Page 122 - 89-FLIPBOOK1

MOVING AN
ARMY CORPS
1,400 MILES
CHIEF QUARTERMASTER OF RIVER TRANSPORTATION FOR THE WEST
120
LOT 159
Incredibly Historic and Extremely Well- Documented Civil War Presentation Cased
Pair of Deluxe Factory Engraved Colt Model 1860 Army Percussion Revolvers with Hand Engraved Cylinder Scenes and Presentation Inscription from Philo Parsons to Union Colonel Lewis B. Parsons, Later Chief of Rail and River Transportation, “Mover of Armies,” with Extensive Documentation Including Factory Letters -A) Colt Model 1860 Army Revolver - Serial no. 76608, 44 cal., 8 inch round bbl., blue/ casehardened/silver finish, deluxe factory walnut grips. Steeped in history, tradition, and legacy, percussion Colts have long been the king in the discipline of fine and historic American arms collecting. Bolstered by such famous sets as: “The Anderson Guns”, “The McClatchie Root” (sold by Rock Island Auction Company August 2022 $323,125), “The Johnson Navy”, “The Millikin Dragoon” (sold by Rock Island Auction Company May 2019 $1,667,000), “The McPherson’s”, “The Pomeroy’s”, “The Union Liberty Army”, to name a few, and this pair, numbers 76608 and 76609, better known simply as “ The Parsons Armies” or “ The Parsons Guns.” Rock Island Auction Company proudly presents this magnificent and iconic set for sale for the first time in a public setting. They stand on hallowed ground in the field of fine and historic American arms collecting, like the aforementioned; famous guns with nicknames that have been revered for decades by collectors, authors, and historians, immortalized in print, and belong in any conversation regarding the truly elite, historic, rare, and exceptional.
This incredible consecutively serial numbered
pair of factory double cased and deluxe engraved Colt Model 1860 Army revolvers was presented to Colonel Lewis B. Parsons Jr., later brigadier general and Chief of Rail and River Transportation, by his older brother Philo during the Civil War. Parsons is one of the unsung heroes of the War Between the States and played a significant role in the Union victory. Officers who led men on the battlefield
have received the vast majority of the honor and glory when it comes to popular military history, but those who study war know that supply lines play
a significant role in the outcome of wars, not just men who led heroic charges or stood firm in the
face of overwhelming odds. Emerging victorious
in a single great battle just to see your men starve does not win a war; just ask Napoleon after burning Moscow. The Confederates also understood the significance of men with logistical minds like Parsons but constantly struggled to supply their men. Their congress reported, “The labors of these departments penetrate the entire military establishment, breathe life into the Army, nurture its growth, give it
strength and efficiency in the field, maintaining its health and facilitating its movements.” Had Parsons failed his task, the Union would have struggled to emerge victorious in the great contest between the North and the South, but he did not. He worked fervently to ensure that the boys in blue had arms, ammunition, food, and clothing and that they were transported to the fronts where they were needed to complete their missions and reunify the nation.