GUN FALL 2017
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, October 31, 2017.
COLT 1860 ARMY WITH FAMILY PROVENANCE STATING IT WAS CAPTURED AND CARRIED BY JOHN BALLARD, MOSBY'S BATTALION DURING CIVIL WAR.COLT18607997144Cal. 44. Family provenance sometimes carries more weight than other times and this gun with over 40 pgs of documents and history pretty well convinces the cataloger that this nickel plated Army was owned by John Newton Ballard, Company A, Mosby's Rangers. Paper included makes absolutely no mention of specific gun other than in a few more recent affidavits, but researching SN 79971, it falls in the middle of a dozen guns issued to the 1st Maryland U.S. Cavalry (SNs 79555-80045) which Mosby had a special affinity to capturing, killing and/or harassing. These guns were made in late 1862. An excerpt found from a Maryland Historical Society article on Company C, 1st MD Cav "...on December 29, 1863. For the next several days' 250 members of Cole's [1st MD] Cavalry engaged about four hundred of Colonel Mosby's men. When the fighting ended, Cole's men returned to camp with the loss of three killed, six wounded, and seven taken prisoner. When the raid was over the battalion returned to its winter quarters on Loudon Heights, over looking Harper's Ferry. On numerous occasions Cole's Cavalry had crossed swords with Colonel Mosby's Rangers. Lt. Colonel Mosby, learning that Cole's exhausted men had returned to their camp, resolved to drive them from Virginia..." There is very possible cause that this gun was captured and used by a 3-time wounded Confederate who lost his leg during the war. PROVENANCE: Francis Lambert Byrne & Varina K. Ballard (daughter), 1922; (John Lambert Byrne (1914-1999) (grandson of John Newton Ballard); Billy Estes Guy, Jr (Trustee, Byrne Estate), 1999; Amie Boone Cox, 2016. Interested parties should read affidavits, wills and 1930's written war record. CONDITION: Good to very good as nickel plated after the war which was so commonly done by veterans bringing home weapons. Markings are weak, but orig grips show discernible cartouches with hand worn patina. Gun is mechanically functional with discernible rifling. 52455-1 JS (2,000-3,000)