regiment. So, it’s now known as the Mississippi Rifle. It was the high sophistication at the time,” said Nan Princes, director of Collections at the Mississippi Department of Archives & History (MDAH).
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The one on display once belonged to Charles Gibbs, who was from Raymond, Mississippi. He fought int he battles of Monterey and Buena Vista.
“On his way back home to Mississippi, he probably went through New Orleans. And at the time, engraved his name and his unit and the battles on the patch marks, which is seen right here. And this will come become very important in the history of the rifle,” said Prince…