Foreign Revolvers

Three of the foreign revolvers rate as very important U.S. martial arms. The Lefaucheux or, as the American patent documents sometimes list them, Lefaucheaux, 12mm pinfire revolvers were most plentiful. Colonel Schuyler bought 10,000 at $12.50 each, and 200,000 cartridges at $17.45. Minister Sanford in Belgium also sent over 25 of the Lefaucheux, average price $7.96 4/10; a misleading price, as they were averaged out with 55,000 smoothbore and rifled muskets. Civil War pistols imported seem to range from approximately 25,000 to about 37,000 serials. The gun, introduced about 1853 in France, was popular; in 1863 it was adopted as the Swedish artillery pistol. Two basic types existed; single action and double action. The single action frames are curved at the back; the double action have a hump or prawl. While the 12mm DA type has a rounded trigger guard, the smaller calibers (9mm, 7mm) often have folding triggers,

Odd Colt-made Navy .36 has similar lion-eagle cylinder stamping with experimental groove between stop slots, and two piece handle. Barrel is unmarked; serial number on usual parts is 302, stamped upside down.

Fancy Whitney’s were scarce; this engraving is much worn and plated over but may be original with period of gun’s use. Grips are pearl.

Capt. Julius W. Adams, USA, carried this Whitney .36 until his death in November, 1865, from exposure and effects of wounds. Battles in which he fought were carved on ivory grips.

hinged forward for easy pocket concealment. Some of these were sold through Schuyler, Hartley & Graham, commercially. The single action is the basic U.S. martial revolver, and almost all were imported of the “cavalry” form of trigger guard, with a small spur as an extension of the square-back form. The spur is to place the trigger finger while mounted, in a charge or otherwise riding, after the order to cock the pistol has been given. The arm is carried in the position of “Raise, PISTOL,” the finger outside of the guard. A side rod ejector pushes the empty cartridges back out of the cylinder when the loading gate is swung open. The barrel extends in a frame section underneath the cylinder, which is open at top with no frame above. Stamped on the frame, usually to the left by the serial number, is the mark “LF under a shotgun action, broken.” E. Lefaucheux’ most famous design was the innovation of a bottom lever top break action breechloading shotgun, and that became his trademark symbol.
The revolvers and to a lesser extent the shot gun of Lefaucheux figured in the early days of the War. As early as 1836, Lefaucheux had developed a copper based shotshell cartridge, of rolled paper. Inside the base was a common percussion cap at right angles to the line of bore, and entering the cap through paper and base metal was a copper pin which protruded from the side of the shell about V* inch. For this cartridge, Lefaucheux devised the break-open shotgun and though simpler hinges have since been designed, his was the first. A lever extending forWard under the forearm beneath the barrels pushed to one side, disengaging the barrel group and permitting it to flop downWards exposing the breech. The side hammers had flat ends that slammed the cartridge pins in, detonating the cap and the charge. These hammers had to be set on half cock before the barrels would open; then the fired shells could be extracted by one’s fingers. Metallic ammunition was not too plentiful in the ordinary trade. Nevertheless, Schuyler, Hartley & Graham had sold these guns since Hartley’s preWar trips to Europe, and, as with other premium and special guns, they had a limited vogue, especially among the French sportsmen resident in Louisiana, many of whom could send regularly to friends or family to get more ammunition on the next packet boat.
Lefaucheux also designed a rotating breech pistol, with a side loading gate for pushing the cartridges in from the rear. The military model of this arm in 12mm was probably the gun imported at $17 by Godillot, as well as by Schuyler and Hartley later. The lockwork was a single action design of the Belgian inventor, Mariette.
Numerous LeFaucheux shotguns and revolvers exist with other makers’ names upon them; the guns were actually made by Lefaucheux in Paris, though some were licensed to Liege gunmakers, as evidenced by proof marks. A like-new specimen of the U.S. Lefaucheux single action cavalry revolver in the author’s collection is nicely engraved by the seller, whose name, elaborately etched on top the barrel, is:

Erroneously called “the old French Tranter,” the Lefaucheux 12mm pinfire U.S. service revolver was sketched by Augustus Buell in “The Cannoneer.” Actual model 1853 revolver Schuyler, others, bought is shown together with Lefaucheux break open long gun: engraved cased revolver is rare, and gun is not common shotgun, but double rifle, pinfire cal. 58.

LEPAGE FRERES A PARIS 12 RUE D’ENGHIEN. On the right of the barrel frame is the LF trademark and the number 7411, stamped after final polishing. The cylinder is bright on the rear face and is stamped between chambers “D” and “55.” On the loading gate when swung open can be seen the same small “D” and 55, evidently an assembly number. Unscrewing the front trigger-guard screw releases the barrel, which then can be unscrewed from the fixed cylinder pin. On the barrel frame left side is the factory stamp in an arc, INVOR E LEFAUCHEUX/BREVETE Sgdg (PARIS), settling the spelling of his name, at least. Set on half cock, the cylinder is free for loading. Barrel and cylinder are a rich deep dark blue; frame casehardened.

Augustus Buell in The Cannoneer, at Cedar Creek in the Valley Campaign under Sheridan speaks of being armed with a Lefaucheux pistol:
In our right and center sections, there were 23 or 24 cannoneers, four or five non-commissioned officers and Lieut. Baldwin, and none of us had any arms except revolvers. It was, therefore, a question whether about 30 artillerymen, with revolvers, could repulse a heavy skirmish line of veteran infantry, backed up by a main line of battle less than 20 rods behind them.
I freely confess that when I had pulled the lanyard the last time my impulse was to run; but when I saw Serg’ts Yoder and Beckhardt, and Corp’s Kennedy, Benham and Knorr, and Cannoneers Pike, Marean, Hummel, Gresser, Hunt, Callahan and others pull their revolvers to stand their ground, I did not see how I could consistently desert them, and so I pulled, too, and began shooting at the Johnnies coming up out of the ravine. The usual revolvers for the cannoneers was the Navy Remington or the Colt, but the one I had was a “French Tranter,” as they were called, which I had bought from Corp’l Ray, of the 10th New York Cavalry, who had taken it from the body of a Confederate lieutenant killed at Brandy Station the year before. I used to say that “I captured it,” but as a matter of fact I captured it with a $5 bill. However, it was a captured weapon, by proxy if not in person. Of course all six loads were gone out of it in as many seconds. My last shot hit the Rebel lieutenant who was leading his men, and knocked him down. He was captured later in the day. He had on a hat that was too large for him and he had stuffed some paper or pasteboard under the leather sweat band to make it fit, and as he happened to have it pulled down over his eyes, my ball struck it just over the left temple and was deflected by the paper wadding in his hat; otherwise it must have gone through his head. He was so close when I fired that my flash singed his eyelashes and blew his left cheek full of powder.
Buell was handicapped by the special ammunition needed for his pistol. During a lull in the fight it occurred to him he had better reload his revolver; his cartridge box had been shot away, and “It was a serious loss to me because my revolver used the pin fire metallic cartridge, which I had to buy, as the Government did not issue them, and I had recently filled the cartridge box at a cost of 10^ per cartridge.”
Buell’s revolver came from a “Rebel lieutenant.” Perhaps it was one of the 500 “lost” by Godillot, as the vessel aboard which his guns were shipped appears to have been captured on the high seas. But others of the French Tranters saw good service. At the Gettysburg battlefield one Yankee lieutenant of artillery lost one of two revolvers he owned. The other eventually wound up in the Gettysburg museum. It is in good serviceable condition. Its mate was recovered from the mould underneath the tree where the lieutenant had stood 90 years before. Rusty but still recognizable, the two 12mm Lefaucheuxs are reunited in the museum, as the nation is in fact.
Most of these arms now in collections originated with a lot of 500 that Bannerman offered for sale in the 1904 catalog, “with box of surefire ball cartridges, $1.95.” Paradoxically, immediately below this claim that the ancient pinfires were “sure fire” Bannerman notes, “we do not guarantee any firearms or cartridges.” More accurately, said he, “purchased in France to equip U. S. Army officers and cavalrymen during the Civil War.” The cut illustrates the identical single action Lefaucheux so there is no mistake. United States contractor to supply these arms was Alexis Godillot of Paris and Liege.
Though his antecedents are not known, Godillot was represented in the United States by one J. B. King of New York and spent time between New York and Paris in arranging his business. On 16 December Godillot wrote to Cameron offering 1,000 Perrin revolvers at $20, “like sample deposited (with Hagner), with ordnance office seal attached.” Hagner accepted the order on 19 December; Godillot requested it modified to include 2,000 Lefaucheux revolvers, with 50 cartridges each, at $17, which Hagner did 20 December, including also 1,500 French rifle muskets with
18 inch bayonets, at $15.
Of Perrin revolvers, 550 only had been shipped. These, including those in bond ordered accepted according to Hagner’s letter, were delivered as follows: January 6, 1862, 350; March 28, 1862, 100; May 31, 1862, 100.
Of the Lefaucheux revolvers, six were received by Major Hagner and 1,500 had been shipped awaiting acceptance. An additional 500, evidendy sent in a different boat, were lost in the passage, and 600 had been then shipped, of a different pattern valued at $15.90 each, to fill the order. Commissioners Holt, Owen, and Hagner decreed the 1,500 should be accepted; they were received May 31, 1862, and paid for at $17. The balance of the 600 were referred to General Ripley who, judging by their absence from

CHAPTER XI.

the list of arms purchased, refused to take them as not in accordance with the letter of the letter. At that. Godillot was dealt with more leniently than others; all his rifle muskets were accepted.
The Perrin revolvers, one of the War’s rarities, were competitive to the Lefaucheux. Open top, these centerfire .45 revolvers by Perrin & Company of Paris are double action, resembling the Lefaucheux frame and barrel, but of unique design. There is no hammer spur, and the guard is given an angle at the back, making it look slightly squareback. The right side-loading gate swings upWards and back. The grip is squared at the top edge somewhat like a Beaumont-Adams, and the cylinder pin has a central “poker” which removes to push the fired cases out. Backed by a small 6-grain powder charge, the .438 Perrin 268 grain bullet seems hardly to have been a threat to the South. Possibly the 6 grains of powder were an early nitro powder charge. The cartridge is distinctive in having not a rim, but a belt about the base which serves as a rim. Inside the belt is the anvil for the inside central fire primer. Chamber diameter is .465 inches, cartridge length over all .98 inches. We have seen but one Perrin revolver though know it from pictures; and that one, a deluxe cased specimen, engraved and bright steel, was bought in Paris by a Southern martial pistol collector in 1957.
More common than the Perrin, if examples in collections are any indication, are the pistols of George Raphael. As listed on December 11, 1861, for $16 each he sold the United States 806 “revolvers.” But reference to the Document 99 tabulation reveals an interesting conjecture: these “revolvers” at $16 are but the common Army 12mm Lefaucheux pistols. For that tabulation shows, as received from Raphael in New York, the following:
September 21, 1861    106    breech-loading    revolvers
and appendages ..................$26.33
November 30, 1861    806 revolvers and appendages 16.00
March 8, 1862    138 Lefaucheux (sic) revolvers 16.00
Open-top “Raphael” revolver may be one of 106 actually purchased from George Raphael in New York. Maker or inventor of design is unknown but gun used special centralfire inside primed cartridge, and was double action.
Between November and March the identity of the Lefaucheux revolver had become fixed in the minds of Crispin, Hagner, and the other officers concerned with buying, and they so listed them. The 806 arms therefore are thought to have been simply Lefaucheux revolvers of the type imported and issued in quantity. It is the lot of September 21, 1861, that is of special interest, for several examples of what is believed to be guns of this lot have been seen in collections and sales. Most have a worn brown finish, indicating originally that they were blued. They have the appearance, if not obviously polished, of having seen service. A special rimless metallic cartridge case .53 inches long (loaded round .95 inches long) was used, having an inside anvil for centerfire. Except for absence of case taper, the round resembles the later Thuer cartridge, or perhaps a long-based “gas check” .44 of modem days. The primer is of course not visible. The chamber of Raphael’s revolver was cut with a shoulder and the cartridge bottomed on the front of the shell, the same principle that is used in the Thompson Submachine Gun and other arms using rimless cartridges today. Raphael himself was not the inventor; it seems likely that the lockwork is the Mangeot-Comblain double action system of 1854 though absence of any documentation on the pistols and scarcity of model makes this difficult to check. The cylinder and a rotating back-plate are connected during firing; when the gun is set to load, the plate is turned to a position when the loading gate segment can be opened, and then the cylinder turns freely, allowing the spent cases to be emptied. The back-plate has six deeply coned firing pin holes and the nose of the hammer is a long pin. The two-piece wood grips come up on each side of the frame to the back edge of the cylinder, and the double action trigger is curved and well-located. In spite of the absence of information on this scarce revolver, it seems to have been in the mainstream of revolver development abroad. The rear sight, like the Lefaucheux, is notched across the rear top of the 5 Vi inch barrel. Unmarked, the gun like the cartridge seems to defy investigation. As a guess, to explain the high price of $26.33 (if enthusiasm to buy and emergency need is not enough justification), it is thought the “appendages” mentioned could have been tools for reloading the special cartridges.