November 15 & 16, 2022 Extraordinary Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2022
Born in Maryland in 1838, Harry Ward Gilmor became famous during the war as a Confederate cavalry leader. A member of the Baltimore County Horse Guards, he was arrested following the Baltimore riots of April 1861. Upon release he crossed into Virginia and joined Turner Ashby’s Virginia cavalry regiment in August 1861. He was commissioned Captain in Company F, 12th Virginia Cavalry, formed from Ashby’s inordinately large 7th Virginia, and served in Jackson’s Valley Campaign. He was arrested Baltimore during the Antietam Campaign, spending 5 months in prison. He rejoined the army in time for the Battle of Brandy Station, for which he was cited in official reports and then promoted to Major and authorized to raise an independent battalion, but led the 1st and 2nd Maryland Cavalry during the Gettysburg campaign in the meantime, acting with Steuart’s Maryland brigade. By Fall 1863 he had 6 companies for his battalion, operated in the Shenandoah and West Virginia, and led an attack on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in February 1864. In summer 1864 he took part in Early’s raid against Washington and Baltimore, and led a detachment to destroy the railroad bridge at Magnolia Station, which he accomplished after stopping 2 trains and setting 1 of them on fire on the bridge. The Magnolia Station Raid was later regarded as one of the most audacious raids by detached cavalry during the war on either side. He was captured again in February 1865 while attacking the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad lines in West Virginia, and imprisoned at Fort Warren in Boston Harbor until July 1865. After the war Gilmor lived for a time in New Orleans, but returned to Baltimore to assume several prominent offices, including Police Commissioner and Mayor. He died there in 1883, suffering in later years from complications of a wartime injury. His wartime memoirs, "Four Years in the Saddle" are a fascinating reading. He is regarded by many as personifying the daring Confederate cavalier along with Stuart and Mosby. Lot consists of: (A) Leech & Rigdon single action percussion revolver manufactured in the early parts of the Civil War in Greensboro, Georgia with only a total of about 1500 total produced. 7 - 1/2" half octagon to round barrel in .36 caliber with 7 groove gain twist rifling with screw in cone front sight and hammer notch rear. Barrel is marked "LEECH & RIGDON C S A" on top flat of barrel with correct breaks in the letters seen on other examples. Rammer is of the pin type with small pins on either side of release. Matching serial numbers observed at font of rammer retainer stud, rammer, barrel, cylinder, cylinder arbor, frame, trigger guard, and butt. Left and right side of trigger bow near front are inspector marked "N". Cylinder has 6 cylinder stops, cylinder stop pins, and no cap relief cut in recoil shield. 1 piece plain walnut grips. Presentation inscription on brass backstrap reading "Col. Harry Gilmor. 2nd Md. Cav. C.S.A." in script. CONDITION: Good, with iron assemblies showing evidence of a heavy cleaning long ago with patina beginning to return. Discoloration on cylinder that lines up with cylinder's area where it sets on frame, believed to be where some patina blending took place and this spot was missed. Grips are excellent as lightly cleaned with no major signs of distress. Action is tight and crisp. Mechanically operable with no half cock notch present. Bore is frosted with pitting near muzzle and well-defined rifling. (B) Gilmor’s French Model 1822 Hussar’s saber. This is the saber that the M1840 “wristbreaker” was modeled after and is no surprise that it would be favored by a Confederate officer. The saber features a brass hilt with ornate pommel, decorated with lush laurel leaves which flank an engraved star, and lead to the tiered pommel cap. The knucklebow originates from the termination of the laurel leaves and begins in the form of a flower before morphing into the 3-band cavalry style guard, also decorated with leaves before joining the guard. “Harry Gilmor” is engraved at the center of the knucklebow in elegant script. The knucklebow is slotted at the pommel and accommodates an officer’s brocade with nice bullion knot. The guard is mostly plain with raised borders and a slightly curved quillon area. The underside of the quillon is nicely cast with a 4-petaled flower. A slight lower ferrule secures the stylishly polished wood grip, which features spiral grooves. A leather washer rests between the guard and the blade. The curved blade features a wide fuller that is stopped at the unmarked ricasso. Complete with its original iron scabbard that was painted black. The scabbard features iron mounts with throat firmly in place. The upper and middle mount consist of a single band that accommodates a carry ring. The upper mount’s carry ring was replaced by a brass horse chin strap that is able to be hooked on the knucklebow. CONDITION: The blade exhibits a bright finish with scattered freckling and other blemishes throughout its length. The brass hilt exhibits a pleasing light patina with generous amounts of its original gilt. The grip exhibits wear from handling and age with attractive finish. The scabbard exhibits scattered scratches and areas of loss to the black paint with a few light dents. Gilmor’s revolver and saber are very well documented, and they are accompanied by a folder of information including research regarding Gilmor’s service in the Confederacy as well as a Police Commissioner, copies of photos of Gilmor, Hartzler Collection notes, and several scans of publication pages where they are featured. This saber and revolver are featured in the following publication: The revolver is featured as Fig. 1 of Plate XXXV in “Firearms of the Confederacy” by Claude E. Fuller and Richard D. Steuart, featured in “The Original Confederate Colt” by William A. Albaugh III and Richard D. Steuart, pages 351-352 in “Confederate Presentation and Inscribed Swords and Revolvers” by Daniel Hartzler, page 179 in “A Band of Brothers: Photographic Epilogue to Marylanders in the Confederacy”, Military Collector & Historian Vol. XLV No. 4 Winter, 1993, Military Collector & Historian Vol. XLVI No. 1 Spring 1994. The books “Colonel Harry Gilmor’s Raid Around Baltimore” by Robert E. Michel and “The Johnson-Gilmor Raid July 9-13, 1864” by Daniel Carroll Toomey are included with this lot. There is also a reproduction tintype of Gilmor contained in a period case with March 7, 1883 memorial ribbon for Gilmor’s funeral. Also included is a 1968 affidavit stating the chain of provenance stating that the group was obtained from the Gilmor family by Richard D. Steuart around 1900, then purchased by William Albaugh III, sold to S.L. Hutcheson in 1959, then to Daniel Hartzler in 1968, where the saber and revolver have resided in his collection for the last 54 years. It is important to note that it is believed that Gilmor’s revolver and saber were inscribed by noted collector Richard Steuart in the 1900-1915 era after he purchased it from the family with the intention to preserve the history of the piece. This is an excellent revolver and saber lot that was carried by a famous Confederate cavalry officer who is most noted as a daring and dashing Confederate cavalry officer during the American Civil War with revered status among that of Stuart and Mosby.
Accessories
1822 French Hussar
Caliber/Bore
.36 Percussion
Manufacturer
Leech & Rigdon
Paperwork
Folder of Research