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Arms, Armor & Militaria
|
- Sale 1293
Live
| Cincinnati
Oct 24 | 10:00 AM EDT
Live
| Cincinnati
Sale 1293
| Cincinnati
| Cincinnati
Estimate$8,000 – $12,000
.36 caliber. 7.5" round barrel. SN: 3464 (mfg. ca.1861). Blued and color casehardened finish, brass backstrap and triggerguard, one-piece oil finished walnut grip. Single action percussion revolver with six-shot smooth round cylinder. Barrel marked in a single line - ADDRESS COL SAML COLT NEW-YORK U.S. AMERICA -. Lower left of frame with two line COLT'S / PATENT mark and left rear of triggerguard web marked 36 CAL. Matching serial numbers throughout, including the grip, with the exception of the wedge, which is numbered 3374. Sights include the usual hammer nose notch rear sight and a German silver blade front sight. The backstrap is engraved in a single line: Colonel Joel R Griffin 62nd Regt Ga Inf.
Joel R. Griffin was from Houston County Georgia and was commissioned a captain in the 3rd Georgia Infantry April 26, 1861, commanding company E, the "Governor's Guards" which was comprised of men from his county. The regiment was the first of the Georgia regiments to leave the state, moving by rail to Portsmouth, VA in May of that year. The regiment then moved to Roanoke Island where it established defenses to protect the rear approach to Portsmouth. The regiment was engaged at the Battle of South Mills on April 12, 1862 and between April 28 and May 1 the regiment was reorganized. At this time Captain Griffin resigned and was subsequently commissioned Colonel of the 62nd Georgia Mounted Infantry, also noted in records as the 62nd Georgia Cavalry and the 1st Georgia Battalion of Partisan Partisan Rangers. The first major combat that Griffin saw with his new regiment was at Antietam on September 17, 1862 after which the regiment spent most of its service for the next two years in North Carolina, East Tennessee and Virginia. They were engaged at Cold Harbor and were involved with the Petersburg Campaign during June of 1864. The regiment moved to the Atlanta area during July of 1864 before returning to the Petersburg area in the early fall. Seven companies of the 62nd formed the nucleus of the 8th Georgia Cavalry which was formed in October of 1864, continuing under Griffin's command. The regiment continued operations around Petersburg until the spring of 1865 and was then involved in the Appomattox campaign. The regiment was one of the few to escape from the encirclement of the Army of Northern Virginia and cut through Federal lines to reach Joesph Johnston's Army of Tennessee in North Carolina. The regiment subsequently surrendered at Durham Station with the balance of Johnston's command.
The revolver is accompanied by a folder of research that includes copies of Griffin's service records, some quartermaster records and copies of other historical background regarding the man and the regiments that he served in.
To request further details about this lot, please email armsarmor@hindmanauctions.com
Tim Carey
Associate Vice President, Head of Department, Arms, Armor and Militaria
Ms. Emma Fulmer
ATF Manager, Senior Coordinator, Arms, Armor & Militaria
Good. Bore is fair, dark and dirty with moderate to heavy pitting and visible rifling. The barrel had a rich plum brown patina with some minute hints of blue in protected areas. The frame has a mottled brown patina with minute hints of case colors. The cylinder retains only tiny traces of scene and shows numerous impact marks and mars. The brass has an unclean mustard patina and the inscription is clear and fully legible. All other markings remain legible. The grip shows some wear, a light sanding and scattered handling marks. The action is functional, but the mainspring is an old, weak replacement. A couple of the screws in the frame are old replacements.
The physical condition of lots in our auctions can vary due to age, normal wear and tear, previous damage, and restoration/repair. All lots are sold "AS IS," in the condition they are in at the time of the auction, and we and the seller make no representation or warranty and assume no liability of any kind as to a lot's condition. Any reference to condition in a catalogue description or a condition report shall not amount to a full accounting of condition. Condition reports prepared by Freeman's staff are provided as a convenience and may be requested from the Department prior to bidding.
The absence of a posted condition report on the Freeman's website or in our catalogues should not be interpreted as commentary on an item's condition. Prospective buyers are responsible for inspecting a lot or sending their agent or conservator to inspect the lot on their behalf, and for ensuring that they have requested, received and understood any condition report provided by Freeman's.
Please email armsarmor@hindmanauctions.com for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.
