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LOT 145
Well-Documented Historic Ainsworth Inspected Prime 7th
Cavalry Range “Lot Six” U.S. Colt Cavalry Model Single
Action Army Revolver Accompanied by Kopec Silver Seal
Letter - Serial no. 5839, 45 Long Colt cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/
casehardened finish, walnut grips. This revolver is a rare Lot Six Colt Single Action
Army in Cavalry Model configuration. Lot Six is one of the prime lots for revolvers
issued to the 7th Cavalry led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer at the
Battle of Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876, where Custer’s battalion was annihilated
by the combined warriors of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho
in one of the most infamous defeats in American history. A total of 921 Colts
were shipped to the 7th Cavalry from the Rock Island Arsenal in 1874. Of those,
approximately 300 were from Lot Six. The table on page 252 of “Colt Cavalry and
Artillery Revolvers. . .a Continuing Study” by Kopec and Fenn indicates the “Prime
Serial Number Range” of 5505-6516 for the revolvers issued to Companies D and I
and indicates sn. 5505, 5637, 5740, 5743, 6048, 6067, and 6269 from Lot Six all have
documented or attributed 7th Cavalry history. Companies D and I received eighty-
three revolvers each later than the rest of the 7th Cavalry as they were on detached
service at Fort Totten under Major Reno’s command with the Northern Boundary
Survey. Company I was led by Captain Myles Keogh and were part Custer’s ill-fated
battalion in the battle while Company D was part of Captain Frederick Benteen’s
Battalion and led by Captain Thomas Weir. Captain Weir notably led his men
forward without orders upon hearing the firing in Custer’s direction but was forced
back when they came under fire.
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