Here's a nice-looking M1851 Colt Navy revolver with ties to a Union Cavalryman.
This Colt M1851 is all original and all matching, with the exception of a period replacement wedge. It's serial number puts its date of manufacture in 1861 - the start of the Civil War. Despite the fact that the pistol was heavily cleaned by a former owner in the 1960's, there is a name and unit marking can be seen engraved on the butt of the pistol: "C. H GAUTHIER / Co M 4 US CAV". This is the identifying mark of Private Charles C. Gauthier, a member of the 4th US Cavalry, Company M.
The 4th Cavalry saw extensive fighting during the war with most of the regiment was assigned to the Western Theater; fighting against Confederates in Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, and the Indian Territory. In 1861–62, two companies served with distinction in Virginia in the Army of the Potomac before being reunited with the rest of the regiment in Tennessee. The Regiment fought in the major battles of First Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, Fredericksburg and Antietam.
Given the Regiment's extensive history, it's safe to say this pistol has definitely "seen the elephant" more than a few times, and is the very definition of the phrase "if this gun could talk". But the question remains, how was Gauthier permitted to engrave his name on his service weapon when the practice of "personalizing" Federally-owned weapon was strictly forbidden during the war? The answer is simple - the pistol never belonged to the Federal Government - it was purchased privately by Gauthier.
The "private purchase" of sidearms and other weaponry by Federal soldiers was well documented during the war; especially among cavalrymen. Many mounted fighting men purchased secondary handguns to mount in a pommel holster and use a back-up weapon when his issued-revolver needed to be reloaded. Others purchased Colt pocket and navy pistols as supplements to their issued carbines.
There are a few indicators that denote this pistol to be a private purchase weapon. The first is the fact that it was made in 1861 - Colt did not have any Federal contracts to make M1851 Navy revolvers in 1861. The last federal contract for the '51 ended in 1859 and had been replaced with a contract for New Model 1860 Army Revolvers by the time the war started. Scondly, this pistol has no "US" marking below the "Colts Patent" stamp on it's frame, nor do any of its principle components bare any of the single letter subinspector stamps associated with pistols made for the Federal government. Additionally, despite some apparent re-polishing of the pistol's brass components, traces of original silver plating can be seen around the trigger bow. Silver plating was only applied to civilian guns as a way to "pretty" them up for sale on the open market. The plating was omitted from military contract guns to help keep costs down.
We purchased this pistol from the estate of one of Charles Gauthier's decedents. At the time we purchased it, we were informed by the gun's owner that there was an original photograph that had been associated with the pistol, but the photograph had already been sold. By a stroke of luck, we were able to track down a copy of the original photograph of Private Charles Gauthier, which we have included at the bottom of this listing.
This pistol remains in complete working condition despite its history as a heavily-used combat weapon.
The action works well with a reliable half and full cock. The cylinder spins on half cock and locks up nicely on full - just as it should.
The grips are original to the gun and show heavy wear but are intact without any areas of rot or other damage.
All the metal components were buffed and refinished; reportedly during the 1960s during the Centennial of the War. When we purchased the pistol we originally thought the gun had been plated after refinishing, but in reality, the pistol had a quote of lacquer applied to all its metal surfaces after the "restoration" work was complete.
As a result of the re-polishing, much of the gun's markings have been removed or obscured. However, the top barrel flat still retains a very crisp "Hartford Address" and all the of the serial numbers, together with the Gauthier inscription on the butt, remain crisp and legible.
The bore and chambers are all uniformly pitted with visible rifling remaining in the barrel.
This ID'd pistol is a great example of a firearm that was actually used in combat during the Civil War. Identified pieces with this much provenance rarely come up and are even more rarely seen at this price point. Don't wait!
