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Colt Model 1895 Double Action Factory Inscribed for Naval Militia w/Letter
Guns International #: 101181951 Seller's Inventory #:
Category: Colt Revolvers - Double Action Pre-War - Colt Revolvers - Antique
Seller's Information
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Seller: Brent Wilburn
Company: Antique Arms, Inc.
Member Since: 11/19/15
First Name: Brent
Last Name: Wilburn
State: Georgia
Zip: 30052
Country: United States
Phone: (678) 471-1432
Phone2: (678) 471-1432
Premium Seller
Number of Active Listings: 44
Total Number of Listings: 585
Seller: Private Seller
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns.
Payment Types Accepted: Money Order, Certified Check
Description:
On Hold. Sale Pending! This is a rare Span-Am War era Naval Militia Colt Double Action Revolver. Caliber .38 Colt with 6" barrel, checkered hard rubber New Navy Grips (COLT with no horse), and blued finish. This one is sn#96945 and is stamped with a Naval Trident Inspector's mark (Identical to those found on standard issue Model 1895's to the US Navy) and the number "N369". We sent for a factory letter which confirms this revolver was special ordered from Colt with the N369 inscription and was shipped to the 2nd Naval Battalion in Brooklyn, New York on May 10, 1898 in a shipment of 100. Remember, at this time a very famous New Yorker named Teddy Roosevelt had been Assistant Secretary of the Navy and was now a volunteer himself in the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry. Roosevelt was a big proponent of the New York Naval Militia and had a very good relationship with Colt when he was a NYPD Commissioner in the 1890's. He was personally instrumental in arming the NYPD with Colt Revolvers. I have often wondered if he had some bearing on these orders for New York. Over the years, we've had two other Colt Naval Milita revolvers N63 (SN#93833) and N143 (SN#94041) that were identical to this one. Compared to standard Navy issue 1889's and 1895's, these are not found very often but there appears to have been a few hundred of them ordered from Colt. This particular revolver came from the estate of a personal friend and advanced collector who was a well-respected member of the ASAC (American Society of Arms Collectors) and the OGCA.
Short History on the Naval Militias: In the late 19th Century, the US Navy was in dire need of experienced sailors. The need became so great that the US Navy would often recruit foreign sailors in ports of call around the world. In addition to what we now know as the Naval Reserves, there were more than a dozen state Naval Militias formed to train sailors very similar to the National Guard. These militias had varying degrees of success and when the Spanish American War came, one of the few states that had a Naval Militia fit enough to serve largely on its own was New York's. Most of its members were private citizens who were patriotic with a desire to serve their country. Many were highly educated which wasn't always a welcome trait to US Navy Officers aboard ship for long periods of time out at sea. The 1st and 2nd Naval Battalions manned a number of private vessels converted for military use during the Spanish American War.
Within the Navy Department there was one important militia proponent. Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt followed the Naval Militia closely and supported the movement. He wrote to Secretary Long suggesting that the oldest state militias were qualified to, and should, constitute the crews of auxiliary cruisers. He specified that the: New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, Maryland and New Jersey militias were “efficient” enough for the task and wrote:
All of this emphasizes the wisdom of the Department of in enlisting the Naval Militia individually, and in preventing the recognition by the Department of all the different Naval Militiaanizations as being on the same plane. It is the purpose of the Department to keep the Naval Militia together in their battalion and divisionanizations, and it will be very unwise to act otherwise… The five chosen to man the deep-sea patrol vessels are those for which we have the best reports from the regular officers during the past year. They are all five thoroughly efficientanizations.
Roosevelt wanted to give the most experienced militias a chance to fight as a unit, which should come as no surprise given his own plans to raise a volunteer cavalry regiment. The five state militias Roosevelt named received their own ships, while the Bureau of Navigation required militiamen from the “less efficient” stateanizations to enlist as able-bodied seaman and landsmen. (Daniel Roberts Naval History and Heritage Command, International Journal of Naval History, April 2016)
Condition: Overall Condition Grades to NRA Antique Fine with 80% original blue overall with numerous small nicks and scratches from military service. Trigger, rear hammer profile, and screws still show strong evidence of their bright nitre blued finish. Checkered Hard Rubber grips are original and are the proper New Navy style with the large COLT at the top of each panel. In contrast, the "New Army" Grips have the small "Colt" and a rampant colt horse motif. Excellent markings throughout. Assembly numbers are all matching. Good mechanics and bore. Nice example of a rare Spanish American War Era Naval Militia Revolver. Antique. Pre-1898.
SOLD
Antique: Yes
Manufacturer: Colt
Model: 1895
Caliber Info: 38 Colt
Finish: Blued