Page 29 - 88-BOOK2

AS PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK COLT ENGRAVING
BY WILSON
As the barrel was inspected in the 1880s, it could have actually been on a revolver used by a 7th Cavalry trooper on that tragic day, possibly serial number 42144 as discussed above.
The inscription in the middle is “Fort Wingate.” Fort Wingate (originally Fort Fauntleroy) in New Mexico was the launching point of campaigns against the Mescalero Apache and the Navajo during the Civil War. In 1861, there was a skirmish there between the Navajo and U.S. troops stemming from a horse race dispute that left several dead. That same year, Colonel Kit Carson also struck out from Fort Wingate with orders from Brigadier General James Carleton to kill the Mescalero Apache. After the campaign, they were sent to the inhospitable reservation at Bosque Redondo. Carson set out again in 1863 against the Navajo. The fort was then a staging point for many of the Navajo that died during the Long Walk of the Navajo en route to Bosque Redondo. A new Fort Wingate was relocated near Gallup, New Mexico, alongside the Navajo and Zuni reservations and was also a launching point for U.S. troops participating fighting the Apache later in the 19th century during the Geronimo campaign. 1st Lieutenant Charles B. Gatewood who played a major role in the capture of Geronimo in 1886 was stationed at the fort as the commander of the Apache and Navajo scouts in 1877. He was later assigned to the 6th U.S. Cavalry during the Ghost Dance crisis that led to the Wounded Knee Massacre and wrote from the camp on Wounded Knee Creek following the infamous massacre of the Lakota by the 7th U.S. Cavalry. The barrel may have been on a revolver that was used at Fort Wingate. Given the order of the inscriptions, it may have been used thereafter the Wounded Knee Massacre when the fort continued to be a base for U.S. troops and served to maintain
the peace.
The upper inscription, “Secret Service 1898,” may indicate the
revolver the barrel was originally attached to was used by the Secret Service that year. In included research, it is suggested the inscription commemorates the Secret Service investigating the Battle of Sugar Point (aka the Battle of Leech Lake), often regarded as the last battle between the U.S. and Native Americans. Much like the events that instigated the flight of the Lakota that ended in the Wounded Knee Massacre, the battle occurred in response to government officials arresting Native American men and their community resisting. Soldiers from the nearby Fort Snelling as well as law enforcement were called in when the Chippewa prevented the arrest of two men from the Pillager band. When the reinforced government forces attempted to conduct arrests, they were ambushed by the Chippewa, and seven
of the government men were killed in the battle. The Secret Service was originally founded in 1865 to combat counterfeiting but then expanded into investigating other crimes in the late 19th century. However, the author found no connection between the Secret Service and that battle. On the other hand, in 1898, the Secret Service was active in counterespionage during the Spanish-American War and also continued its original mission combating counterfeiters.
The inscriptions
would have been
clearly added no
earlier than 1898.
That year, Hegeman
was made inspector of
small arms practice for
the 108th Regiment with
the grade of captain on July 19.
The 108th was formed that year from the 3rd
New York Volunteer Infantry in preparation for
fighting in the Spanish-American War. They were
stationed in Virginia and Pennsylvania and were not
sent to Cuba or Puerto Rico before the war ended.
Captain Hegeman was one of the men reported to
be tending to the troops when they were suffering
from typhoid fever which killed over thirty-three men
from the regiment. Hegeman remained with the New
York National Guard until retiring on October 17, 1913, with the
rank of major. He also held a role as a New York City fireman and was recommended to serve as a special patrolman. He was a very wealthy and connected man, especially later in his life when he inherited much of his father’s fortune and amassed an incredible collection of Colt firearms, especially handguns, and clearly had a good relationship with the company given all the special Colt firearms he acquired. CONDITION: Fine with 60% plus original blue finish on the barrel
along with smooth gray patina on the balance, minimal light pitting, holster wear, and the attractive factory “feathering” visible by the front sight blade. The cylinder is mostly gray patina with strong original blue in the flutes. The frame has
40% vibrant original case colors mainly in the protected areas and otherwise gray patina. The hammer also has strong original case colors. The front of the front strap and top of the back strap have 25% original blue finish and otherwise smooth hand-worn gray patina consistent with use. The grip is also fine and has minor overall wear including some scratches and edge wear. Mechanically excellent. This is
a fascinating revolver specially inscribed and assembled for famous Colt collector Captain J.R. Hegeman Provenance: The J.R. Hegeman Jr. The Clark V. Cail Collection;
The R.L. Wilson Collection;
The Charles Schreiner III Collection; Property of a Gentleman.
Estimate: 18,000 - 27,500
27
early Jr.
Collection;