This historic set includes Colt's new "Revolving Belt Pistol" (Model 1861 Navy) and "New Model Revolving Police Pistol" (Model 1862 Police aka Pocket Police) each inscribed "Genl J. W. Ripley/with Compliments of Col Colt" on the back strap, confirming they were presented by Samuel Colt to General James Wolfe Ripley, 5th Chief of Ordnance of the United States Army (term: April 23, 1861 to September 15, 1863), the man responsible for arming the Union Army in the first half of the Civil War. The Model 1861 Navy and Model 1862 Police were the final revolver models introduced by Samuel Colt prior to his death and are regarded as among the most attractive of Colt's percussion revolvers. Both models are also rather scarce compared to Colt's other models with just 38,000 Model 1861 Navy revolvers produced compared to over 200,000 of the Model 1860 Army, and only around 20,000 Police revolvers manufactured compared to well over 300,000 Model 1849 Pocket revolvers. The revolvers were manufactured in 1861 and are in the standard configuration for these models, but with a higher quality finish, the noted inscriptions, and figured deluxe varnished walnut grips. The factory period marking designating the revolvers for special finishing is marked above or below the matching serial numbers along the underside of the revolvers. The revolvers are fitted in a scarce factory rosewood presentation case fitted for the two revolvers along with cap tins, a powder flask for each revolver, "36 B" (Belt Model) and "36 P." (Police Model) marked ball/bullet molds, L-shaped combination tool, several lead balls, and two cartridge packs for "COL. COLT'S PATENT/REVOLVING BELT PISTOL" from Colt's Cartridge Works and a cartridge pack marked "COL. COLT'S PATENT/NEW MODEL/REVOLVING/POLICE PISTOL./36/100 inch Calibre/ADDRESS COLTS CARTRIDGE WORKS." Around November 1861, Samuel Colt presented cased sets of revolvers to a group of leading figures within the Union Army and federal government. The known recipients and what their positions were in or around November 1861 are as follows: General James Wolfe Ripley (Chief of Ordnance), General Randolph B. Marcy (McClellan's chief of staff and father-in-law), General Joseph K.F. Mansfield (commanded the Department of Washington), General Irvin McDowell (a division commander in the Army of the Potomac), General Ambrose E. Burnside (commander of the North Carolina Expeditionary Force), General Thomas W. Sherman (commander of the Port Royal Expedition), General Andrew Porter (provost marshal of the District of Columbia), General George B. McClellan (general-in-chief of all the Union armies), General Nathaniel P. Banks (commander of the western district of Maryland), General Benjamin F. Butler (commander at Fort Monroe), General William Anderson Thornton (commander of multiple arsenals and also an inspector during the war), General Lorenzo Thomas (Adjutant General of the U.S. Army), Colonel James Cameron (brother of the Secretary of War, killed prior to the presentation of these revolvers at First Bull Run), Secretary of War Simon Cameron, and Edward S. Sanford of the American Telegraph Company (worked with the U.S. Military Telegraph Service/Corps). Each set was inscribed with the individual's name followed by "with Compliments of Col Colt" on the back strap. These presentations are generally believed to have been part of Colt's efforts to ensure lucrative government arms contracts for his company. As early as April of 1861, Colt was personally lobbying the government offering to produce arms for the Union cause and asked the Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles to ask President Lincoln and Secretary of War Simon Cameron how his company could be of assistance and indicated he could supply 100,000 guns that year. General Ripley would have been a key figure in securing favorable contracts. The presentations were also likely in part of a show of good faith and support for the Union after reports of Colt selling arms to the Confederacy and rumors that he was a southern sympathizer. November 1, 1861, is also, perhaps coincidentally, significant as the day General George McClellan was promoted to general-in-chief of the Union Armies after Winfield Scott's resignation at the end of October. Per the "Hartford Courant," Secretary of War Simon Cameron and his party as well as that of Governor William A. Buckingham of Connecticut and his staff arrived at Coltsville under the guidance of Samuel Colt himself for a tour of the Colt factory as well the factory of the Sharps Rifle Co. Afterwards, the guests were conveyed to Armsmear where they were entertained by the Colt family. It is very likely some of these sets were presented at that time either at the factory or in Colt's home. Who was all in attendance is not listed, but it very likely included other recipients of these sets. Samuel Colt died a little over two months following the presentation of these revolvers on January 10, 1862, making this his last block of presentation revolvers and therefore particularly significant in the history of Colt firearms even besides their connections to various important figures in the government and military during the Civil War. By the time this set was presented around November 1861, General Ripley had been appointed Chief of Ordnance and was among the most influential figures in the U.S. military and the Union war effort, particularly in terms of government arms contracts. Ripley was a highly time seasoned officer in his late 60s with extensive experience in the Ordnance Department. He had been born on December 10, 1794, in Colt's home state of Connecticut and graduated from West Point in the Class of 1813 during the War of 1812. He fought at Sacketts Harbor against the British and went on to serve in the Seminole War in Florida. In the early 1830s, he was in command at Charleston Harbor and soon moved into the Ordnance Department and was in command of the Kennebec Arsenal from 1833 until 1843 when he became the superintendent of the Springfield Armory, the government's most important arms factory and arsenal. There he led massive updates to both the workforce and the armory itself leading some to dub the armory "Ripley's Monument." Though later known for his conservative attitude towards newer firearms technologies, Ripley was a direct part in the significant shift from smoothbore flintlock muskets to the percussion rifles and rifle-muskets that would be the primary arms of the infantry during the "War Between the States" as well as the shift from single shot pistols to Colt's revolvers. This historic set was preceded by another presentation revolver from Samuel Colt to Ripley. The earlier revolver is a Model 1851 Navy manufactured in 1854 listing his rank as colonel in the inscription. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on December 31, 1854, and had only recently transferred from being superintendent of Springfield Armory to serving as commandant of the Watertown Arsenal. He also served as chief of ordnance for the Pacific Department in the antebellum era and was sent to Japan and was supposed to then head for an inspection of arsenals in Europe but instead returned home rapidly after the news of the rebellion and was promoted to full colonel in April 1861 and given command of the Ordnance Department of the U.S. Army. The greatest test of his career would be the responsibility of arming the influx of volunteers attempting to fend off the Confederate armies and re-unify the country. Ripley aimed to do so efficiently and with American guns not foreign imports. No one knew how long the war would last. Many, including Ripley, believed the war would be short and was hesitant to purchase arms in mass, particularly newer technologies and imported arms. If the war was over quickly, the expense would be wasteful. The peacetime U.S. Army had totaled only a little over 16,000 men, and the U.S. had defeated Mexico with only a little over 100,000 men armed primarily with smoothbore muskets during in the Mexican-American War. Initially, Lincoln had only called for 75,000 recruits, and the government had many older arms in storage despite the arms captured from southern arsenals by the Confederacy. However, after the Union defeat at First Bull Run, the government authorized another 500,000 recruits on July 22, 1861, the first sign of the massive number of men that would join the fight. Ultimately, over 2 million men would take up arms for the Union, a truly unprecedented number. By the fall of 1861, Ripley was well-aware that there were going to be a massive number of men in need of arms for the fight to preserve the Union. Colt already had an established relationship with the Ordnance Department from previous smaller orders and had the best equipped private armory in the world, which he was in the process of significantly expanding. He was well-aware of the situation and the opportunity it presented his company. He also knew he would need to cash in on government contracts quickly less he lose out to other contractors. His company offered Ripley and the Union Colt's famous revolvers and revolving rifles which were only of secondary importance to the war effort compared to the rifle-muskets used by the bulk of the Union soldiers. His company delivered 112,344 "Special Model 1861 Rifle-Muskets" by the end of 1864. In 1861, there were several scandals reported relating to arms contracts, and Ripley was actively working to ensure government resources were not being wasted on overpriced arms. However, Ripley himself was ensnared as he had authorized the sale of 10,000 "Enfield" rifles to Colt in June of 1861 for just $10 because they were non-standard (.577 caliber rather than the Union's standardized .58 caliber) and then later contacted Colt in August to repurchase them for $20 each plus two thousand "Short Enfields" with saber bayonets for $25 each. Colt reportedly instead insisted on $25 each making a $150,000 profit. However, there is likely more to this story than simple corruption. Ripley was well-known to have been resistant to the adoption of foreign arms, especially early in the war, and he was also particular about standardization. In this light, his sale of undersized foreign rifle-muskets very early in the war is not shocking. After it became clear the war would drag on and the number of Union troops massively increased, those arms became more necessary and thus became more valuable. The same can be seen in Ripley's contacts with Colt concerning revolvers. In May he was discussing deliveries of 500 and 1,000 revolvers. By June, he was requesting five thousand, and by September 17, 1861, he wrote to Colt stating: "Deliver weekly, until further orders, as many of your pistols, holsters, new pattern, as you can make." Ripley is perhaps best known today for his resistance to the adoption of breech-loading and repeating rifles and carbines, even in defiance of President Lincoln, which ultimately contributed to his re-assignment on September 15, 1863. However, his mindset had largely sound logic. He was concerned about the largely untrained soldiers wasting valuable ammunition with these new arms. Many of these arms also remained unproven and were more expensive and delicate than the standard rifle-muskets. There was also the issue of supplying the increasing number of non-standard cartridges to the troops. Governments typically standardize their primary firearms around a small number of cartridges. Historically, the U.S. military had primarily issued .69 caliber muskets and .54 caliber rifles and pistols. The situation Ripley faced during the Civil War was more complicated. The government had obsolete .69 caliber smoothbore muskets and rifled muskets as well as .54 caliber rifles, and newer rifle-muskets and rifles designed for .58 caliber Minie balls plus smaller numbers of arms in varying calibers and revolvers in .36 caliber and .44 caliber. The adoption of breechloaders and repeaters using various proprietary cartridges thus further complicated the supply of ammunition to the troops. Documented instances of troops receiving the wrong ammunition for their breech-loading carbines and then complaining when their carbines failed to function properly only proved his point. While repeaters like the Spencer and Henry demonstrated their utility in combat they could not be argued to have been a deciding factor in the war, instead it was the steady supply of men armed with rifle-muskets. Even after the war as the government transitioned to breech-loading rifles, it stuck with the single shot rifle, choosing the Springfield trapdoor over repeating rifles. Also included with this historic set of Colts is a framed Colt factory collection display card with blue Colt stamp. It reads: "'Presentation Colt Genl J. W. Ripley with Compliments of Col. Colt' Navy Belt No. 1821 (with dot) Pocket Police No. 6496 (with dot)." In addition, another frame with photos and clipped signatures of both J. W. Ripley and Samuel Colt. These are fitting additions to these most extraordinary and historic presentation Colts.

As described in "A." Provenance: From Samuel Colt to Chief of Ordnance General James Wolfe Ripley; The Colt Factory Collection; The Andrew Singer Collection