NEW JERSEY MARKED WHITNEY NAVY REVOLVER

$1,895.00 ON HOLD

Quantity Available: 1

Item Code: 490-6879

This Whitney Navy serial number 18350 falls into the “Second Model 4th Type configuration as outlined by Williams and produced in 1863. The revolver has seen service, but rates about very good for condition, with only some  traces of blue remaining at the muzzle and breech of the barrel and a hint of case color on the loading lever, but with smooth metal overall, though showing some light freckling, a few dings to buttstrap, some small checks to the lower edge of the left side flat of the barrel and some wear to the lower line of the barrel address, with the E. WHITNEY very clear, but the slanted N. HAVEN light. As is typical of Whitneys (and mentioned specifically by Williams,) the cylinder scene was lightly applied and pretty much gone with only faint traces. It would have carried the second type of cylinder scene incorporating naval ships and a fortress with the eagle-lion-shield coat of arms with a Whitneyville ribbon that had merely been repeated on previous types. The wood grips have good color, but show some narrow shrinkage gaps along the buttstrap fore and aft, as well a number of small dings and scrapes that hit the buttstrap as well. The grip strap shows some light freckling and a thin brown. The serial number appears on the loading assembly followed by an “A.” We have not disassembled the pistol to check the number on other parts. The “A” is regarded as an assembly number. A small “O” on the forward left of the frame is likely a factory inspector.

The mechanics are good. The nipples are not battered down. The bore is dusty, but otherwise good and has the seven-groove rifling that predominates in the series, transitioning into 5-groove rifling, with both types still evident in the Second Model 5th Type.

The left side of the revolver is clearly stamped “NJ” twice in small letters: once on the rear of the barrel flat near the frame and again on the frame below the forward edge of the cylinder. This is the exact form and placement of the letters as shown by Williams on p.53 (on revolver #15001,) as one of two forms of New Jersey state markings found on these revolvers that are regarded as placing them among the 920 Whitney revolvers purchased by the state in 1863, of which 792 were later sold to the U.S. government.

Like other Civil War military revolvers, the six-shot Whitney took its “navy” designation from its .36 caliber and saw wider distribution and use in the cavalry during the war than on ship. It was well-liked for its solid frame, among other things, though McAulay records some complaints about breakage of parts. Production started in the late 1850s and a number ended up in Confederate hands through prewar purchases, some likely early war sales by less than scrupulous retailers, and by capture, with some of Whitney’s improvements on the Colt being adopted by Confederate pistol makers. About half the production went directly to the Union military by purchase or contract, with others making their way in by state or private purchase. The army acquired 7,000 by contract or direct purchase from Whitney from March 1862 to February 1863, and another 11,184 by purchase, mostly by purchase from retailers in 1861-1862, but including the 792 from the state of New Jersey in 1863-1864. Navy purchases totaled 6,276, running from February 1863, as army contracts ceased, to March 1865.

McAulay records at least nineteen Union cavalry regiments listing Whitneys in their small arms inventories, including the 1-3 Colorado, 4,7,11 and 15 Illinois, 7 and 9 Kansas, as well as 3 and 7 Ohio, 5, 21 and 22 PA, along with some of the 6th US Regulars. It is unclear if the New Jersey Whitneys purchased by the U.S. government were specifically acquired for New Jersey cavalry, but both McAulay and Todd confirm Whitney Navies in the hands of the 3rd New Jersey cavalry, nicknamed the “Butterflies” from their colorful hussar-style uniforms, but with a commendable fighting record in the eastern theatre, costing them 3 officers and 47 enlisted men just in killed and mortally wounded from 1864 through 1865.

This would make a key addition to a collection of cavalry sidearms, Civil War revolvers, or specifically New Jersey related arms.  [jet][ph:L]

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