January 2022
However, for anyone not named Wild Bill Hickok, probably 25 to 50 yards is the upper limit to hit the intended target with four out of six shots. Most infantry engagements were contested at a considerably greater distance.
Further, in some instances soldiers were forbidden from carrying revolvers. In the Civil War Diary of Confederate Pvt. Jacob D. Smith, (Company D, Camps and Campaigns) he noted that “Many soldiers had revolvers; and as many regiments were forbidden by their Colonels to wear them, so a large number were sent back home. Revolvers were probably cheaper in Virginia in those years than in any other state in America.” So, if we are to conclude that revolver use among infantry rank and file was more or less the exception to the rule, where were all the revolvers going and who used them?
Well, most assuredly revolvers were very widely used by Confederate horsemen where engagements between forces were at much closer range. The overwhelming favorite was initially the 1851 Colt .36 Navy model based both on pre-war availability and its reputation for reliability, followed closely by the newer 1860 .44 Colt Army model as these became more widely available (mostly) through capture. It is easier to name the Confederate generals who did not carry a Colt revolver than to list all of those who did, a compilation that would begin with Robert E. Lee and Nathan Bedford Forrest. In contrast, the
Union purchased very few Navy revolvers, but ordered close to two hundred thousand of the newer .44 caliber 1860 Army version, which was essentially a larger diameter barrel on the lighter Colt Navy frame. It was a winning combination in the right hands, but it needed to be drawn out of its holster to be effective. A major from the 2nd Michigan “Pistols are Cavalry noted: useless. I have known regiments that have been in the field over two years that have never used their pistols in action.” This shows the limited grasp of cavalry tactics by some Union soldiers on horseback. Hence, the Union cavalry began the Civil War perhaps better equipped with larger caliber Colt Army revolvers, but on orders from their commanders, most often began their charge (foolishly) with nothing but sabers drawn. As an obvious result, “…the rebels shot their saber wielding adversaries out of their saddles.” One wonders how exactly the saber beats any six-shot revolver in close quarters?
No less an authority on cavalry tactics than Nathan Bedford Forrest preferred the Colt Navy revolvers. He purchased five hundred “Navy Sixes” during October 1861, in Louisville, Ky., then smuggled them to Memphis, Tenn., in potato sacks. Once back in Tennessee, they were issued to the men in his command. Forrest recommended each man carry a ‘brace’ meaning two revolvers, rather than a revolver and a saber. He carried at least two
Colts himself and was known to “shoot his adversaries out of their saddles” with them as often as the opportunity arose. In one instance, at Bogler’s Creek, Ala., the 17th Indiana Cavalry attacked in the traditional fashion with sabers drawn. Forrest was engaged by an Indiana cavalry officer who was enthusiastically hacking at him with his saber. As soon as Forrest managed to get a few yards removed, he turned around, drew his revolver and shot his attacker. Six or seven others were found nearby killed in similar fashion. It must have been like shooting fish in a barrel.
The popular (newer) Colt revolvers were often taken through capture. While a wellknown user of the J.E.B. Stuart, a well known user of the LeMat, captured a wagon full of new Colt Army revolvers during his ride around McClellan during the Seven Days battles. Southern production of the Colt knockoffs never quite met the demand, so most Colt revolvers that saw Confederate service were either pre-war private purchases or captured arms. Except for the Nathan Bedford Forrest transaction in 1861, which was likely through intermediaries with Confederate sympathies, there are no records of Colt factory sales direct to the Confederacy during the Civil War-era. Concerning revolvers that were commonly captured, Bell Wiley, noted in The Life of Johnny Reb: A Common Soldier of the Confederacy, thatbesides the Colt 1860 Army and the “new” updated 1861 Navy design, included those manufactured by Remington, Starr, Whitney, Beal, and Joslyn were popular, “…but Colt six-shooters were by far the most common.”
Craig L. Barry was born in Charlottesville, Va. He holds his BA and Masters degrees from UNC (Charlotte). Craig served The Watchdog Civil War Quarterly as Associate Editor and Editor from 2003–2017. The Watchdog published books and columns on 19th-century material and donated all funds from publications to battlefield preservation. He is the author of several books including The Civil War Musket: A Handbook for Historical Accuracy (2006, 2011),
Buying and Selling
The Unfinished Fight: Essays on
The Finest in
Confederate Material Culture Vol. I and II (2012, 2013). He has
Americana
also published four books in the Suppliers to the Confederacy series on English Arms & Accoutrements, Quartermaster stores and other European imports.