Civil War era is not that old and those letters are not of any great value to anyone but us. I do have a musket that my fifth great grandfather used, it has some value but not great due to condition, I’d be afraid to fire it. Restoration would be fairly costly. There are groups who go around firing their muskets here on New Year’s Eve. I’ve often thought I’d enjoy joining them.
They are of GREAT value to you.
And they are old to me.
I guess I’m a newcomer :)
The musket must be awesome. I hope you can get it restored and join the New Years Eve festivities some day soon.