|
NEW MODEL REMINGTON ARMY PISTOL – IDENTIFIED TO
COMPANY K 9TH US CAVALRY – A HISTORIC AND
WELL DOCUMENTED EARLY INDIAN WAR ISSUED REVOLVER:
This New Model Remington
Army Pistol is stamped with the unit inventory markings
for Company K, 9TH US Cavalry Regiment, one
of the four original “Buffalo Soldier” units created
immediately after the Civil War. A true veteran of the
early Indian Wars, the historical record of the 9TH
Cavalry leaves no doubt that this pistol saw active and
extensive service on the Texas frontier.
While the army did not approve of
such unit identification stamps being struck on the
firearms, and in fact, specifically prohibited the
practice via written orders, there were several units on
the frontier that regularly applied stamped
identification marks on their guns, to include the 3RD,
4TH, 8TH, 9TH, and 10TH
Cavalry Regiments.
Of special interest, as the army discouraged the
practice, and therefore never established a service-wide
standard for content, font, or placement of the
identification stamps on the arms, each unit developed
their own unique criteria and style, and more often than
not, located the stamps on the same place on each of the
firearms within a company or regiment. The unique,
unit-specific nature of these stamps has proven to be a
boon to modern collectors, as once familiar with the
placement and style of a particular unit’s stampings,
the collector is better equipped to identify genuine
stamps from spurious stamps that may have been applied
to enhance an unmarked piece, and as many of these early
frontier arms were used heavily and often show
significant wear, in the cases where a portion of the
markings have been partially worn or obliterated, what
markings remain are sufficient to make a complete
identification of the unit stamp possible.
The left side of this pistol’s barrel/receiver boss is
legibly stamped “Co K”
establishing the issue of
this pistol to Company K of the 9TH US
Cavalry Regiment. The format, font and location of
this stamping is identical to other examples of this
stamp noted on at least six other New Model Remington
revolvers, all bearing the same “Co K” or “Co
K 9 CAV” unit identification which was applied in the
same font style and format. Based on surviving
examples, both styles of the stamping content - “Co
K” or “Co K 9 CAV” were applied to the
Remington pistols concurrently with no apparent rhyme or
reason, but there is no doubt both styles of the
stamping demonstrate ownership by Company K of the 9TH
Cavalry Regiment.
On August 3, 1866, General Philip
Sheridan, then commanding the Department of the Gulf
headquartered in New Orleans, was authorized to raise
one regiment of cavalry specifically to be manned with
black soldiers, which would be designated as the 9TH
Regiment of US Cavalry. Veterans of the Colored
Regiments which had served during the Civil War were
sought to form the nucleus of the new regiment, and
recruiting efforts were conducted in Louisiana and
Kentucky to bring the unit to full strength. The
recruits were assembled and trained in the area
surrounding New Orleans, and by the spring of 1867 the
regiment reported a total of 885 enlisted men with an
average of 70 in each company. In April of that year,
the regiment was transferred to San Antonio, Texas save
for two companies – L and M – which were sent directly
south to Brownsville, Texas where they garrisoned that
part of the border for several years. The balance of
the regiment was deployed into West and Southwest Texas,
establishing some, and manning many, of the string of
forts which stretched in a north-south line across the
state.
The principle duty of the regiment was to establish and
protect the stage and mail routes from San Antonio to El
Paso and establish law and order in the region along the
Rio Grande River border frontier. During that early
Indian Wars period, the 9TH saw considerable
action against the
some of the Apache bands
such as the Lipan and Jicarilla, and the Comanche and
Kiowa who populated the Southern Plains, as well as
having frequent encounters with border bandits.
Surviving records in the form of the quarterly Ordnance
Department Summary Statements serve to provide the
location where individual companies were stationed at
the time the report was prepared. Just as important for
establishing the history of this pistol, these same
reports recorded which firearms were being carried by
the soldiers of a particular company at a given point in
time.
Specific to this Remington New Model Army Revolver,
these entries in the quarterly Ordnance Summaries reveal
the following:
- 2ND Quarter of 1867 Company K, reporting
from Camp Stockton, Texas, were armed with Spencer
carbines and light cavalry sabres. The company reported
no handguns in inventory; however the majority of the
other 100 companies (10 cavalry regiments, 10 companies
per regiment) were reporting being in possession of at
least some quantity of handguns, and most reported a
full complement of arms. (Of the companies of the 9TH,
only Company A had received any handguns as of this
report.)
- On December 26, 1867, Company K of the 9TH
defended then “Camp” Lancaster (later designated “Fort”)
during a two day long attack by a large force of Indians
who were eventually driven off, but not before three
soldiers had been killed. No mention of pistols was
made in this report, however one would have to assume
that if the company was stationed out on such an extreme
of the frontier such as Lancaster represented at that
time (and frankly, still does today), one would hope
they would have been fully equipped and armed.
- 4TH Quarter of 1870 Company K was reporting
they had 74 Remington .44 caliber pistols and 71
Spencers.
- 1ST Quarter of 1871 Company K was reporting
from Ft. Davis.
- 4TH Quarter of 1871 Company K, reporting
from Ft. Quitman, were armed with 68 Remingtons and 61
Spencers, the lower numbers perhaps indicating the
number of soldiers in the company had been reduced in
number.
- 4TH Quarter of 1872 Company K, reporting
from Ft. Clark, had 50 Remingtons. It is interesting to
note that in this same quarter many of the cavalry
companies inventory reports show that they had turned in
most, if not all of their Spencer carbines, and for this
quarter were reporting a full complement of Sharps
Carbines (Model 1868 Conversions in .50-70), indicating
this change had been ordered service wide. Company K
reported 79 Sharps carbines in inventory.
- 1ST Quarter of 1873 Company K was reported
from Ft. Clark.
- 3RD Quarter of 1873 Company K was reported
from Ft. Brown.
- 1ST Quarter of 1874, the quarterly Ordnance
Summaries began to report the issue of the new Model
1873 Colt Revolvers and Model 1873 Trapdoor Carbines to
the cavalry regiments.
- By the 3RD Quarter of 1874 several
companies of the 9TH Cavalry Regiment had
begun to receive both of the new arms, however Company
K, reported from the field near Ft. Sill, Indian
Territory, they had received 89 of the new carbines, but
had not yet received any of the new Colt Revolvers,
indicating the soldiers in that company were still armed
with the Remington New Model Army Revolvers. The 4TH
Quarter report of that same year still indicated none of
the new Colt pistols had reached the company, now
reporting its location as “near Ft. Griffin”. It wasn’t
until the 1ST Quarter of 1875 that the
company reported from Fort Clark they had received 85 of
the Model 1873 Colt Pistols, which presumably replaced
their Remingtons (no Remingtons were reported in
inventory).
Since these reports document when the New Model
Remington Army pistols were replaced with the issue of
the Model 1873 Colt pistols, we are able to determine
that the unit markings were applied to this Remington
pistol during that fairly tight intervening period of
eight years – between
mid-1867 and early 1875.
It is worth noting that at least one Model 1868 Sharps
Carbine has been recorded which is stamped in two lines
in the same format and style as the stamping on these 9TH
Cavalry, Company K Remington New Model Army pistols.
The Sharps is stamped on the right side of the receiver
block, with the stamping oriented to be read left to
right with the carbine standing vertical on its butt -
“Co K” and “9 CAV”.
There is no doubt whatsoever that these “Co
K” stampings are original to this pistol’s period of
use, and that they are indeed genuine Company K, 9TH
Cavalry markings. Showing little, if any, wear across
the length of the stamping, all of the characters are
fully legible.
This Remington presents in its original form with none
of the evidence of the refurbishing to which so many of
these early Indian War revolvers were subjected. The
barrel is full length at 8”, and the flats were not
repeatedly polished, and still retain crisp edges. The
matching serial number – 84861 – is present and fully
legible on the grip frame and on the underside of the
barrel. The serial number did not survive on the rear
face of the cylinder, but there is a “P” proof stamp
that is fully legible. Whether the numerals were
removed when the cylinder was being refurbished or
serviced, or the cylinder was replaced due to being
damaged, this cylinder has been with this revolver since
its period of use on the frontier and it matches the
balance of the gun in every way. The Remington two line
address and patent information is present on the top
barrel flat and it is fully legible. The left grip panel
bears the correct single inspector’s cartouche
immediately adjacent to the bottom edge of the panel.
While lightly struck, it has survived intact and is
legible. There are some surface marks on the grip
panels, but no cracks or significant chips from the toe
surfaces.
The mechanics are excellent, with the cylinder indexing
properly and locking up tight at full cock, and the
trigger function is crisp. The metal finish is very
smooth with no significant wear or pitting. From all
appearances, the pistol was reblued at some point in its
history, but it appears to have been carried in a
holster after the refinishing evidenced by wear on the
high points. The color is nicely aged and it presents
very well. The proper inspector’s marks are still
visible in all the correct places, and the barrel
address stamping is clear and legible.
Most of these post-Civil War Remington Pistols which
were issued to the frontier army were exposed to harsh
and extensive service, and many of them probably did not
survive to be available today. Not only did this
important specimen survive in very nice condition, but
it is also unit marked in a well recognized manner which
adds considerably to the value. Well documented, these
unit marked pistols have become very desirable and are
quite difficult to find. There is no doubt that this
Remington is a true piece of history from the early
Indian Wars and it is one that was carried by a soldier
in a famous regiment on the Texas Frontier.
SOLD
|
