Page 182 - 87-BOOK1

LOT 210
Very Fine Rogers & Spencer Army Percussion Revolver with Attractive Grips - Serial no. 3670, 44 cal., 7 1/2 inch octagon bbl., blue finish,
antique ivory grips. Rogers & Spencer of Utica, New York manufactured an
estimated 5,800 of these revolvers in 1865. 5,000 of these were manufactured under contract for the U.S. Ordnance
Department, but they were delivered too late to see use in the Civil War. Instead, most of these revolvers were later sold
to Bannerman’s as surplus and then sold into the early 20th century. This revolver was apparently period upgraded, possibly at Bannerman’s. In addition to the
usual markings and features it has a very fine pair of antique ivory grips. The barrel has serial number “4119” on the bottom while the cylinder, frame, and butt have “3670.” Various components have “B” inspection marks.
CONDITION: Very fine with 80% plus of the original blue finish remaining , some areas fading to smooth gray and brown patina, repaired hammer, and general minor marks and scratches. The grips are also very fine and have attractive natural tones and grain, some light aging, a few faint age cracks, and light handling and storage marks. Mechanically excellent. This is definitely a stunning Rogers & Spencer Army revolver. The grips really set it apart from the pack.
Estimate: 4,500 - 6,500
LOT 211
Set of Two American Percussion Revolvers Identified as Owned by Last
Confederate Treasury Secretary Micajah Henry Clark and Passed Down
Through His Family -A) Remington New Model Army Revolver - Serial no.
50770, 44 cal., 8 inch octagon bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. These revolvers come
in a glass display case designed to be hung on the wall with a plaque reading
“CAPT. MICAJAH HENRY CLARK/LAST SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY/C.S.A./
SIDEARMS CAPTURED DURING/DAHLGRENS RAID NEAR RICHMOND, VIRGINIA/
FROM THE 2ND VERMONT. MARCH 1864.” Christopher B. Clark of Upperville,
Virginia, in a 1982 letter indicated that these revolvers had belonged to his great-
grandfather Micajah Henry Clark and remained in the family home in Clarksville
until 1940 or 1941. They were passed down to his grandfather Morris Kerr Clark,
then his father, and then onto him. He indicates that the Remington New Model
Army was captured by Clark from a member of the “2nd Vermont Cavalry” in
March of 1864 during the Dahlgren raid outside of Richmond and that the Colt may have also been captured at that time. A since lost piece of leather is said to have recorded the name of the officer that the Remington was captured from. The Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid of late February and early March in 1864 was a Union cavalry assault on the Confederate capital designed in part to free Union prisoners and disrupt Confederate communications and rail lines but ultimately failed. The 2nd Vermont Cavalry did not participate in the raid because no such
unit existed. Brigadier General H. Judson Kilpatrick was stopped, and Colonel Ulric Dahlgren’s force was delayed by high water, hung their African-American guide in retaliation, became separated as they retreated, and then Dahlgren’s remaining command were routed when they were confronted by the Confederates in the Battle of Walkerton east of Richmond. In the latter engagement, Dahlgren was killed. On his body, plans for freeing the prisoners, having them burn Richmond, and also plants to assassinate Confederate leaders, including Jefferson Davis, were supposedly found and then published by the southern press. Dahlgren’s body was dug up and put on display in Richmond, so the affair inflamed both supporters of the Union and Confederacy. Union officials disputed the authenticity of the papers and indicated no such orders were authorized by the Union Army.
Micajah Henry Clark (1830-1912) was from Richmond, Virginia, and had a tobacco business in Clarksville, Tennessee, in the antebellum era. During the Civil War, he was a clerk for Jefferson Davis and became the last Confederate Treasurer as the Confederacy was collapsing. He and other clerks in Richmond were members
of the Third Regiment, Virginia Infantry, Local Defense Troops and is identified on page 412 in “Tennessee” by James D. Porter within “Confederate Military History Vol. VIII” from 1899 as helping “to repel the Dahlgren raiders and served at various times in the trenches around Richmond, Va.” He was with Davis until the cabinet split up
at Washington, Georgia, and is said to have owned the last official Confederate document signed by Davis: his appointment as acting Confederate Treasurer. He was also given the rank of colonel. After the war, he returned to work as a tobacconist in Tennessee and became the secretary of the Tobacco Board of Trade. The Semi-Weekly Leaf-Chronicle of Clarksville on July 24, 1896, indicated that Davis visited Clark twice after the war in Clarksville, and “on one occasion declared his high admiration for him, saying that Mr. Clark was the last man on duty and faithful to the end.” An included scan from the family guest book has an entry from Jefferson Davis on November 22, 1886.
The Remington was likely shipped in late 1863 or January 1864 based on other identified serial numbers and
has “W” inspection marks, “P” on the left at the breech, and a “GP” cartouche on the left grip. The barrel has the standard markings and a “pinched” blade front sight. The top strap has the groove rear sight. The underside of the barrel has “507700,” and the trigger guard, the back of the cylinder has “0770,” and left side of the grip frame has “50770.” The grips also have the latter in pencil on the inside along with “Glenburnie/Mar: 1 1864” carved on the left panel. Glen Burnie was the historic homestead of Colonel James Wood, the founder of Winchester in northern Virginia, and part of the three Winchester battles were fought there. There is also a town by the same name in
180 Maryland.
CONDITION: Very good with 25%
original blue finish and mostly
mottled brown patina on the balance along
with some light oxidation and pitting. The
brass has deep aged patina. The grips are
fine and have some minor loss at the edges,
crisp carving, a distinct cartouche underneath,
and mild overall wear. Mechanically fine. The
modern custom case is very good with mild
wear including some scrapes.
B) Colt Model 1862 Police Revolver - Serial
no. 16337, 36 cal., 4 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/
casehardened/silver finish, walnut grips. This
revolver was manufactured in 1863 and has the
standard markings and features, including matching
serial numbers (wedge blank, frame double or re-stamped). The Model 1862 Police would have been a more convenient sidearm for a clerk like Clark than a full-sized cavalry revolver like the New Model Army.
CONDITION: Fine with 30% original blue finish, 40% original case colors, 60% original silver plating, attractive aged patina on the silver and exposed brass, smooth gray and brown patina on most of the balance, some light oxidation and pitting, and generally mild overall wear. The grip has some dents, surface flakes, and edge wear and is otherwise very fine with smooth finish. Mechanically excellent. This is an interesting set of two percussion revolvers passed down through the family of the last Confederate Treasury secretary and reported as captured during the fateful Dahlgren Raid.
Estimate: 5,000 - 7,500
Confederate Treasury Secretary Micajah Henry Clark