RARE INSCRIBED CONFEDERATE USED & IDENTIFIED COLT 3RD MODEL DRAGOON PERCUSSION REVOLVER.

RARE INSCRIBED CONFEDERATE USED & IDENTIFIED COLT 3RD MODEL DRAGOON PERCUSSION REVOLVER. SN 15983. Cal. 44. Usual configuration with 7-1/2″ oct to rnd bbl, German silver front sight and 1-line New York City address. Left side of frame has a small “COLTS PATENT” and the brass trigger guard & back strap contain a varnished 1-pc walnut grip with numbers “598” clearly visible and what should be the fourth digit, a “3”, is obscured. Cyl is usual 6-shots with the Dragoon/Indian fight scene roll marking. The rolled panels above & below the SN on the cyl are worn over the top with the “COLTS PATENT” bottom panel mostly still legible. The butt strap is inscribed in period script “A.A. Butler”. The 3rd Model Dragoon was the highest production of the three models of the Dragoon with about 10,500 being produced in the period 1851-1861. This revolver, being a civilian model, would have been a private purchase very likely shipped south in the years immediately preceding the outbreak of hostilities in the Civil War in 1861. Allen A. Butler was the youngest of five sons of the Rev. Daniel P. Butler, only one of whom would survive the Civil War. Allen enlisted as a corporal in Company E, 4th Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers on April 14, 1861, probably with this revolver at his side, most likely a present from his family as was the tradition at that time. Allen’s regiment was known as the Palmetto Sharpshooters and was one of the first two regiments engaged in the first battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, where he distinguished himself for bravery in combat. When his initial term of service expired, Allen Butler re-enlisted and was promoted to Sergeant of Company B, 1st Regiment of Palmetto Sharpshooters which would ultimately become the largest fighting unit in the Army of Northern Virginia. In April & May 1862 this unit was bogged down in the trenches at Yorktown and later were very conspicuous at the Battle of Seven Pines in May of 1862 where it was heavily decimated, young Butler survived. During the Seven Days Battles, June 25-July 1, 1862 and at 2nd Bull Run in August, this unit was nearly completely decimated. They fought again at Fredericksburg on Dec. 13, 1862 and then spent nearly six months recuperating and refilling their ranks. Allen Butler was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and led his company at the Battle of Chickamauga in September. Then on Nov. 16th during the same campaign, just before the Battle of Lookout Mountain, Lt. Butler was killed while leading his company in a charge against a far superior Union force at Campbell Station, Tennessee. This revolver was returned to his family along with personal effects, where it remained until the last surviving descendant sold it. The above cited battles in which the Palmetto Sharpshooters participated are only the major battles of the many fights & skirmishes in which they were engaged from Lt. Butler’s enlistment until he was killed. This revolver was the subject of a 3-page article entitled “The Big Colt That Went South” by Tom Lopiano Jr., that appeared in the January 1980 Arms Gazette, a copy of which accompanies this lot. Also accompanying is a 3-ring binder of research material about Allen A. Butler and the Palmetto Sharpshooters including several Unit Muster Rolls for Butler. All of us involved in the collectible arms business are regularly assailed with stories & tales of the various firearms encountered, almost on a daily basis. Most of the stories are family history or “so and so told me this”, along with some outright fabrications. Rarely do we encounter such a well-documented and historical item that belonged to a courageous Confederate soldier. PROVENANCE: Herb Glass; Tom Lopiano Collection. CONDITION: Fine, all matching including wedge, cyl & grip. Traces of orig finish remain in the most sheltered areas, being mostly a lightly cleaned gray/brown patina. Rammer pivot, frame & hammer retain some smoky case colors with stronger case colors on right side of hammer. Cyl is a matching thin gray/brown patina and shows about 40% Dragoon/Indian fight scene with one serviceable safety pin. Trigger guard & back strap, which were never silver-plated, are a medium mustard patina with a few minor dings on butt strap with fine legible inscription. Grip is sound with moderate edge wear and a few light nicks & scratches and overall retains most of its orig factory varnish. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with good shine and scattered moderate pitting. 4-42081 JR236 (20,000-32,500)

Auction: Firearms - Spring 2011

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	2258	$23,000.00	RARE INSCRIBED CONFEDERATE USED & IDENTIFIED COLT 3RD MODEL DRAGOON PERCUSSION REVOLVER. SN 15983. Cal. 44. Usual configuration with 7-1/2″ oct to rnd bbl, German silver front sight and 1-line New York City address. Left side of frame has a small “COLTS PATENT” and the brass trigger guard & back strap contain a varnished 1-pc walnut grip with numbers “598” clearly visible and what should be the fourth digit, a “3”, is obscured. Cyl is usual 6-shots with the Dragoon/Indian fight scene roll marking. The rolled panels above & below the SN on the cyl are worn over the top with the “COLTS PATENT” bottom panel mostly still legible. The butt strap is inscribed in period script “A.A. Butler”. The 3rd Model Dragoon was the highest production of the three models of the Dragoon with about 10,500 being produced in the period 1851-1861. This revolver, being a civilian model, would have been a private purchase very likely shipped south in the years immediately preceding the outbreak of hostilities in the Civil War in 1861. Allen A. Butler was the youngest of five sons of the Rev. Daniel P. Butler, only one of whom would survive the Civil War. Allen enlisted as a corporal in Company E, 4th Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers on April 14, 1861, probably with this revolver at his side, most likely a present from his family as was the tradition at that time. Allen’s regiment was known as the Palmetto Sharpshooters and was one of the first two regiments engaged in the first battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, where he distinguished himself for bravery in combat. When his initial term of service expired, Allen Butler re-enlisted and was promoted to Sergeant of Company B, 1st Regiment of Palmetto Sharpshooters which would ultimately become the largest fighting unit in the Army of Northern Virginia. In April & May 1862 this unit was bogged down in the trenches at Yorktown and later were very conspicuous at the Battle of Seven Pines in May of 1862 where it was heavily decimated, young Butler survived. During the Seven Days Battles, June 25-July 1, 1862 and at 2nd Bull Run in August, this unit was nearly completely decimated. They fought again at Fredericksburg on Dec. 13, 1862 and then spent nearly six months recuperating and refilling their ranks. Allen Butler was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and led his company at the Battle of Chickamauga in September. Then on Nov. 16th during the same campaign, just before the Battle of Lookout Mountain, Lt. Butler was killed while leading his company in a charge against a far superior Union force at Campbell Station, Tennessee. This revolver was returned to his family along with personal effects, where it remained until the last surviving descendant sold it. The above cited battles in which the Palmetto Sharpshooters participated are only the major battles of the many fights & skirmishes in which they were engaged from Lt. Butler’s enlistment until he was killed. This revolver was the subject of a 3-page article entitled “The Big Colt That Went South” by Tom Lopiano Jr., that appeared in the January 1980 Arms Gazette, a copy of which accompanies this lot. Also accompanying is a 3-ring binder of research material about Allen A. Butler and the Palmetto Sharpshooters including several Unit Muster Rolls for Butler. All of us involved in the collectible arms business are regularly assailed with stories & tales of the various firearms encountered, almost on a daily basis. Most of the stories are family history or “so and so told me this”, along with some outright fabrications. Rarely do we encounter such a well-documented and historical item that belonged to a courageous Confederate soldier. PROVENANCE: Herb Glass; Tom Lopiano Collection. CONDITION: Fine, all matching including wedge, cyl & grip. Traces of orig finish remain in the most sheltered areas, being mostly a lightly cleaned gray/brown patina. Rammer pivot, frame & hammer retain some smoky case colors with stronger case colors on right side of hammer. Cyl is a matching thin gray/brown patina and shows about 40% Dragoon/Indian fight scene with one serviceable safety pin. Trigger guard & back strap, which were never silver-plated, are a medium mustard patina with a few minor dings on butt strap with fine legible inscription. Grip is sound with moderate edge wear and a few light nicks & scratches and overall retains most of its orig factory varnish. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with good shine and scattered moderate pitting. 4-42081 JR236 (20,000-32,500) Auction: Firearms - Spring 2011 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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