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LOT 206
Outstanding Historic Documented Civil War Presentation Cased Colt Model 1860
Army Percussion Revolver with Factory Presentation Inscription to Dr. Milhau from
Colt Vice President R.W.H. Jarvis - Serial no. 49693, 44 cal., 8 inch round bbl., blue/
casehardened/silver finish, walnut grips. For collectors and students of antique arms,
these items are not simply interesting weapons, they are vehicles to the past and enduring
reminders of our rich and complex history. Aside from the American Revolution, no period in
American history has arguably has been as dramatic nor has had as lasting of an impression
on our country as the American Civil War. The country was torn in two by political, moral,
and economic differences and then reunited and liberated through intensely bloody conflict
during which family members engaged each other in mortal combat on battlefields not in
some far away land or off on the western frontier but amongst our homes and farms, often within
short distances from the capital, in massive armies that dwarfed the armies of the Revolution. The
amount of suffering during the Civil War was immense, including among many of the civilians,
and, as a nation, we still grapple with the complex history and the legacy of the “War Between
the States” to this very day. Firearms from the Civil War, especially those with documented history,
remain among the most sought after and valuable antique arms due to their intimate connection
to that history.
This incredible cased revolver is certainly among the highest condition of all presentation Model
1860 Army revolvers and has a significant factory presentation inscription from Colt Vice President
Richard H.W. Jarvis to influential Union surgeon Dr. John J. Milhau. With its condition and
inscription alone, this cased set is incredibly valuable, but its history makes it truly remarkable.
It serves as a lasting reminder of the Colt Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company whose
workmen armed our soldiers in their fight to preserve the Union, the soldiers who put themselves
in harm’s way for our country and never returned home whole, and the patriotic men and women
who worked tirelessly and put their own lives on the line to care for the sick and wounded of both
sides after the battles while thousands of lives hung in the balance.
The stunning revolver was manufactured in 1862 and is largely a classic Civil War production
Colt Model 1860 Army aside from the special silver plated brass trigger guard and the historic
presentation inscription in neatly cut script: “Dr. Milhau/From R.W.H. Jarvis” in two lines at the
center of the back strap. The trigger guard also has a “C” on the left below the “44 CAL” marking,
and an additional “2” marking is stamped above or below the serial numbers on the barrel, frame,
trigger guard, and back strap used by the factory to note special finishing. All of the visible serial
numbers match. The frame is cut for a shoulder stock and has the short screws for mounting a
shoulder stock. The revolver comes within its factory presentation rosewood case with red lining,
an unopened Eley Bros. cap tin, two cartridge packs “MADE OF HAZARD’S POWDER/EXPRESSLY FOR/
COL. COLT’S PATENT/NEW MODEL/REVOLVING HOLSTER PISTOL,” L-shaped combination screwdriver
and nipple wrench, case key, blued ball/bullet mold, and brown lacquered powder flask with
sloped charger.
The Great Battles
in Maryland
Official Dispatch from General McClellan
Total Union Loss at Antietam
and South Mountain 14,794.
Total Rebel loss in Killed, Wounded,
and Prisoners 25,542.