The Cofer

One of the most ingenious revolvers of the South, rarest, and most impractical was the invention of Thomas W. Cofer. His was one of few Confederate patents on inventions of firearms, and was granted August 12, 1861. A gunsmith of Portsmouth, Virginia, engaging in selling ordinary sporting guns, Cofer conceived of a pre-loaded metallic cartridge for revolvers which could be used, and re-used, by the soldier in the field. The brass cartridge had an iron nipple screwed into the back, taking a common percussion cap. The cylinder was bored straight through, and when the cartridges were inserted, a rim held them in place. The square-shouldered nipple extended back and these were shielded by a rear plate which fitted over them closely enough to turn the cylinder as the plate was turned. The plate was notched for cylinder stops and had the ratchet. A spring latch on the frame beneath the barrel permitted sliding the cylinder pin forward to remove the cylinder for, presumably, quick loading. The cartridges were to be saved and re-used, and probably the relatively cheap cylinder, simply six chambers and a central arbor hole, could have been supplied as an inexpensive accessory to be used preloaded. What is perhaps a patent model of this first model Cofer is in the collection of B. D. Munhall, Bel Air, Maryland, who first recognized what it was. The gun has had an accident: the barrel and top of the frame is blown off, but the top stamping (some of which remains) probably was t. w. cofer’s patent/august 12, 1861. The marking appears to be individually hand stamped.

Perhaps it was after Cofer blew up his first model, that he turned to more conventional ideas. The same brass frame, with stub trigger, and a removable left side plate was used, but the cylinder is conventional percussion and a Colt-type lever .is hung below the barrel.
An exceptionally fine Cofer percussion model with the Colt-style loading lever was found about 1954 in Freeport, Maine, by collector Clifford Young. Mr. Young tracked the gun back, found it had been in one family since the Civil War, descendants of one S. H. Merrill who tagged the pistol’s original flap leather holster “21 July 1864. This revolver and holster was captured from a rebel signal officer by Capt. S. H. Merrill, 11th Main Reg’t.” Aside from the name marking the only other marks are the letter L in two places on the frame, while the loading lever assembly is marked with the numeral 1. An apparently identical specimen, also in a holster but of different form, is No. 13 once owned by William Albaugh, who took a good description of it:
Six shot, .36 caliber, cylinder length l³A inches with six cylinder stops which are oblong. Barrel length 7 7/16 inches octagonal, right hand rifling seven grooves. Frame brass, width at the barrel % inch. Top of frame stamped t. w. cofer’s/ patent in two lines; barrel stamped Portsmouth, va. all stamping reading down the barrel. Serial # 13 found on following parts—frame plate screws, hammer screw, rear of cylinder, front of frame under loading lever plunger, front left side

Sidehammer, 1855 Colt, .31 cal. revolver, No. 400 was owned by Major Wm. L. Bailey, C.S.A., on Joe E. Johnson’s staff, as indicated on silver handle plate.

Thought of as somehow a Confederate-association piece is the Metropolitan Arms—H. E. Dimick St. Louis series of revolvers. Shown is a marked Metropolitan including naval scene on cylinder resembling Colt’s but dated New Orleans, April, 1862, on cylinder, date of capture of that city, by Admiral Farragut. Unmarked specimens of this type are considered Dimick revolvers, while a few bear barrel marking “made for H. E. Dimick.” It is presumed that Yankee Horace E. Dimick was not above selling guns down the river, a promiscuous trade in those days in the strongly Southernsentiment city.

of loading lever, top of cylinder pin, under barrel next to the frame, inside of both wood grips, left side of hammer, hammer screw head, and inside of side plate.
That there may be some connection between the Cofer and the Spiller and Burrs is suggested by the use, by both makers, of a cast brass frame which in its rougher state is “like the Whitney,” and by the Colt-type loading lever appearing on both series of arms. Though five or possibly only six Cofers of the percussion series and one blown-up cartridge model exist, yet a sub-type can be differentiated among the percussion guns on the basis of loading levers—cylinder pin assemblies. This Colt-type lever also appears on the Spiller & Burr. Whitney levers are fitted, for example, on Spiller & Burrs Nos. 128, 131, 150, 214; Cofers Nos. 1, 13, “L” ... A Cofer stamped only
e. b. georgia has a Whitney lever. “Why?” is one of those frequent puzzles of Confederate ordnance supply.
The blown-up Cofer has checkered grips; No. 1 regular Cofer has plain walnut grips. Less than fifty of these guns are believed made; there is no record of Cofer’s having a C. S. contract.