US CIVIL WAR COLT MODEL 1851 NAVY PERCUSSION REVOLVER.

A good service used example of the Colt model 1851 navy revolver, serial number 181796 which dates it to early 1865. The gun is in fully functional order and holds in both half and full cock, it has all of its original nipples and matching numbers, except the wedge, which is a Confederate replacement and the front site is period replaced with a silver blade. The underside of the brass grip is scratched with the name, which although difficult to discern ‘P.S.Harrell’. There are no matches for Union soldiers and only one Confederate soldier with these initials and last name. P.S.Harrell? of the Texas 9th Cavalry. Confederate records are difficult to find but it has been possible to locate copies of the early muster sheet for 1861 Private P.S. Harrell enlisted on the 9.3.1861 as a private in Company E Texas 9th Cavalry. Calibre of the pistol is .36, saw service from 1851 to 1873. The navy Colt pistols always had octagonal barrels whereas the army models had circular barrels. The Samuel Colt address is good and clear to the flat top of the octagonal barrel. The numbers to the cylinder are generally clear, the first two digits are rather obscured but the ‘1796’ is clear. There is some raised corrosion overall on the weapon but original finish can be seen in some areas. It is highly unusual to be able to find any American Civil War weapon that can be traced. The 9th Cavalry Regiment organised with just over 1,000 men during the late summer of 1861, the Regiment saw continuous action from 1861 through to the end of the Civil War and was involved in many engagements, both minor and major, The Texas Cavalry being part of the Confederate States Army and any weapon whether it be a firearm or edge weapon attributed to the Confederacy is considered rare. A 10 page nicely printed and laid out research on the Regiment and soldier research file accompanies the pistol.

Code: 89057