A Think Quest 99' Project

Weapons

The 1860 Colt Army Model

The Colt Army Model 1860 was a streamlined version of the earlier 1848 dragoon (used in the Mexican War). It became the most popular sidearm in the Union army (the Colt Navy Model 1861 .36 calibre was preferred in the South) and was renowned for its interchangeability of parts. The Colt Model 1860 was a .44 calibre six shot weapon which weighed 2 lbs 11 ounces. At $13.75, the Colt Army Revolver was much more expensive than those made by Remington or Starr. More than 146,800 Colt revolvers were purchased during the war, accounting for greater than 40% of all handguns bought by the Union Ordinance Department. Government orders ceased in November 1863.

Back to Weapons

The 1860 Colt Navy Model

Back to Weapons

Le Mat Revolver

The Le Mat Revolver was the most famous foreign pistol in service during the Civil War. It was invented by a French-born New Orleans doctor in 1856. The 'cap and ball' weapon is unique in that it has two barrels. A cylinder which held nine .40 calibre rounds fired through the upper barrel and revolved around the lower .63 calibre barrel which held a charge of buck-shot. By merely flicking his thumb, the shooter could re-align the hammer to fall on the lower barrel which acted as a small shotgun -- deadly at close range. Dr (or sometimes Colonel) Jean Alexander Francois Le Mat produced about 300 of his weapon in New Orleans prior to the outbreak of the war. The weapons were noted as reliable and became well liked, so when the war began, Le Mat moved to France to set up mass production for the Confederacy. The French made revolvers(manufactured by G. Girard & Co), however, were found to be of poor quality, whole lots the pistol were condemned as unserviceable by Southern buyers in Europe. Le Mat moved his production and contracted through Belgian and English companies. As many as 3,000 of the pistol eventually found their way to the South. The handgun came with either a 18 or 20-guage shot barrel and one version could be fitted with a full length barrel. The Le Mat was carried by such famous Southern Generals as P.G.T. Beauregard and J.E.B. Stuart.

Back to Weapons

Starr Revolver

The Starr Revolver was a .44 calibre, six-shot, double action weapon weighing in at almost 3 lbs. It fired a combustible cartridge, but could also be loaded with loose powder and ball. Initially the double action Starr was used by Union soldiers in the western theater of the Civil War, but in 1863 the US Ordinance Dept urged the Starr Arms Co. to replace the double action revolver with a cheaper, single action model. Starr complied and sold the Union 25,000 weapons at $12 each.

Back to Weapons

The Unique Revolver

This very unique military revolver was especially produced for Civil War use. It was designed from the pre-war Savage "figure eight" revolver. Instead of being thumb cocked, the middle finger of the hand was used to draw back the lever and then push it forward which cocked the hammer and rotated the cylinder. Approximately 12,000 of the 20,000 made were sold to the U.S. government early in the war and although in .36 Caliber (.44 was the desired standard of the U.S. army) it was issued to Cavalry Troopers in the Western Theater, mostly but not exclusively to Missouri troopers. The remaining 8,000 saw service as private-purchase weapons by officers. As this was an early war production weapon, there is some evidence that quite a few were smuggled South and used in the Central Confederacy. As always, Confederate officers and Cavalry, chronically short of handguns, made use of all the captured guns they could obtain, regardless of make or appearance. However, it was mechanically reliable, not prone to excessive fouling, and was durable.

Back to Weapons