Firearms experts often disagree about which Samuel Colt designs are most significant. Many think the most important weapon is the 1860 Army that arrived just in time to fulfill its historic role in the Civil War; others believe it is the Paterson that launched the first Colt weapons putting itself on the map in 1836, while many others definitely prefer the 1847 Walker, but in terms of actual use by soldiers and civilians the 1851 Navy has a far grander and more dated history than the others.
The 1851 Navy was produced in the period from the post-war period of the Mexican-U.S. conflict (early 1850s) to the post-war post expansion to the West in the 1870s. Introduced by Samuel Colt in the fall of 1850 as the Model 1851 Belt, six-shot, 36-caliber revolver, it would become one of the most important percussion and single-action revolvers in gun history.
The average revolver castle with an overall length of 14 inches (with a standard 7-1/2-inch barrel) and a weight of only 2.6 pounds was the ideal size for both belt and holster, although many simply tucked it into the waistband of their pants, behind a leather belt used to carry a knife sheath, or tucked with the grips toward the front behind a sash tied around the waist, as Wild Bill Hickok often did.
Despite the sales-level success of Colt’s Pocket Model 1849, which counted 331,000 sales from 1850 to 1873, the Model 1851 Navy remains the more famous of the two in the Western firearms tradition, with total sales amounting to 215,348 for 1873.
This in any case does not include the other 42,000 Navy models made in London, England, between 1853 and 1856 and the more than 3,800 conversions of Navy .38 caliber rimfire and centerfire cartridges sold from about 1872 until the early 1880s. (Production of the 1860 Army totaled only 200,500 sales between 1860 and 1873, again not counting factory-made cartridge conversions, with approximately another 9,000 and 2,100 Colt .44 caliber Richards and Richards-Mason models, respectively.)
As a military sidearm, the U.S. Ordnance Department began ordering the 1851 Navy in 1855 for both the Army and Navy (with the 36 caliber designated for the Navy and the 44 caliber for the Army. Army and Navy were used to designate the caliber of a firearm and not the make of the firearm, since Remington and other manufacturers’ guns used by the U.S. Army were also modified to be Army or Navy models).
At the beginning of the War of Secession, the Model 1851 Navy was the typical sidearm, consequently the American soldiers who discharged and swore allegiance to Jefferson Davis and the States of the Confederacy of America in 1861 were mostly armed with the Model 1851 Navy. However, the example cited here has a military history dating back to 1856; only a year after the Navy model was officially adopted by the U.S. Army.
This unusual factory-made 1851 Navy was the sidearm of U.S. Army Captain F.B. Schaeffer, a veteran of the Mexican-U.S. War (1847-1848) and commanding officer of the Marion Rifles unit, second brigade in the California militia with headquarters in San Francisco. The volunteer division was organized on May 14, 1852, making it one of the oldest volunteer companies in the state. Captain Schaeffer was the first commanding officer.
Its unique Navy third model revolver had a factory-made 3-1/2-inch barrel with a shorter loading lever and engravings made entirely at the factory by Colt’s master engraver, Gustave Young in about 1856. The Navy model has a hammer-slotted front cone and rear sight, the New York address written in a line on the flat top of the barrel, the standard Texas Navy battle scene engraved on the drum, and COLT’S/ PATENT lettering on the left side of the frame.
Young’s engravings on the barrel, loading lever, and castle approach full coverage with dotted decorations on the back, floral elements, a dog’s head on the left side of the barrel immediately above the loading lever screw, and Young’s signature, which is a wolf’s head on the left side of the dog. Additional engravings can be found on the underguard and wraps, with an edged panel on the wraps suitable for engravings.
Rather than using the space on the clamps, the base of the ivory handles is engraved with Captain F.B. Schaeffer on the right and Wm. J. Whitney On the left. Both inscriptions were later covered by a silver disk with the word Sime engraved on it in the center. The meaning of the inscription is unknown, as is the identity of Wm. J. Whitney on the left handle panel.
F. B. Schaeffer however is marked as commanding officer of the Marion Rifles unit, and served in that capacity from 1852 until 1855. Consequently, the weapon may have been a presentation weapon, since it was not made until 1856. Captain Schaeffer remained with the Marion Rifles as a senior officer after his tenure as commanding officer ended and was praised by the Adjutant General of California in his 1859 report, stating that Captain F. B. Schaeffer was “…one of the brightest soldiers in California.” The Marion Rifles became known for their long time spent on the firing range, constant attendance at drills, and dedicated service to the State of California.
The main purpose of the militia (as of today’s National Guard) was to be called out in times of need, and shortly after its establishment the sheriff of San Francisco, a former Texas Ranger Captain John Coffee “Jack” Hays, requested the Marion Rifles unit to act as guards during the controversial Dec. 10, 1852 hanging of convicted killer Jose Forni.
This was the first hanging performed in San Francisco in which the law was adapted to the circumstance. For years the city was filled with politically motivated vigilante groups lynching criminals illegally. These organized lynchings saw their end in 1856 precisely because of the Marion Rifles unit.
All state militias also served in a number of ceremonial roles, marching in parades, and attending public receptions for ranking military officers. In San Francisco the Marion Rifles unit consisted of a group of men with experience in many different fields, most of whom were also volunteer firefighters.
Eventually, the last official document recorded by the Adjutant General’s office, dated March 18, 1860, was a report from a special committee of the State Senate in response to a request made by Capt. Edwin A. Rigg (who later took command of the Marion Rifles unit) regarding the military position of the militia. After the start of the Civil War, Captain Rigg with four other captains proposed that their companies serve for the U.S. government to protect the Overland Mail Route. In 1861 the Marion Rifles disbanded, with many of its members joining the Federal service in defense of the Union.
There are several Schaeffers mentioned in Union reports of the War of Secession (as well as those of the Confederacy), but it remains unclear whether one of them was the much celebrated Captain F.B. Schaeffer. Whatever happened to Schaeffer after he left the Marion Rifles, he stayed alive because of this 1851 Navy special engraved by Gustave Young. The weapon first came to light at a Rock Island Auction Co. auction in December 2008, when the fully documented Navy model sold for $6,900.
