Complete Civil War Enfield Lockplate with bullet, dug at Antietam Battlefield

This is another nice piece being offered; it is an excavated Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-musket lock plate. Typically, forward of the hammer, the plate would be marked "1862 / TOWER", and behind the hammer would be the English crown symbol. These markings are worn off, however, the digger said he can still make out the date “1862”, however, I can’t really see it.  

Enfields were imported by both the Union and the Confederacy, but usually more associated with Confederate troops (see pic of non-dug example). This complete lockplate was dug many years ago by a local Sharpsburg resident from the Antietam Battlefield.

The Battle of Antietam, also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the South, was fought on September 17, 1862. This was the first major battle in the Civil War to take place on Union soil. It is the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with a combined tally of dead, wounded, and missing at 22,717.

Despite having superiority of numbers, McClellan's attacks failed to achieve force concentration, allowing General Lee to counter by shifting forces and moving interior lines to meet each challenge. Despite ample reserve forces that could have been deployed to exploit localized successes, McClellan failed to destroy Lee's army. McClellan had halted Lee's invasion of Maryland, but Lee was able to withdraw his army back to Virginia without interference from the cautious McClellan.

This lockplate is in very nice dug condition, no heavy rusting or flaking, and a very solid piece. I have included an Enfield bullet that was dug at the Roulette Farm on the battlefield. It comes in the deep, glass-top display case.