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Our current revolver falls within the “prime lot” of Colt Single Action Army revolvers issued to Custer’s men prior to that fateful day: the Lot Five revolvers, serial numbers 4500-5504.
This historic revolver is accompanied by a 1991 dated letter from Kenneth Leonard, a previous owner of the gun. In the letter Leonard stated he obtained the revolver from Jake Herman, Oglala Sioux Indian (today known as Oglala Lakota Nation) from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, in 1965. Jake Herman was a noted member of Pine Ridge. He had served as a tribal policeman and a tribal council member, and in 1965 he was the tribal historian and curator of the tribal museum at Pine Ridge. As told by Harman, “the gun was captured at the Little Big Horn and had been in his family since that time.” Kenneth Leonard purchased it from Herman in 1965.
The revolver was examined by noted Colt historian and author John Kopec and his letter of authentication for the revolver is included. He gave this revolver his coveted “gold seal” which signifies the revolver is one Kopec “feels would qualify being in his own personal collection: one for which “no excuses” would ever be required. Few surviving examples will qualify for this distinction.” It is very evident why he gave this revolver that distinction considering its historical significance.
The revolver was previously listed in his survey back in October 1993. In the survey it falls between known revolvers nos. 4728 (Artillery Model) and 4730 (Artillery Model component). “This revolver originated from within Lot Five. Lot Five (#4500-#5504) was one of the ‘prime’ lots from which those revolvers which had been issued to the Seventh Cavalry were drawn. This issue occurred in July 2, 1874 just prior to their departure into the Black Hills,” noted Kopec. Kopec was familiar with the aforementioned Kenneth Leonard letter and how Leonard obtained the revolver from Jack Herman. In fact, Leonard was one of Kopec’s acquaintances and Kopec personally knew of Leonard’s “exploits into the Pine Ridge Sioux Reservation.” Kopec considered Leonard’s letter as “indisputable provenance.” The letter was the best type of “provenance as one would ever hope to find on one of these ‘Custer-era’ Colt Revolvers.” The revolver is cited in “Colt Cavalry & Artillery Revolvers” as being a “presumptive, Pine Ridge Sioux Reservation, Indian use” (page 280). Kopec also stated that the late Dr. H. Sterling Fenn test fired the revolver and the results “showed no firing-pin imprint match with any of the relic pistol cartridges retrieved from the Custer Battlefield.” A copy of Fenn’s file card for this revolver is included.
With the exception of the obliterated “US” frame marking, Kopec noted that the serial numbers, Ainsworth’s ordnance inspector “A” initials, and barrel address “remain in perfect original condition.” As for the “US” marking, these letters have been ground off the frame. “This was however carefully accomplished by first removing the triggerguard and cylinder,” wrote Kopec. “The removal of these letters is generally believed to be a characteristic of an Indian captured firearm. Other referenced revolvers with these letters removed are #4817, #4981, #5020, #5065, #5099 and #5128.” The ground off “US” marking only adds to the validity of this revolver having seen combat during Custer’s Last Stand. Kopec’s other observations included the modern replacement trigger, an overall “gun-metal” finish, several replaced trigger guard screws, slightly flattened rear sight, flattened muzzle, original mainspring, and original grips.
The serial numbers of the revolvers issued to the 7th Cavalry are within the 4500-6559
range in Colt production Lots Five, Six, and Seven. On page 281 of “Colt Cavalry & Artillery Revolvers...a Continuing Study” by Kopec and Sterling Fenn, 600 of the 7th Cavalry Revolvers are estimated to have come from Lot Five, 300 came from the Lot Six, and just 39 came from Lot Seven. Thus, Lot Five revolvers are particularly desirable as they are significantly more likely to have been issued to the 7th Cavalry. The authors noted, “Serial numbers 4507, 4553, 4597, 4949, 4955, 5100, 5128, 5133, 5153, 5147, 5180, and 5416 all have either documented Seventh Cavalry history, or some lesser degree of Seventh Cavalry history or battle association. All of these revolvers are from Lot Five.”
In the table on page 260, Custer’s command (companies C, E, F, I, and L plus ten staff and three scouts) are listed as having revolvers in the Lot Five and Lot Six range. The 212 revolvers from Custer’s men are presumed to have all been looted by Native American warriors. After the battle, 302 of the 632 revolvers carried into the battle by the 7th Cavalry were reported lost, and “At the minimum 252 and probably closer to 280 Colt Army revolvers were recovered by the warriors during the two day battle at the Little Bighorn” as noted on page 261. Many of the revolvers captured during the battle would have been employed by the warriors later in the battle as the warriors finished their rout of Custer’s men and then reformed and engaged Reno and Benteen’s men in the south.