Sorry: I should have been more clear. I meant the usual rebated, smooth (non-fluted) cylinders like most have. Of course, such cylinders have a roll engraving of a naval battle between Texas and Mexican navies, as I recall. I've always been amused that a naval battle scene was on a revolver marketed to the Army.
Is this an 1860 Army?
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Sorry: I should have been more clear. I meant the usual rebated, smooth (non-fluted) cylinders like most have. Of course, such cylinders have a roll engraving of a naval battle between Texas and Mexican navies, as I recall. I've always been amused that a naval battle scene was on a revolver marketed to the Army.
Crawdad1
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I have the book, 'Mosby's Rangers' by James J. Williamson, and they sure did love their Colts!!! Or should I say they sure did love the US Government supplying them with their Colts!!!
I haven't seen that . How old a book is it? What specifically did they say about that subject?
Interesting author's name. There was a British historian named James A. Williamson. Maybe they knew about one another and made a point of using their middle initials to avoid confusion?
There was a mystery author named Robert B. Parker. He was often confused with a wine expert named Robert M Parker.
Dog Soldier
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The Texas Army Vets were awarded 1 Section of land 640 acres for their Military service. In 1842 the Texas Government denied all land grants to the Texas Navy Veterans. It seems the only recognition the Texas Navy received was their picture on a Colt Army revolver. Life is not always fair when directed by crooked politicians.
Crawdad1
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Lone Star, its a Time-Life book reprint in their 'Collector's Library of the Civil War' where they reprinted all these old journals and diaries of the men that fought in the war.
"James Joseph Williamson, who tells Mosby's story in this personal narrative, was not a Virginian, but he was a charter member of Mosby's band. Born in Baltimore in 1834." It a huge volume right over 500 pages that includes as footnotes all of the reports by Union Officers from the Official War Record.
However, they do say that they were better armed then their Union counterparts early in the War because of their revolvers but hardly touch on the subject on where they acquired these revolvers and even more frustrating how they maintained or cleaned them.
In John McCorkle's book 'Three Years with Quantrill' he does say he shot a Union Officer and when he corralled his horse found 2 highly engraved Colt 1860 Army revolvers in the saddlebags. Again, nothing about how they maintained nor how they cleaned their revolvers.
"James Joseph Williamson, who tells Mosby's story in this personal narrative, was not a Virginian, but he was a charter member of Mosby's band. Born in Baltimore in 1834." It a huge volume right over 500 pages that includes as footnotes all of the reports by Union Officers from the Official War Record.
However, they do say that they were better armed then their Union counterparts early in the War because of their revolvers but hardly touch on the subject on where they acquired these revolvers and even more frustrating how they maintained or cleaned them.
In John McCorkle's book 'Three Years with Quantrill' he does say he shot a Union Officer and when he corralled his horse found 2 highly engraved Colt 1860 Army revolvers in the saddlebags. Again, nothing about how they maintained nor how they cleaned their revolvers.
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Thanks. But I've never seen any account from any war about how the weapons were cleaned or maintained. I guess the soldiers just figured that people knew how to do that. You're usually lucky if they even name the arms used. They're more focused on events and personalities.
Mosby did say that he had a Sharps carbine at one time and mentioned his lack of enthusiasm for sabers. Photos of him show him wearing two Colts, both butts to the front. Don't know if he had any in saddle holsters, too.
Winston Churchill was especially informative about his weapons in the cavalry charge at Omdurman in, "My Early Life." (pub. in 1930). He described his Mauser C-96 and how he used it and the number of men he killed or wounded. And explained that he sheathed his sword due to a shoulder injury incurred in polo.
But if you read books by our WWII ace pilots like Anderson or Yeager, they don't discuss their pistols or knives. We know what Bong and McGuire carried because it shows in photos. Audie Murphy did tell what he used on some occasions.
Mosby did say that he had a Sharps carbine at one time and mentioned his lack of enthusiasm for sabers. Photos of him show him wearing two Colts, both butts to the front. Don't know if he had any in saddle holsters, too.
Winston Churchill was especially informative about his weapons in the cavalry charge at Omdurman in, "My Early Life." (pub. in 1930). He described his Mauser C-96 and how he used it and the number of men he killed or wounded. And explained that he sheathed his sword due to a shoulder injury incurred in polo.
But if you read books by our WWII ace pilots like Anderson or Yeager, they don't discuss their pistols or knives. We know what Bong and McGuire carried because it shows in photos. Audie Murphy did tell what he used on some occasions.
Ephraim Kibbey
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Lone Star - An aside about cleaning - I am in the middle of Bernard Cornwell's "Richard Sharpe" fiction series of books (21 books and 3 short stories about a Rifle Company in the British army from 1799 in India to 1820 on the continent and the basis for the BBC Sharpe's Rifles series.) He says that Riflemen were issued cleaning kits with their Baker Flintlock Rifles while Infantry with muskets were not. He has the Riflemen boiling water to pour into their rifles to clean them when in camp. However when the fouling became too great and there was not a fire to boil water, he has them using their natural bodily fluids instead to scour out the fouling! He also has them using nails to immobilize the mainspring when taking apart the lock for cleaning and oiling. I do not know where he got his research but his descriptions of camp life, drills and battles are pretty detailed. Sadly all of the replica Baker Rifles I have seen seem to actually be smoothbores from India?
I haven't read that series, although I know of it. I have read his books about the Danish lord reluctantly serving King Alfred the Great.. However, these are novels, not first hand accounts by veterans of a particular war, which is what we were discussing.
Thanks for the info on Sharpe. I've thought of reading that series. BTW, in the medieval series, he kept referring to the hero's second sword. I THINK he means a scramasax. That's a distinction he should explain. The man may have two swords and also a dagger or sax. He'd need a smaller knife than a small sword for daily uses. Cornwell does a lot of research and it makes his books quite interesting.
He is not, BTW, related to the American author Patricia Cornwell. That's not even her real surname. I no longer read her books. She just grossed me out. Thomas Harris can write abut sick characters and their evil and make it real. She just seemed to be fumbling for nightmare-like villains who were too over the top and disgusting.
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Ephraim Kibbey
Member
Lone Star - My wife started me off with the Warlord series (also a BBC series) several years ago and I have read them all except the one that just came out. He talks about the short sword that is used in the shield wall where the regular sword is unwieldy. It sounds just like the sax or Saxon short sword that he describes in his Arthurian series. Cornwell's depictions of military life through the ages are so detailed that I felt he must have first hand sources although he only acknowledges the bigger reference works. His Starbuck series set during the American Civil War is also great as are his stand alone works like "Redcoat."
Dog Soldier
member
Crawdad, There were many Colt Revolvers stored at a Federal Armory in the South. They were appropriated by the Confederacy after April 1861.
It seems they would remove the grips and put them in large cooking pots of hot water and lye soap.
William Clark Quantrill was a school teacher from Ohio. He was returning from SLC,Ut. when he engaged in slave bounties in Kansas. He was never recognized as a CSA officer by Jefferson Davis or Gen. Lee. He was a Prairie Pirate and "Bush Wacker". He would meet his fate near Louisville, Ky.
Crawdad1
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That's how I do it also, large cooking pot full of hot water and soap!!
Dog Soldier
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Yep, Crawdad that is called carrying on a tradition.
whughett
Member
I have a Uberti with full length fluted cylinder and a 1862 Police with half fluted cylinder, both are handsome looking pieces. The Army has Goons alterations done and shoots like a dream , the 62 is out for same.
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