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LOT 1194
Highly Desirable
and Historic Civil War Confederate Leech
& Rigdon Percussion Revolver Identified as Captured by Union Cavalryman Haskell Elias Coats with Documentation - Serial no. 616, 36 cal., 7 1/4 inch part octagon bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. This revolver is accompanied by an April 12,
1978 dated letter indicating it was sold on that day to an individual directly out of the family of Haskell Elias Coats, in
which the letter states, “This ‘six shooter’ of Leech and Rigdon manufacture had been in the possession of my family since it was
taken from a Confederate prisoner by my grandfather, Haskell Elias Coats, a Union cavalryman from Neenah, Wisconsin. The gun was given to me by my late father, Charles Haskell Coates. It was he who inserted the ‘e’ in our family’s name. Haskell Elias Coats enlisted in the Union Cavalry
in 1861 and served until 1865, reenlisting twice. He was wounded in the first large-scale cavalry engagement of the Civil War at Beverly Ford, Virginia, in 1863. After the war, he operated several business enterprises in Neenah and was Postmaster there.” The Leech & Rigdon revolver is a
close copy of the Colt Navy Model revolver, except that it has a round barrel with an octagonal breech section similar to the Colt Dragoon. These
are among the most highly sought after Confederate firearms. This is one of approximately 1,500 manufactured by Thomas Leech and Charles Rigdon at the Greensboro, Georgia, factory circa 1863-1864. The company was dissolved in 1864 and was replaced by Rigdon, Ansley & Co., which continued to manufacture a small amount of an updated variation of these revolvers in Augusta, Georgia. This Leech & Rigdon revolver has the pin and ball loading lever latch and six-shot cylinder with six cylinder stops, whereas the Rigdon & Ansley revolvers have twelve cylinder stops like the Manhattan revolvers. The barrel has a brass pin front sight. “LEECH & RIGDON CSA” marked on the top barrel flat. The barrel wedge is fitted with a retaining spring. The hammer has coarse knurling and a groove for a rear sight. Brass trigger guard and back strap. The revolver has a one-piece oil-finished walnut
grip. The matching serial number “616” is marked on the lever latch, loading lever, cylinder, cylinder pin, wedge, bottom of the barrel, frame, trigger guard, butt and handwritten in the back strap mortise of the grip. Information on these revolvers can be found in Albaugh, Benet and Simmons’ book “Confederate Handguns” on pages 39-60. The revolver is
also accompanied by a binder containing various relevant documents including a 1977 dated affidavit from the family members, a period photograph of Haskell Elias Coats, a typed detailed firsthand account from Haskell about his experience in the large cavalry battle at Beverly Ford (Battle of Brandy Station), papers listing Haskell’s service
history indicating he was mustered in to Company G of the Wisconsin 3rd Infantry on May 21, 1861, listed as a POW on May 24, 1862, discharged on October 26, 1862, and was later active in Company G of the U.S. Army 6th Cavalry.
CONDITION: Fine as Confederate issued and captured, a fresh example in a high state of condition when compared with the limited surviving examples today. 30% original blue finish remains on the iron with a mix of gray and brown patina on the balance,
mild freckling, light to mild pitting, and legible markings. The fine brass exhibits an attractive golden aged patina. The front sight has been period filed down, and the lever latch is loose. Grip is good with general light wear, cracked forward sections with attempted reglued repairs, and scattered dings and handling marks mostly concentrated on the left. Mechanically fine. This is a fine example of a Confederate Leech & Rigdon revolver identified as captured by Union cavalryman Haskell Elias Coats, worthy of a prominent spot in any Civil War arms collection!
Provenance: Family of Haskell Elias Coats; Joseph Rappa, Boston Road Antiques; Property of a Gentleman.
Estimate: 25,000 - 40,000