This cased pair of factory engraved Colt Model 1851 London Navy Revolvers (serial no. 19089 and no. 19092) was presented by Samuel Colt to career British officer James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan (1797-1868). During the Crimean War, Lord Cardigan was a major general and commanded the British Light Brigade in the Sebastopol Campaign. On October 25, 1854, during the Battle of Balaclava, Lord Cardigan famously led approximately 670 troopers from the 4th and 13th Light Dragoons, 17th Lancers, and the 8th and 11th Hussars in the famous Charge of the Light Brigade. They were armed with lances and sabers and were supposed to have been directed against redoubts already being overrun to prevent the Russians from withdrawing guns but were instead relayed an incorrect order by Captain Louis E. Nolan that sent the brigade into a suicidal charge under fire from Russian artillery and small arms against a fortified and well-defended Russian battery. At the end of the 20 minute encounter, the Light Brigade had suffered 110 killed, another 130 wounded (some mortally), and around 30 captured. Captain Nolan was one of the first to die in the charge. They also lost 335 horses. During the charge, Cardigan was at the front, engaged with the Russians in hand-to-hand combat, and then returned back up the valley alone and emerged remarkably unscathed. In his recollections of the battle, he stated they “advanced down a gradual descent of more than three-quarters of a mile, with the batteries vomiting forth upon us shells and shot, round and grape, with one battery on our right flank and another on the left, and all the intermediate ground covered with the Russian riflemen; so that when we came to within a distance of fifty yards from the mouths of the artillery which had been hurling destruction upon us, we were, in fact, surrounded and encircled by a blaze of fire, in addition to the fire of the riflemen upon our flanks.” Once the survivors reached the Russian battery, they were able to kill or drive back many of the artillerymen and silence the guns temporarily. They forced their way through “the mass of Russian cavalry of – as we have since learned – 5,240 strong; and having broken through that mass” and then were force to fight their way back through in retreat and were again under murderous fire from the enemy artillery and riflemen. The Light Brigade were heralded as heroes, and their actions used to symbolize the immense courage of the British cavalry and more broadly the Royal Army. Cardigan left for England in December and was invited to tell Queen Victoria his account of the battle. He became an instant celebrity telling tales of the events (some fantastical), and the famous “cardigan” sweater was named for him. In 1859, he became the colonel of the 5th Dragoon Guards and was retired as a lieutenant-general in 1860 as the colonel the 11th Hussars, his first command from 1836. His final act as a military officer was reviewing the 11th before they embarked for India in 1866. These revolvers are some of the best known and documented of all the Samuel Colt presentation pieces and are some of the most historic of all Colt presentation revolvers. This casing has been illustrated and described in numerous publications including: "Samuel Colt Presents", "The Book of Colt Engraving" and "Steel Canvas" by R.L Wilson and the "Antique Arms Annual” from 1971. The 2nd Model London Navy Revolvers were manufactured in 1855 and are engraved in script on the back straps: "Presented to/The Earl of Cardigan/by the Inventor" in three lines. The revolvers have blued barrels and cylinders, casehardened frames, loading levers and hammers and steel silver-plated trigger guards and back straps. The one-piece, deluxe walnut grips have a high polish 'piano' finish. The revolvers are embellished with delicate British vine style scroll engraving on the barrels, loading lever flats, frames, trigger guards and back straps. The tops of the hammers are decorated with a fish motif. The cylinders are roll-engraved with the standard Texas Navy battle scene. The top of each barrel is roll-stamped: "-ADDRESS COL. COLT. LONDON -" in a panel with engraved borders. "COLTS PATENT" is engraved in Old English letters in a ribbons on the left side of each frame. The full serial number is located on the loading lever, barrel, frame, trigger guard, back strap and cylinder of each revolver. All of the visible serial numbers on both revolvers match. A punch-mark below the serial number on the barrel, frame, trigger guard and back strap indicates that the revolvers were designated for special finish and engraving. London proof and view marks are stamped on the left side of each barrel lug and over alternate chambers on each cylinder. The revolvers have a brass bound English style oak case with green felt lining and ten compartments. The case lid is inlaid with the circular, folding brass handles surrounding a round brass plate engraved with an earl’s coronet for Lord Cardigan. Three of the interior compartments have brass handles. The case contains: a steel cleaning rod with blued ball handle, two lacquered Eley cap tins with green paper labels, two blued nipple wrench/screwdriver combination tools, two double cavity bullet molds marked: "COLTS/PATENT" on the sprue cutters (one silver plated), spare parts including a mainspring and percussion nipples, and a "COLTS NAVY FLASK" from "JAMES DIXON/& SONS/SHEFFELD” with a brown lacquer body, gold-plated brass top and adjustable spout and niter blue spring.

As described in "A."