RARE - Colt Revolver dug in 1951 at the New Market, Virginia Battlefield

This is truly a fantastic piece being offered, it is an excavated Colt Model 1849 Pocket Revolver. It was dug by Sam Koontz with a WWII Metal Detector in 1951. It is in three pieces and the four inch barrel still has a clear Colt's address on the top flat “ADDRESS COL SAML COLT NEW YORK US AMERICA”.

The cylinder rod is broken, missing the end that the wedge went through.  The end of the rammer also broke off and the trigger guard is missing.  The rammer, hammer, and trigger still move, the five shot cylinder is frozen in place.  You can see the serial number of “114438” on the back strap denoting an 1856 production date. It was recovered from the New Market, Virginia Battlefield.

 The Battle of New Market was fought on May 15, 1864, during the Valley Campaign.  A makeshift Confederate army of 4,100 men defeated the larger Army of the Shenandoah under Major General Franz Sigel, delaying the capture of Staunton by several weeks.

The battle is primarily remembered today for being the only time in American history a school's student body was used as an organized combat unit. During the battle Confederate General John C. Breckinridge ordered cadets from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), some of them child soldiers no older than 15, to join an attack on the Union lines.

During the attack, the VMI cadets charged near the Bushong House against Capt. Alfred von Kleiser’s battery. In their desperate charge, the young men attacked across a depression just past the house littered with thick mud. During the charge, many of the cadet’s shoes were swallowed up in the mud; the section was later called the “Field of Lost Shoes.” The event has gone on to become central to many of the institute's traditions.

 The digger, Sam Kootz, wrote a note that he dug it north of the Bushhog House down the hill along the Shenandoah (North Fork) River (see map). This Colt having a pre-Civil War production date, suggests that it could been carried by either side. It comes in a display case which appears it has been in for many years. There is some rubbing and a hairline crack on the acrylic top where it meets the cylinder. It doesn’t really affect the display, but could be replaced if desired.

These very early dug weapons are very difficult to find these days, especially with this amount of provenance obtained directly from the digger. This is one of those pieces that I thought hard about keeping for my own collection, but I finally decided to let it go.