Revolver— The Gun That Almost Put Oliver Winchester Out of
On February 8, 1859, John Walch of New York City received United States Patent #22,905 for a somewhat unique revolver that fired superimposed loads from its cylinder, thus doubling the number of times the revolver could be fired before reloading. Walch’s patent application, describing his Improvement in Revolving Firearms, read in part:
As mid-19th century percussion revolvers were prone to chain fires, the simultaneous detonation of chambers other than the one being fired, it would seem that Walch’s double loaded chambers would raise a few eyebrows and cause concern among potential users. However, Walch explained clearly in his patent application that there was nothing to fear, as his revolvers would also use a new type of projectile. He notes that this new type of bullet was “made either by attaching a tin plate to a half ball by means of a very thin piece, or by connecting
While the description may not really bring to mind what the inventor intended, the patent drawings that he references can best be described as miniature “bar shot,” essentially a lead ball cut in half and joined by a thin piece between the flat sides that resulted in an incredibly deep groove. This also gave the projectile a more oval than round silhouette. The purpose of this deep groove was to contain the grease-like composition he described, which would ooze out of the groove when the ball was compressed during loading and the space between the two halves suitably squeezed. This grease would then, in the words of the Walch, have the effect that “…every danger is likewise prevented by which the after-charge might be ignited when the forward charge is fired off….”
Walch further notes that this rather slippery arrangement with the heavily greased balls would have the effect that “the chamber will be well greased and the barrel by each discharge will be there by cleaned.” He goes on to further state the advantages of the arrangement being that “as this forms a perfect air-tight packing for the ball the powder will have more force (and) be able to send the ball a greater distance.” It is interesting to note that while Walch appears to have, at least in his mind, removed the possibility of the rear charge firing as a result of the front charge being fired, he does not address the possibility that the front charge might misfire, and when the rear charge was fired into the blocked chamber, a catastrophic failure would almost certainly occur.
Walch knew that the concept of a superimposed positioning of two or more loads in a single chamber was not a new idea and did not claim that design in his patent. In fact, the U.S. military had experimented with the concept circa 1829 with the Ellis- Jennings repeating rifle, which was produced in both four and ten shot variants. Rather, his claim ran specifically to the arrangement of two rows of nipples on the rear of revolving cylinder that allowed double loads to be fired from each cylinder chamber.
His other claim referred to his trigger, which as he noted, “is on its upper end made in two parts.” Thus, a single conventional trigger appeared in the triggerguard that had two operating parts in the frame, which allowed the release of the right hammer and then the left with two distinct pulls.
John Parker Lindsay received a similar patent, #30,332 on October 9, 1860, that covered a single trigger mechanism that could release two or more hammers in sequence. This was a more elegant solution to the single trigger and double hammer firing mechanism. The two men would soon design a refined version of the Walch revolver together. The revolver conceived by these two New Yorkers would eventually be brought to Oliver Winchester and the New Haven Arms Company to manufacture. The Walch Pocket Revolver almost prevented the Winchester Firearms Company from existing; but we are getting slightly ahead of our story.
Like many designers and patent holders during the 19th century, Walch had plenty of ideas but no manufacturing facilities. To that end he entered into an agreement with the Union Knife Company of Naugatuck, Conn., to manufacture his first double-load percussion revolver design, the Walch “Navy” Revolver. This was a .36 caliber, six chambered revolver capable of firing twelve shots out of the double loaded cylinder chambers. The revolver was roughly 12 ¼-inches in overall length with a 6-inch octagonal barrel and utilized two triggers rather than the convoluted single trigger with two upper sections, as shown and described in Walch’s patent application.
The production of the Walch Navy revolver at the Union Knife Company was supervised by John Parker Lindsay, who would become famous (or infamous) for his Lindsay’s Patent U.S. Model 1863 Rifle Musket that used a double loaded chamber incorporated into a U.S. M1863 pattern musket with double hammers and a single trigger. While Flayderman’s Guide To Antique American Arms suggests that Lindsay was already producing his “Young American” pistols based upon the single trigger, double-hammer, double-loaded concept at the Union Knife Company before Walch came to the company, it seems more likely that the former Springfield Armory employee was initially engaged to produce the Walch contract revolvers at the Union Knife Company, more than a year and half prior to starting to produce his own Young American pattern pistols at the same facility. The Walch patent pre-dates Lindsay’s by some nineteen months, so it seems unlikely that Lindsay was already producing his firearms prior to meeting Walch. In fact, the pocket version of the The barrel address of a Walch Pocket revolver, listing the name of his company and referring to his February 8, 1859, patents, but not mentioning that the New Haven Arms Company was the actual manufacturer.
View of a Walch Pocket revolver after the first hammer has been released to fire the front load in the chamber, with the second hammer remaining cocked to fire the rear load.
A large frame Lindsay “Young American” pistol that uses the same double hammer, single trigger mechanism as the Walch Pocket revolvers. These guns were produced at the Union Knife Company concurrently with the earlier Walch “Navy” revolvers. Lindsay Young American pistol bears the February 8, 1859, patent date of Walch’s design along with the October 9, 1860, date of Lindsay’s design under its barrel. The second date appears to refer to both Walch’s bifurcated bullet design and to the elongated flash channels required to fire the front and rear loads, respectively.
Despite a small number of the .36 caliber Walch Navy revolvers being produced at Union Knife Company circa 1860, the guns met with little commercial success. While exact production figures are unknown, most references suggest less than three hundred Walch Navy revolvers were manufactured. During the same basic period, Lindsay produced a similar number (possibly as many as four or five hundred) of his Young American pocket pistols and approximately one hundred of his larger sized Belt model pistols; both of which also seem to have been commercial failures.
By early 1861, the Union Knife (All photos by Tim Prince)
Company appears to have separated themselves from both Walch and Lindsay and returned their attention to producing the knives that were the heart and soul of their business, rather than speculating in the production of odd ball handguns.
Walch was not deterred. A new pocket version of the Walch revolver was designed that appears to have been collaboration between Walch and Lindsay. The new revolver was .31 caliber and initially produced with a brass, Front view of the Walch Pocket 5-chambered cylinder with the inset showing the forward flash hole about half-way down the length of the chamber.
rather than an iron frame. The first 1,500 to 2,000 guns were produced with a brass frame, but the balance of production was made with an iron frame. The open top design used both a wedge and a screw in the bottom of the frame to secure the barrel to the frame. The revolver had a 3 ¼-inch octagonal barrel and a five chambered cylinder that allowed ten rounds to be fired. Like its predecessor, it retained the double hammer arrangement; however, the double triggers and triggerguard were abandoned in favor of a single spur trigger mechanism like the one used on Lindsay’s Young American pocket sized pistols, which was likely Lindsay’s own design. The ten percussion nipples on the rear of the cylinder alternated ignition of the two rounds in the chamber. The first nipple sent its flame into an extended flash channel that traveled along a small hump, much like an inverted cylinder flute, towards the chamber mouth, where it fired the front or first charge. The second nipple fired directly into the rear of the cylinder to detonate the rearmost second charge. As before, Walch had no capability to manufacture the new design, so he approached the New Haven Arms Company of New Haven, Conn., to manufacture the guns.
The New Haven Arms Company was in a state of flux at this time, in dire financial straits, and on the verge of financial collapse. The company had been formed in 1857 from the remains of the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company, which itself evolved from the first version of the Smith & Wesson firm. In all cases, the companies were trying to produce and market innovative repeating arms that were inherently hobbled by their low powered “Rocket Ball” cartridge.
The principle investor in the company was Oliver Winchester, a successful entrepreneur whose name was not yet synonymous with the firearms industry. As Winchester would opine in a letter to another major stockholder of the New Haven Arms Company in October 1862:
“…the company (New Haven Arms) commenced manufacturing the Volcanic firearms, starting a large lot of each size and in about 18 months thereafter began to turn out finished arms, and put them on the market. They at once found a strong prejudice against them among dealers, and [following] a few months vain efforts to sell them, became satisfied that there were radical defects which would prevent their ever becoming a salable article. We, of course, had no way but to finish up those we had commenced, as they would have been a total loss if we dropped them. This involved a large outlay. Most of that stock has been sold at a heavy loss, and nearly all of the costly tools and machinery for making them were rendered useless. While finishing up these arms (taking about two years), we perfected and patented certain improvements (Dec. 1860), obviating the objections to the old arms, and making a perfect thing as applied to the rifle.”
This was the situation that Walch found Winchester in when he approached New Haven Arms. The firm was cash strapped from the failure of the Volcanic project, was sitting on a large investment in machinery that was now of limited utility, but saw the potential for their newly patented Henry rifle to save the company. All New Haven Arms needed was an injection of capital to re-tool for producing the new model. As the company had a rocky history with its investors, it was not likely to find new capital from the old sources. As a result, Oliver Winchester agreed to manufacture the new pocket revolver design for Walch. As Winchester continued to explain in the same letter quoted above:
As a result of Walch’s default on the contract with New Haven Arms, he had all but pushed the fiscally unstable company over the brink into total financial ruin.
Robert Reilly in his book United States Military Small Arms 1816–1865 notes that some Walch Pocket revolvers were acquired by the 9th Michigan and 14th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiments, but he asserts that these were certainly personal purchases and not state or Federal government purchases. As handguns were not regularly issued or carried by infantry, this seems quite logical. However, Flayderman states categorically that “One entire outfit, Company I of the 9th Michigan Infantry armed themselves with the gun, where it received favorable comment.” He continues, “Not all field reports were so laudatory.” As no citation is provided and I have not been able to confirm this purchase in any period document, I am somewhat skeptical that an entire infantry company carried these pocket revolvers, but it is possible. Such purchases were sometimes the type of action undertaken by a wealthy company commander who was willing to help equip his troops from his own pocket.
Thus, the story of one of the more bizarre revolver designs of the mid-19th century comes to a close. Walch’s default on the New Haven Arms contract almost caused that company to fail, and if it had done so, the Winchester Repeating Arms Company may have never been born. This strange story makes the Walch not only an important piece of Civil War era firearms
Civil War Catalog Featuring a large assortment of Civil War and Indian War autographs, accoutrements, memorabilia, medals,
insignia, buttons, GAR, documents, photos, & books. curiosa from a design standpoint but means that these revolvers belong in a collection and display of early “Winchester” arms, along with the Volcanic and Henry firearms produced by the New Haven Arms Company.
Tim Prince is a full-time dealer in fine & collectible military arms from the Colonial Period through WWII. He operates College Hill Arsenal, a web-based antique arms retail site. A long time collector & researcher, Tim has been a contributing author to two major book projects about Civil War era arms including The English Connection and a new book on southern retailer marked and Confederate used shotguns. Tim is also a featured Arms & Militaria appraiser on the PBS Series Antiques Roadshow.