NEW ORLEANS- A rifle used in the 1814 Battle of New Orleans that was stolen over 30 years ago has been recovered.

On Monday, The Federal Bureau of Investigation's New Orleans Field Office and the Louisiana State Police announced the recovery of a historically significant rifle stolen from the Confederate Memorial Hall.

The William Ross rifle was donated to the museum in 1894. In the fall of 2017, a member of the FBI's Art Crime Team was contacted by the New Orleans Confederate Memorial Hall regarding the missing weapon.

The FBI learned that the weapon disappeared from the museum at some unknown point in time and that it was sold in 1982.

On Nov. 17, 2017, the FBI and the Louisiana State Police executed the state search warrant and seized the rifle.

Officials say the individuals who purchased the rifle in 1982 appear to have had no knowledge of the rifle's theft.

The rifle is a Kentucky style flintlock rifle made by gun maker John Jacob Sheetz of Virginia. It is the only known weapon traced back and fully documented in the 1814 Battle of New Orleans.