Sharps New Model Carbine, .52 caliber

A Sharps 1863 New Model carbine was found by an NPS fire crew in a remote area of El Malpais' lava flows during a wildfire in 1991. Though the wooden elements of the carbine are gone, the serial number on the weapon clearly indicates that it was among the first 1,000 of the 1863 model produced by Sharps. The New Model 1863 carbine was one of the most widely carried weapons by Union cavalry regiments during the Civil War. Most post-war cavalry units continued to use the Sharps or Spencer carbines until the introduction of the 1873 Springfield. The Sharps carbine was a very popular weapon in the mid to late 1800s, and many Army surplus Sharps found their way into civilian hands. Why, and by whom, the weapon was abandoned in the lava flows of El Malpais is a mystery. Perhaps it was Army surplus, abandoned or misplaced sometime in the lae 1800s, or maybe it as left by a soldier operating from Fort Wingate (1862-1868) - just eight miles north of El Malpais.