Original U.S. Civil War Whitney 2nd Model 2nd Type .36 Navy Percussion Revolver - Serial 4959

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice service worn example of a U.S. Civil War issue Whitney Navy .36cal percussion revolver. It was purchased at a recent military auction, looking to have seen much service during the war, and possibly afterwards. There is some past pitting and peppering, and we can also see what look to be markings from being in contact with some type of fabric, which caused a pattern of oxidation that was later cleaned away. It really has a worn look that simply cannot be reproduced.

The underside of the barrel still bears original serial number 4959 on the bottom of the barrel (partly obscured), under the loading lever, as well as on the loading lever. This number is also marked on the inside of BOTH grip scales. The release for the cylinder arbor pin was lost, and instead a peened over piece of metal was put in place, making it impossible to remove the pin and cylinder to look for serial numbers on both. We do not however believe that the parts have been swapped out, as they match the condition of the rest of the revolver. The serial numbers that we can see put it securely in the 2nd Model, 2nd Type range, which involved the addition of 6 "safety" notches on the rear of the cylinder, implemented in 1860. It also has the desirable early "ball" type retainer for the loading rammer, correct for a 2nd Type.

The top of the barrel shows a nice worn patina, however the barrel address marking is still fully legible with a magnifier:-

E. WHITNEY
N. HAVEN

Overall condition is quite nice, showing a lovely "service used" look that only comes from long service in the field. As a Pre-War produced example, it's very possible that it could have seen use in the Confederacy, as at the time there were no embargos in place to prevent shipment of Whitney arms to the southern states. As arms were far harder to acquire in the south, they were often kept in service far longer, almost to the point of destruction. The small brass trigger guard (correct for this model) has a pleasing patina, having lost almost all of the original plating. The original brass-post front site is still intact, though it is worn down a bit. The original walnut grip scales are in very good condition, with a lovely dark brown color. Neither side shows any major damage such as cracks or repairs, though the pin through the frame at the rear bottom of the grip is missing, so they can move out of place if not careful.

In spite of the condition, the revolver is functional, and the action works well, with good indexing, a solid cylinder lockup, and a crisp dry fire. We did not notice any of the finicky behavior we often see from revolvers of this era, and it has a functional loading position. All of the cap nipple cones are present and clear, all showing wear and oxidation from use. The bore is actually in very good condition, showing clear lands and grooves with a partly bright finish. There is some wear as well as past fouling and oxidation, but it is definitely well above average, with no major pitting visible.

Overall this is a very nice service used example of a scarce Whitney Navy that was used in the Civil War. This will be a fine addition to your collection of Civil War arms of a really hard to find revolver with some great research potential! Ready to display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1860-1861
Caliber: .36cal
Ammunition Type: Cap and Ball
Barrel Length: 7 1/2 inches
Overall Length: 13 inches
Action: Single - Percussion Cap
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

More on the Whitney Navy Revolver:

The Whitney Navy is a 6-shot, .36 caliber, single action percussion revolver that was manufactured from the late 1850s through the early 1860s. The revolver went into production after Colt's patent on his revolver mechanism expired in 1857. The first 1,500 or so (aka "1st Model" Whitney Navy revolvers) were manufactured without a loading lever and were of lighter construction than the later 2nd Model revolvers. Between the Whitney desire to improve upon the guns, and the habit of making design changes when parts on hand ran out, both the 1st and 2nd Models were manufactured in a number of different "types" with a clear pattern of evolution that took place throughout their production. Some 33,000 Whitney Navy revolvers were produced during the production run, with many seeing US government use. The US Army acquired 10,587 of the revolvers between 1861 and 1864 and the US Navy purchased an additional 6,226 between 1863 and 1865. The state of New Jersey purchased 920 Whitney Navy revolvers in 1863, but 792 of those guns were subsequently resold to the US Army in 1863 and 1864. Those guns are included in the US Army purchases listed above.

A number of Whitney Navy revolvers also appear to have been acquired by the South and saw service during the American Civil War. Some were purchased prior to the outbreak of hostilities, and these guns tend to early production 2nd Model revolvers produced prior to the spring of 1861. A good example is Whitney Navy #3110, which was owned by Confederate cavalry general J.E.B. Stuart, and is now in the collection of the Virginia Historical Society. However, Confederate forces acquired many more Whitney Navy revolvers after the conflict started. These later production guns were no doubt obtained through a combination of capturing weapons and purchasing the guns surreptitiously from secondary retailers rather than Whitney. At least two-dozen Whitney Navy revolvers are known to have been repaired for use by the 4th Virginia "Black Horse" Cavalry, and a handful of identified Whitney Navy revolvers with Confederate provenance exist was well.

It is not surprising that the revolver found favor on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, as the robust design with a reinforcing top strap, a solid frame with a screwed in barrel and the simple turn of a wing nut to release the loading lever and cylinder arbor were all significant improvements over the open topped frame and wedge-retained barrel of the Colt design. The popularity of the revolvers in the south is further indicated by the fact that the design was copied by Confederate gunmakers Spiller & Burr and T.W. Cofer, both of whom produced Whitney-like revolvers for the south.

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