Hi Everyone, I wanted to share a picture here for help identifying the revolver in this photo.This is a photograph of my direct ancestor which I scanned from a back issue of Military Images (Volume XXVII Number 5, March/April 2006). I have been doing a lot of genealogical research after taking some DNA tests and was excited with this discovery. Although I am not a Civil War buff this is seems to be an excellent publication and I would recommend it to anyone. It was ordered and delivered within days.
Sgt Peter Reising would be my 6x grandfather. Born in 1819 Prussia (Bavaria region), married a woman from the Rhineland area (Alsace/France judging by the name), emigrated to the United States and built a family moving westward from Ohio until they settled in Peoria, IL. He enlisted and survived the Mexican wars, later serving in the Civil War. He was wounded and captured July 31, 1864 during "Stoneman's Raid to Macon". The raid did not appear to be very successful and it seems very few people survived. Very few ever did after capture and imprisonment at Andersonville. Hopefully my ancestor was mortally wounded and met a quick end after his capture. Presumably he was taken to the prison camp and rests there still.
The photograph is not of great quality but I think it can seen that he is holding an open top revolver. My familiarity with black powder pistols doesn't help me from there and I do not know which, if any, gun would be issued to a sergeant at that time. The caption says he is wearing a M1851 sword belt and if anyone knows what sword he may have carried I would like to know, so I can buy one of those too!
Sgt Peter Reising would be my 6x grandfather. Born in 1819 Prussia (Bavaria region), married a woman from the Rhineland area (Alsace/France judging by the name), emigrated to the United States and built a family moving westward from Ohio until they settled in Peoria, IL. He enlisted and survived the Mexican wars, later serving in the Civil War. He was wounded and captured July 31, 1864 during "Stoneman's Raid to Macon". The raid did not appear to be very successful and it seems very few people survived. Very few ever did after capture and imprisonment at Andersonville. Hopefully my ancestor was mortally wounded and met a quick end after his capture. Presumably he was taken to the prison camp and rests there still.
The photograph is not of great quality but I think it can seen that he is holding an open top revolver. My familiarity with black powder pistols doesn't help me from there and I do not know which, if any, gun would be issued to a sergeant at that time. The caption says he is wearing a M1851 sword belt and if anyone knows what sword he may have carried I would like to know, so I can buy one of those too!