November 15 & 16, 2022 Extraordinary Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2022
1851 vintage Colt Model 1849 Pocket single action percussion revolver, serial number 18626. 6" octagon barrel in .31 caliber with screw in cone front sight and hammer notch rear sight. 1 piece plain walnut grips. Matching serial numbers include barrel, rammer, cylinder arbor, frame, cylinder, trigger guard and butt. Wedge is a period replacement. Marked on butt "GWJ" in large font with "Co. G 4th R" on trigger guard. Trigger guard and backstrap are silver plated. Born in 1838, George W. Jones crossed from Maryland into Virginia to enlist, joining Company D, 1st Virginia Partisan Rangers, which became Company I, 18th Virginia Cavalry. He was captured at Middletown in the Antietam Campaign on September 13, 1862, and was held at Fort Delaware, later exchanged at Aikens Landing in November. He joined Company C, 1st Maryland Cavalry on August 1, 1863, at Culpepper. This put him in the unit in time for picket and skirmish duty as well as larger actions at Morton’s Ford and Brandy Station. An intriguing entry in his record is assignment to “secret service” at some point in November-December 1863 by a special order whose number is somewhat blurred in the records. In 1864 the unit was actively engaged in countering raids by Kilpatrick and Sheridan in Virginia and then moved with Early on his raids around Baltimore and Washington, followed by service in the Valley. He was captured at “Duff Field Station” on August 29, 1864, during a raid against the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Incarcerated at Fort Delaware, he managed to escape and in November-December is listed as an escaped prisoner on furlough. Hartzler’s notes identify him as joining Company G of the 4th Texas Infantry for the rest of his service, but that seems to be another individual. He likely rejoined the Maryland cavalry, or another unit in the Maryland Line, but does not show up due to the fragmentary state of the records. After the war he worked as a mariner and in 1892 entered the Maryland Line Confederate Soldiers Home later passing away in 1899. Accompanying this lot is a folder with notes on configuration, a brief summary of Private George W. Jones' service history, a notarized letter of provenance, copies of Jones' service records including Muster Rolls, and a photo copy of a page from "Confederate Presentation and Inscribed Swords and Revolvers" by Daniel D. Hartzler, where this gun is photographed. CONDITION: Very good, with iron assemblies turned a speckled gray-brown patina with light freckling throughout. Front and backstrap retain an attractive amount of their original silver plating. Grips are excellent with no major signs of distress. Action is loose but indexes properly. Bore is heavily frosted with well-defined rifling.
Caliber/Bore
.31 Percussion
Paperwork
Folder of Research