Early Smith & Wesson No. 2 Old Model Army Revolver Inscribed to Confederate Major Henry B. Holliday of the 27th Georgia Regiment, Father of "Doc" Holliday Smith & Wesson's No. 2 "Old Model" Army revolvers were popular during the Civil War with soldiers in both the North and South. They were the only revolvers widely available that could fire metallic cartridges and thus be reloaded rapidly. This revolver has the early four digit serial number "3492" marked on the butt making it one of the first 500 No. 2 revolvers to have the three pin top strap. The early serial number indicates it was manufactured very early in production, maybe in the first year, given serial numbers reached 35,731 by May of 1865 (nearly 9,000 guns per year if production remained steady). The matching serial number is also on the underside of the right grip panel, and matching assembly numbers are found on the left side at the heel, heel of the left grip, and back of the barrel lug. The front of the cylinder is numbered "557." The barrel rib and cylinder have the standard markings. The removable side plate on the left side of the frame is inscribed "Major Henry B. Holliday/27th Ga. Regt./1862" in period style script. Dr. Henry Burroughs Holliday was born on March 11, 1819, in Laurens County, South Carolina, and died on February 22, 1893, in Valdosta, Georgia. He served in the quartermaster corps for the 27th Georgia Infantry Regiment before receiving a medical discharge. He was also a veteran of the Cherokee Indian War and Mexican-American War, mayor of Valdosta, a horticulturalist, a pharmacist, and a dentist/physician. Though he served the Confederacy, he was also a representative for Freedmen’s Bureau in Lowndes County and thus actively helped former slaves. Like many Southerners, he likely joined the Confederate cause out of a sense of duty to his homeland rather than from dedication to protecting slavery. His son John Henry "Doc" Holliday of O.K. Corral shootout and other Wild West fame was born on August 14, 1851, in Griffin, Georgia. The Major and another doctor related to the family by marriage performed surgery to correct Doc's cleft palate when he was an infant. Doc was educated largely at home in his youth and later followed his father's path into dentistry. His dental career was hampered when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis shortly after receiving his degree. The disease is what had prompted Doc to move west hoping the dry climate would prolong his life. Major Holliday had already seen the same disease, then known as consumption, claim his adopted son (an orphan from Mexico he brought home from the war), Doc's mother, and likely his infant daughter when Doc was a child. Doc died on November 8, 1887, in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Manufacturer: Smith & Wesson Model: 2 Army BBL: 6 inch solid rib Stock: Gauge: 32 RF Finish: blue Grips: rosewood Serial Number: 3492 Class: Antique Condition: Very good with strong patches of original blue finish in the protected areas such as the recess along the rib and just behind the recoil shield. The hammer also retains strong original case colors in the protected areas. The remaining areas display gray and brown patina, patches of mild pitting (mostly on the top strap) and minor oxidation. The cylinder has one broken stop and also has a dent on the side. The grips are fine with some minor chipping on the lower edges, minor cracking along the grain, and moderate handling wear. It is mechanically fine and has mostly legible factory markings. The inscription is crisp.

  • Condition: See Description

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by Rock Island Auction Company
May 5, 2017 9:00 AM CDT
7819 42nd Street West
Rock Island, IL, US 61201

Rock Island Auction Company

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