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CSA OFFICER’S Antique CIVIL WAR Colt 1851 NAVY Inscription & Carved Ivories Battle of Pea Ridge Veteran, Carnegie Medal Awardee
Guns International #: 103603648 Seller's Inventory #: 250057
Category: Civil War Revolvers - Colt Revolvers - Antique Percussion
Seller's Information
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Seller: AncestryGunsLLC
Company: Ancestry Guns LLC
Member Since: 11/3/16
State: Missouri
Zip: 65203
Country: United States
Phone: (314) 707-7373
International Phone: 314-707-7373
Platinum Seller
Number of Active Listings: 956
Total Number of Listings: 45589
Seller: FFL Dealer
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns.
Payment Types Accepted: Credit Card, Certified Check, Money Order
Description:
CSA OFFICER’S Antique CIVIL WAR Colt 1851 NAVY Inscription & Carved Ivories
Battle of Pea Ridge Veteran, Carnegie Medal Awardee
Here we present an antique Civil War Colt Model 1851 Navy Revolver with Eagle Carved Ivory Grips, made just prior to the American Civil War in 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut. This one is inscribed to Captain Creighton of the CSA and dated 1861. Captain William Robertson Creighton lived the kind of life you might read about in a novel. Born in Scotland January 19, 1841, he immigrated to the United States in the Antebellum period. In an interview he gave in 1912, Creighton disclosed that before the war, he was the overseer of a large plantation with hundreds of slaves. During the war, he was an officer under General Thomas Carmichael Hindman—who was an interesting character himself, certainly worth reading about in his own right. Creighton told about his experience during the war, particularly at the Battle of Pea Ridge in Northwest Arkansas, saying “Pea Ridge was the worst and bloodiest battle in which I was ever engaged in”; “Five times we assailed the Union batteries, climbed to the top of their fortifications, and were beaten down.” and “The horses were shot from under me. In the trenches below, our men were heaped up five feet deep. I still limp slightly from the wound in my leg.”
Creighton would survive the war and move to Elgin, Illinois, which, somewhat ironically, was the home of many of the men of the 36th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, some of which had perished in the Battle of Pea Ridge. He became a telegraph lineman and worked for the railroad, took a wife, and had four daughters, one of which tragically perished at the age of 12 when a temporary ferry capsized after a flood took out bridges on the Fox River that runs through Elgin in 1881. It seems that he participated in the city’s annual Memorial Day parade by marching along with the other surviving veterans of the American Civil War. As a Daily Herald article from May 23, 2013, points out, he and other Confederate veterans were always relegated to the very back of the parade. But one gets the sense that perhaps he didn’t mind this much. Again, in his 1912 interview, he is quoted as saying, “They licked us and that is all there is to it” and “I thank God to this day that the Union is still one.”
Perhaps he didn’t mind his place in the back of the parade as a result of his gratitude at being alive, that the United States remained intact, and that he made a living and a family amongst former enemies, some of whom might have been family of those he killed. But he who was last in 1912 would soon become first when in 1913, only a few days before that year’s Memorial Day parade, he risked his own life to save a 91 year old local man, James Depew, a veteran of both the Mexican-American War and then the Civil War, achieving the rank of Lieutenant, was walking on the railroad tracks and very nearly was crushed by a train that he could not hear due to his apparent deafness. A crowd of people shouted at the man in danger, unable to save him and expecting to see him crushed, was saved by William Creighton, himself no spring chicken at age 75. As a result, the Grand Army of the Republic Commander, R.R. Parkin proclaimed, “Captain Creighton, a few days ago you saved the life of our oldest comrade from death. From this day on, until the last roll call has been sounded, you and your comrades are no longer able to march with the line of blue. Your place is in the front rank of the Grand Army of the Republic with a Guard of Honor. Forward March.” And with that, William and one of his comrades were taken from the back to the front of the parade. Creighton was also awarded a Carnegie Medal for his actions that day, an honor established in 1904 in the name of Andrew Carnegie that gave a 3-inch bronze medal and a $5500 grant to recognize the heroism of civilians who willingly endangered themselves in order to save another. In the Belvidere Daily Republican, he was noted as having been present at a reenactment or “Sham Battle” in Kingston, IL, in 1916. William would live the rest of his days in Elgin, passing away in 1928. Captain Creighton is at the center of the photo, in his gray uniform, surrounded by the Union veterans of Elgin.
The overall condition is good. Original patina with silver plate remaining on the brass frame. The action is strong. Bright bore with sharp rifling. Solid, very good carved ivory grip. Markings are legible, but some have worn. Numbers match. The cylinder scene is mostly intact and discernable.
Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.
Barrel is 7-1/2 inches.
Caliber: .36 Percussion
Overall condition as seen in photos.
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Guaranteed AUTHENTIC & Includes CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.
ancestryguns
$17,750
#250057
Price: $17,750.00
Antique: Yes