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Sale 1070 Lot 303              Sold for $4,700

ID'D COLT MODEL 1851 NAVY REVOLVER.
.36 caliber, six-shot cylinder, engraved and nickel-plated frame, 7 1/2" octagonal barrel, ivory grips. S/n 88061.

Engraved on the barrel is "JMS" for James M. Sanderson, who mustered into the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry in September 1861. As a hotel keeper in private life, Sanderson was well-suited to served in a variety of roles in the Commissary Department, ultimately as the commissary officer of the Army of the Potomac. He also authored the army cookbook Camp Fires and Camp Cooking. He was captured during the pursuit of Lee's army following Gettysburg. While serving in Libby Prison, he organized the prison's commissary, though not to the satisfaction of some of his fellow Union officers, many of whom spoke out against him. He was also thought, by some, to have betrayed a plot to escape Libby Prison, a plot that was ultimately, and fantastically, successful in 1864.
Estimate $ 2,000-4,000

90+% of original plating, engraving crips and clear, barrel mark slightly worn, minor corrosion spots scattered, age cracks in grips, bore condition good, action is smooth. Manufactured 1858.



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