Confederate Cavalryman with Dance Revolver [Tintype]
Name/Title
Confederate Cavalryman with Dance Revolver [Tintype]Description
This is a sixth plate tintype of a Confederate cavalryman wearing a forage cap, most likely a nine-button shell jacket with stand-up collar, and a leather sword belt with a Leech & Rigdon style two-piece enlistedman's CS belt plate. The trooper is wearing two revolvers on his waist: on the right is an imported weapon most likely a large caliber pinfire model with a prominent lanyard ring in the butt; and the sidearm on the left is a .44 calibre Dance revolver made by the legendary Texas gunmakers, Dance & Brothers. The soldier has the look of a veteran in demeanor and uniform. His shell jacket's stand-up collar has been rolled out for comfort, and his preference for carrying two sidearms, sans sabre, are veteran traits. The button, cap's chin strap adjuster, and belt plate were painted gold by the photographer, and the soldiers cheeks were "rouged" to add a vestige of life to the portrait.Context
The firm of Thomas Leech and C.H. Rigdon, also known as the Memphis Novelty Works, operated in Memphis, Tennessee and Columbus, Mississippi, and was a prolific supplier of ordnance to Western Theatre Confederate troops. They manufactured a range of arms and equipment, including sabres, cutlasses, Bowie knives, bayonets, firearms, cannon mountings, spurs and more - see Bazelon and McGuinn's, "A Directory of American Goods and Makers 1775 - 1950" for additional information on Leech & Rigdon. The soldier is attributed to be a Texan based on the fact that Dance revolvers were produced in very limited quantity and only issued to Texas troops. Furthermore the trooper's uniform and other weapons and accoutrements fully support the contention.Category
Handbook of Civil War Texas, Texas in Focus: Early Photographs from the Lew Anvil Texas Collection, Handbook of Houston
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