A very hard to find real Cosmopolitan Arms Co. Hamilton, Ohio owned by E. Gwyn & A.C. Campbell carbine. One of the 1140 Contract type Carbines contracted to the state of Illinois. Carbine has 19" barrel & walnut stock. The Cosmopolitan was a .52 cal. Percussion , single shot, falling block carbine. Sling ring mounted on left side of breech. Carbine has flip up rear sight & a dovetailed pinched  front sight. These carbines has a large round hammer & a serpentine lever which locked behind the trigger. Iron butt plate.  These carbines were issued to the 5th & 6th Illinois Cavalry & were carried on the famous Grierson Raid. Col.  Benjamin Grierson with 1700 union cavalry men raided  through Tennessee, Mississippi & Louisiana from April 17 to May 2nd 1863 as a diversion to Gen. Grant's Vicksburg Campaign. This Cosmopolitan Carbine saw the elephant during the War. The carbine has all matching serial nos. (995)  on the bottom of barrel & breech along with assembly no. III. The serial no. in located also inside the breech also along with III. The serial nos. are on the lever, breech assembly & the numbers are found inside the lock plate on various different parts. The action on this carbine is great. The metal is smooth on the metal barrel, frame, lever, hammer, sights, breech & butt plate. All the metal parts have a salt & pepper fine rusting through out. The Cosmopolitan markings are all gone. This carbine just set in a area which got some humidity. The metal has a mellow gray patina, darker on the butt plate. The walnut stock is in good used condition with normal used dings, no breaks or cracks. Later in the war in 1863 Gwyn & Campbell made the successor of the Cosmopolitan carbines under their name with a Union contract.  A very scarce Cosmopolitan Union .52 carbine with a great history in the War in the Grierson raid. The raid was made into a movie in the 1960s with John Wayne called The Horse Soldiers.