"COLT MODEL 1851 NAVY REVOLVER. SN 103859. Cal. 36. Fine example of a 51 Navy 4th Model with 7-1/2" oct bbl, brass pin front sight and New York U.S. America address. Left side of frame has "COLTS PATENT" and the silver plated brass grip frame contains a varnished 1-pc walnut grip. Many thousands of these fine revolvers were produced 1850-1873 with most being issued during the Civil War and later used on frontier. Few survive with much crisp orig condition as this one does. Consignor states that this Colt belonged to his great-great-great uncle James Gregory Hodges who was a colonel for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Colonel Hodges was born December 25, 1828 in Portsmouth, VA and graduated University of Pennsylvania. He was a physician and served as major of Portsmouth, VA. In 1856, he was elected Colonel of the 3rd Virginia Volunteers, a state militia unit which was mustered into service to the Confederacy on April 20, 1861. In May of 1861, the governor of Virginia appointed him to command the newly-formed 14th Virginia Infantry. At the battle of Antietam, Colonel Hodges was listed as the commander of Armistead's brigade at Sharpsburg. Commanding the 14th Virginia in Armistead's Brigade, Pickett's Division, Longstreet's Corps, Colonel Hodges was killed leading his men in the vanguard of Pickett's Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg on 3 July 1863. According to Captain John D. S. Cook of the Eightieth New York Regiment of Volunteers (known in the service as the Twentieth New York State Militia) in a letter to Colonel Hodges' widow 40 years after the Battle, Colonel Hodges "fell at the stone fence, within less than one hundred and fifty feet of the Federal line directly in front of said New York regiment." He was one of eight Confederate colonels who lost their lives in Pickett's charge and belonged to one of the only Confederate brigades which broke the Union line that day. A signed affidavit by the consignor of this gun (a direct descendant of James G. Hodges) affirms this as being owned by Hodges, but family cannot affirm that it was carried by him to Gettysburg. CONDITION: Extremely Fine plus, all matching including the wedge. The bbl retains 95-96% glossy orig blue, showing only sharp edge wear and some minor spots of light surface pitting and very slight surface scuff marks on either side of bbl near the cyl. The left edge of the bbl lug has a couple small pry marks. The rammer handle retains about all of its orig case colors, brilliant on the pivot, dark and strong on the handle. The frame retains virtually all of its brilliant case colors with a couple of tiny spots of rust on the left front edge and a few minor spots of discoloration. Hammer retains strong case colors on the left side and rear edge with the balance turned gray. Triggerguard retains 97-98% strong orig silver plate and the backstrap about 90% with some fine flaking on the backstrap. Cylinder retains 90-92% glossy orig blue with the loss areas flaked, not worn, to a medium patina. Cylinder also retains about 98% Ormsby naval battle scene. Three of the safety pins are prominent and three are battered. Grip is sound with very minor edge wear and some minor, very light scrapes on each side, probably from sliding around in a drawer, and retains virtually all of its orig factory varnish. Hammer does not have half-cock notch and is not solid at full cock, otherwise mechanics are fine. Bright shiny bore with scattered, minor pitting. 4-32995 JR454 (20,000-30,000)"
Back to the index
|
