[Oyeboten]

Does anyone know what kind of Pistols they posessed?


Too, a very interesting recording, made at the Edison Studios London in 1890, of the Trumpeter, re-creating the Call he'd played for the very Charge, on it happens, the same Bugle, used by others previously, at Waterloo -


http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10204/10204-m/


( sub-Link to elect, is the center one, which has the Music Notes )

[AussieTH]

Does anyone know what kind of Pistols they posessed?

Colt Walkers - that is why some of them got back! :D

[Mike OTDP]

Colt and Adams revolvers, mostly.

[kBob]

Oyeboten,

Thanks for the music link. I have somewhere read that during the Crimean War that Colt revolvers were approved for purchase and carry by British Officers, who at theat time were required to furnish their own handgun. Appearently the crown did buy some 1851 Navy .36 revolvers for the war. As to who they were issued to is anyones guess.

I do not know that the Light Brigade was issued any handguns so certainly can not even offer a guess as to what they had.

BTW my son has been listening to an old cassette tap in my truck that has TCoTLB set to music on it. It is currently his favorite song and he has me play it over and over on drives to school and the gym. Perhaps I can convince my wife that searching for an answer to your question is in aid to helping The Boy learn about the event and the War it was part of.

I am amazed at the number of times I experience Synchronisity with events in my "real life" and happenings on THR.

-Bob Hollingsworth

[BHP FAN]

more truth than poetry there.

[Oyeboten]

Yes...well, of course all tolled, there were various different groups present at the larger scene of the 'Charge', having each their own uniformity of Arms, if uniformity of Arms was in fact a feature for any given regiment, unit, Brigade, or other defined group...and mostly in those days, one purchased and owned one's own Pistol I think unless infantry...so being the right era for Percussion Revolvers, and for 'Colts', and, for Colt Dragoons even...I've wondered...


Yes...'Adams', 'Taintor' ( is it?) 'Scott', 'Webley' maybe, and other British Percussion Revolvers would be probable...some of these were Double-Action, also.

[Dark Skies]

.36 calibre Colt Navy (1851) and British .50 calibre Deane Adams Model mainly. Also single shot flintlocks.

[kBob]

Looked for info in Ezell's Handguns of the World.

Colts were purchased begining on March 10, 1854....so I doubt any issued Colts were on hand in a month.

Elsewhere he stated that British Cavalry rank and file were armed with sabors and single shot percussion guns into the 1870s.

DO keep in mind that the powers that ran the US army blew off all the ACW and Frontier revolver use and insisted that the Army adopt the .50 single shot Remington Rolling block pistol in 1870.

BTW, The Boy and I did play with the saber this afternoon and he really enjoyed it. He then got to fondle a brass framed replica nothing based on the Colt 1851 Navy.

Fortunatly it was raining and I was able to say no tq saddling the horse. The idea of a third grader on a one eyed 'palousa with a nylon saddle in the rain and waving a chinese saber and an Italian Colt knock off while singing Charge of the Light Brigade did make me giggle.

Olt and Adams went head to head durning 1851 to 1853 The Adams eas double action only five shot and .50 caliber. In British Army test the the Adams was more mechanically reliable as it had fewer misfires (perhaps the wrong sized caps on the COlt?)

By 1854 however the British military had only officially bought 22 Adams revovlers.

If any revolvers were in the charge they were privatly owned.

Case, Cannister, and Grape Shot really don't much care what handguns you have.

-kBob