Offered here is hands down the rarest and most coveted of all the Confederate States revolvers, a fresh to market example of a T.W. Cofer percussion revolver, serial letter "T". Only a small handful of these significant revolvers are surviving today, and Rock Island Auction Company is honored to be able to offer this example. It is estimated that there were only between 86 and 140 of these revolvers, in a few different variations, manufactured by Thomas W. Cofer of Portsmouth, Virginia, with a known Confederate States Government order for 82 revolvers received and completed by Cofer by May of 1862, with all delivered to the 5th Virginia Cavalry, according to "Flayderman's Guide" (9th Edition, 10-002, 10-003, 10-004). Union forces occupied Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia in May of 1862, causing Thomas W. Cofer to abandon his home and shop where these rare revolvers were manufactured. The Cofer revolvers share slight visual resemblance with the Whitney navy pattern revolvers, but with a brass frame and an open spur trigger. Thomas W. Cofer was granted one of the first Confederate States patents, no. 9 granted August 12, 1861 for a revolver with a cylinder made in two halves that originally used a special type of metallic self-contained cartridge with a percussion nipple built into the rear of the cartridge. Relevant information and detailed pictures of other surviving examples of these Cofer revolvers can be found in the article "Thomas W. Cofer's Confederate Patented Revolver" by John Sexton on pages 50-79 of "Military Antique Collector Magazine" May-June 2023 Volume 2 No. 3. Sexton's article indicates that these revolvers were contracted by Captain Edgar Burroughs of the Chesapeake Light Cavalry, Company I, 5th Virginia Cavalry, who were recruited in the neighboring Princess Anne County. On page 78, Sexton's article shows scans of the original Confederate States receipts of the two known deliveries of T.W. Cofer revolvers to the Chesapeake Light Cavalry, with the first delivery of 17 revolvers received January 18, 1862, and the second delivery of 65 revolvers received May 31, 1862, at a cost of $40 per revolver for each delivery, making a total of 82 known Confederate delivered Cofer revolvers. On page 51, the article states, "There are two models of Cofer revolver, the first type utilizes the patent two-piece cylinder and special tapered and flanged brass cartridge that Thomas W. Cofer was awarded Confederate States patent no. 9, August 12, 1861. Cofer was born on March 22, 1828, near Smithfield, VA, and died July 23, 1885. The Cofer is the only Confederate firearms patent. Only two survivors are known of an estimated ten patent cylinder revolvers made. Based on the catastrophic failure of serial number 7 and only the barrel and frame surviving on serial number 1, these were probably not field worthy and standard percussion cylinder revolvers were made to fulfill contract. Since known deliveries are five months apart, it is possible that the January 1862 delivery of seventeen revolvers was the cartridge type, but since cartridges were not mentioned on receipts, most likely all were standard percussion. Cofer marked all his revolvers on the frame: 'T. W. COFER'S PATENT,' even though the patent only applied to the patent cylinder and cartridges. The patent cartridge must have been a failure as no excavated cartridges are known from camps or battlefields." Another contributing factor to the halt on further development of Cofer's patented metallic cartridges may have been that the Confederacy was not rich in material to manufacture them. On page 52, Sexton further states in his article, "There are sixteen surviving Cofer revolvers of all configurations, one of smaller caliber and size and unknown ignition system which I call a prototype, two are patent cartridge models, and thirteen are percussion." The article shows detailed pictures of a number of the known surviving T.W. Cofer revolvers, with some having serial numbers, some having a serial letter like this example, and others being unserialized. This T.W. Cofer revolver, serial letter "T", is not specifically mentioned or pictured in John Sexton's article. However, it is mentioned on page 148 of "Confederate Handguns" (1963) by Albaugh, Benet and Simmons, which states, "Whatever they were intended to be, today's Cofers are marked as follows: 1, 13 (3 on screws), M, L, T (8 scratched inside grips), No. 7, V." Sexton's article shows pictures of an unserialized prototype Cofer revolver, "NO 7" prototype cartridge revolver, and percussion revolvers including serial numbers 1, 11, 13, F, L, M, N, and two other unserialized examples. Company I of the Confederate 5th Virginia Cavalry Regiment, also known as the "Chesapeake Light Cavalry," was headed by Captain Edgar A. Burroughs (March 7, 1823-January 27, 1864) and originally entered service at Lynhaven Beach, Virginia on June 30, 1861, a few months after the beginning of the Civil War. It served in the Department of Norfolk until May of 1862, when it was included as one of three companies of the 5th Virginia Cavalry that were assigned to the 14th Battalion Virginia Cavalry, then the 14th and 15th Battalion Virginia Cavalry were consolidated in September of 1862, where they referred to simply as the 15th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, serving under Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart. Based on the known deliveries of 82 Cofer revolvers by May of 1862, this Cofer revolver may have seen use with the Chesapeake Light Cavalry in many of the most significant battles of the Civil War, including the Seven Days' Battles, the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Battle of Brandy Station, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Bristoe Campaign, the Overland Campaign, the Siege of Petersburg, the Valley Campaigns of 1864, and the Appomattox Campaign. This revolver is marked "T. W. COFER's./PATENT" in two lines on the frame top strap, with a partly legible "PORTSMOUTH VA" on top of the barrel, and has serial letter "T" marking visible on the underside of the barrel, on the cylinder arbor pin, and on the head of the grip screw, with no other visible markings located. Features a .36 caliber iron octagon barrel with a brass post front sight, an integrated raised notch on the brass frame top strap, a loading lever beneath the barrel, a 6-shot percussion cylinder, and walnut grip panels. "8" is hand carved on the interior of each grip panel. Faint remnants of period carved initials that appear to read "SA" are visible on the brass butt, likely the initials of the soldier who carried this revolver in the Civil War. More relevant information on these T.W. Cofer revolvers can also be found on pages 19-22 of "Confederate Arms" (1957) by Albaugh and Simmons, pages 137-155 of "Confederate Handguns" (1963) by Albaugh, Benet and Simmons, the article "A Confederate Cofer Revolver from Wisconsin" by Kellert on pages 50-53 of The Gun Report May 1978, pages 274-275 of "Confederate Longarms and Pistols" (1978) by Hill and Anthony, pages 142-151 of "Confederate Revolvers" (1987) by Gary, and pages 94-96 of "Arming the Glorious Cause, Weapons for the Second War for Independence" (1998) by Whisker, Hartzler and Yantz. Includes a small foam display plaque. This revolver once belonged to the noted collector and author Hugh Benet Jr., then later Ray Richey where it has since been on display as part of the immense collection in his Texas Civil War Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, until the museum closed its doors at the end of 2023. Provenance: The Hugh Benet Jr. Collection; 2000 Conestoga Auction; Private treaty by a prominent dealer to The Texas Civil War Museum Collection of Ray Richey