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Captain Samuel
LOT 212
Highly Desirable, Historic, and Iconic C Company No. 12 Colt Model 1847 Walker Percussion Revolver with Holster, Flask, Tool, Parade of Walkers Certificate, Herb Glass Letter, and Additional Documentation - Serial no. CCOMPANYNo12, 44 cal., 9 inch
part octagon bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut grips. Colt firearms may have been manufactured in the Northeast, but their history is intimately linked to the American West and especially to Texas. Texas was the
key battleground in the early years of the Colt revolver, and the Colt Patersons revolvers used by the Texas Rangers in their struggles on the frontier against the powerful Comanche proved that Colt’s revolvers were truly weapons of war suitable for intense frontier combat. Heavily outnumbered Texas Rangers used them to
fight off Comanche attacks at both the Battle of Bandera Pass and the Battle of Walker’s Creek despite the Comanche warriors being notorious for their bravery and their talent in combat with traditional lances and bows.
Texans’ thirst for Colt’s revolvers continued on after the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company folded in 1842 and grew with the outbreak of the Mexican-American War. As a result, the formidable Colt Model 1847 Walker revolver was famously designed in
collaboration between Samuel Colt and Captain Samuel H. Walker of the Texas Rangers and the U.S. Regiment of Mounted Riflemen.
In 1847, Samuel Colt contacted Walker
asking for details on the battles in which his Paterson revolvers had been used and for an endorsement that he could then use to pursue government contracts. Walker wrote back a glowing endorsement of Colt’s revolvers but also made suggestions on how to improve the design. John Coffee Hays, Walker, and the Texas Rangers had successfully used Colt’s .36 caliber Paterson revolvers against the Comanche but now sought even more powerful revolvers
for their fight against the Mexican Army. They wanted bigger, more powerful revolvers, true war-fighting revolvers that could stop a man
or horse with a single shot. Walker got what
he wanted, and Colt did as well: a contract
for 1,000 revolvers. Since Colt did not have
a manufacturing facility for the revolvers, he contracted to have Eli Whitney Jr. make them for him, and by that fall, Walker revolvers were arriving in the Southwest.
Only 1,000 of the historic U.S. martial contract Colt Walker revolvers were manufactured in 1847. These massive “horse pistols” resurrected Samuel Colt’s firearms business and set him on a path to immense success and wealth.
The pinnacle of 19th Century American fine and historic arms collecting, Rock Island Auction Company proudly offers for sale for the first time publicly, C Company No.12 Colt Walker from Texas Ranger Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker's own Company.
188
Texas Ranger
Hamilton Walker