GUN SPRING 2017
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/11/2017
VERY RARE CONFEDERATE OCTAGON BARREL DANCE DRAGOON REVOLVER CARRIED BY CORP. JOHN HARGRAVE, WHITFIELD'S TEXAS LEGION, FROM DIRECT FAMILY DESCENT.DANCEDRAGOONNSN44Cal. 44. The six-shot percussion revolver produced by Dance is readily recognizable by its flat frame, rather than the Colt's rounded recoil shield. Dance revolvers are extremely well made, comparing very favorably with Colt products, and generally exhibiting higher quality workmanship than their both CS and Colt counterparts. James Henry Dance and his three brothers, Perry, David and Isaac, settled in a small town directly south of Houston, Texas, called Columbia, which was located on the banks of the Brazos River. It was the year 1853. The original Dance family, having migrated from Virginia to North Carolina, then Alabama, finally chose Texas as the home for their manufacturing talents. The Dance Brothers machine shop was converted to a revolver manufactory at the outset of the Civil War, and while all four brothers enlisted in the 35th Texas Cavalry, only 1st Lieutenant James Henry Dance remained on active duty, the other brothers being detailed back to the Dance pistol factory for the duration of the war, where they made pistols for the Confederacy.
Of the known authentic 104 Dance pistols that survived, 90 are 44 caliber Dragoons; only five of these have full octagonal barrels, the four other substantiated guns with full oct bbls are SN's 121, 164, 172 and 247 and all had higher grade finish and this example has better grade grips retaining traces of original varnish. This is the only octagonal barrel Dance cryptically marked. Gun is orig and complete, all matching with the cryptic serial <><><><> found on bbl, loading arm, frame, hammer, trigger-guard, and backstrap. Overall edges are sharp. Action is tight and crisp. Five other known cryptically numbered examples are <>, <><>, <><><>, OO, and O<>O, This gun by NRA standards grades good to very good. By Confederate standards this gun is quite fine. Dance revolvers saw hard Confederate use, and Texans who carried these knew where they were made and were proud to carry them. This gun has been in the Hargrave/Hamby family ever since. There is an accompanying copy of a 1964 published family history showing history of the first Hargrave's dating back to American Revolution including Ezekiel Hargrave who served with the 4th Carolina regiment under George Washington at the Battle of Trenton, NJ. John Howard Hargrave was grandson of Ezekiel, born in 1840 in Indiana moving to Hancock County Texas with his family in 1843. John Hargrave enlisted February 1, 1862 in Whitfield's Texas cavalry, a hard fighting unit that saw service first with Sterling Price in the Army of the West, later with Van Dorn in Mississippi and Tennessee, then Sol Ross in Atlanta campaigns and finally with N. B. Forrest's cavalry near war's end. Whitfield's Texas Legion is known to have been in over 80 actions, skirmishes and battles as found on "Handbook of Texas Online" compiled by Ron Brothers.
This is a rare and exemplary example of Dance revolver carried by Texas cavalryman who served in one of the hardest fighting Texas units in the Confederacy. PROVENANCE: John Howard Hargrave, 1863-1920; ………… Curtis Hamby (1893-1951); Curtis Edwin Hamby (1930-2006); Katheryn Hamby. CONDITION: Gun appears to be orig and authentic in every regard and is much above average of most encountered specimens. With the exception of two screws replaced, gun appears as manufactured. Several other screws are buggered but all function. Cryptics are all well struck and fully discernible. Cryptic assembly markings appear internally also on left side trigger guard under grips. Brass backstrap & trigger guard have mustard colored patina. Original one-piece walnut grips are well fit with edge wear retaining traces of original varnish. Iron surfaces of gun are dark grey/brown with patina and scattered pitting overall. There is a chip on bottom left barrel housing over corresponding frame been. There is hairline crack on left side of frame which is seen on a few other Dances and small casting flaws noted on trigger guard also occasionally seen on other Dance Revolvers Mechanically functional with crisp well-defined rifling in bore. All-in-all this is among the best identified Dance Dragoons extant. 51728-1 JGS (50,000-70,000)