REVOLVER

Object/Artifact

-

St. Joseph Museums

Name/Title

REVOLVER

Entry/Object ID

179/624

Description

CAP & BALL/USED BY ONE OF QUANTRILL'S MEN/#166555 1851 COLT NAVY REVOLVER

Collection

CIVIL WAR

Made/Created

Date made

1860 - 1865

Notes

Date: 1860-1865

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Revolver

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Firearms

Nomenclature Class

Armaments

Nomenclature Category

Category 05: Tools & Equipment for Science & Technology

LOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials

Civil wars

Search Terms

American, William Quantrill, United States Civil War, A.M. Gilliam

Parts

Count

1

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

A. M. Gilliam

Person or Organization

William Quantrill

Research Notes

Notes

This is likely a Colt Model 1851 Navy Revolver. This was Colt's second-most widely produced percussion revolver, with over 250,000 manufactured between 1851 and 1873. Its design improved upon that of its predecessor, the Paterson revolver, with the newer gun boasting a six-shot, single-action configuration capable of firing a .36 caliber lead ball or conical bullet. The revolver was popularized in the West during the Gold Rush, and served as the primary sidearm for Pony Express riders. The Colt Navy was also widely used among both Union and Confederate forces throughout the American Civil War, with soldiers valuing the weapon for its accuracy and reliability. Quantrill's Raiders were a group of pro-Confederate guerilla fighters active in the bloody Missouri-Kansas border conflict during the Civil War.