Section of musket barrel, dug at Maryland Heights by Dean Thomas

This is a very interesting item being offered, it is the breech section of a .58 cal. musket. It measures 8 3//4” long and the long-range sight is still attached. I believe this piece is from a Harpers Ferry musket. It matches up almost exactly with a complete period musket (see pictures). This unique piece was dug by the late Dean Thomas, (author and pioneer relic hunter), at Maryland Heights. The original tag states “H.F.” on one side (Harpers Ferry) and on the other “MD Hgts”.

Maryland Heights is at the northern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains and lies to the east of Harpers Ferry. It is composed of a series of shelves and steep slopes that have been a factor in the heights’ place in history – the mountain is almost unassailable, except from the north.

These heights (along with Bolivar Heights), behind Harpers Ferry to the west, and Loudoun Heights, on the Virginia side of the Shenandoah River to the south—command Harpers Ferry, which is the key to the Shenandoah Valley. Both Bolivar and Loudoun Heights are militarily untenable without Maryland Heights. The capture of Harpers Ferry by Confederate forces in 1862 and 1863 drove this point home to Union commanders.

This is a very interesting piece, and the story behind it is somewhat of a mystery. Obviously, the barrel has been cut and the cut area is very smooth. Chances are this piece came out of the Harpers Ferry Arsenal, and maybe a soldier intended to bring it home as a souvenir.