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At the Battle of Walker’s Creek at the beginning of June in 1844, Captain Hays
and fifteen of his Texas Rangers, armed with Colt Patersons, were camped along
Walker’s Creek when they discovered they were being tailed. The Ranger’s
grabbed their guns and mounted their horses. Hays suspected an ambush, and
sure enough, they soon found they faced not 10 but around 75 warriors. Hays
and the Texans did not back down. Instead they rounded the hill and charged
at the flank and then engaged the Comanches in a running battle over about
three miles, firing their Colt Paterson revolvers as they rode. After the battle,
they estimated 23 of their adversaries had been killed and 30 more wounded
while the Rangers lost one man, Peter Fohr who was shot in the head, along
with four wounded, including Samuel H. Walker. In regards to Colt’s revolvers,
Hays wrote that “I cannot recommend these arms too highly.” Their praise and
the demand by the Texans for more revolvers during the Mexican-American
War, relaunched Colt’s business starting with the Colt Model 1847 designed
with direct input from Samuel H. Walker. The Walker fittingly features a scene
of the Texas Rangers in the battle roll-engraved on the cylinders. The same also
appeared on the subsequent Dragoon revolvers.
The Colt “Texas” Paterson No. 5 Holster Model
is especially scarce today. They are naturally among
the most coveted of all antique American firearms and are
important cornerstone pieces for any advanced Colt collection. This
early example has a German silver blade front sight near the muzzle
and “~*Patent Arms M’g Co. Paterson , N.J.-Colt’s Pt.*~” on top of the barrel
reading from the breech towards the muzzle. The recoil shield has no capping
groove. The squareback cylinder features the stagecoach holdup roll scene and
“COLT”. The matching serial number “113” is marked on the wedge, hammer,
rear face of the cylinder, cylinder turning ring, arbor ring, barrel lug, and right
side of the front grip strap.
CONDITION: Very good with 30% plus original blue finish on the barrel,
traces of casehardened finish, mottled dark patina and oxidation/pitting,
chipped back strap at the upper left screw, moderate overall wear, and
various replacement trigger and repaired forward portion of the hammer.
The somewhat ill-fitting attractive antique ivory grip is also very good with
age lines, glue internally, and a few chips. Mechanically fine. This is a rare
opportunity to get your hands on one of the always desirable Colt “Texas”
Paterson revolvers!
Provenance: The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 75,000 - 110,000
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