Description:
In July of 1864, Confederate Captain G. Julian Pratt of the 18th Virginia Cavalry inventoried, by serial number, the arms in his command, which consisted of a number of weapons imported from England. Among them were seven London Armoury-produced Kerr revolvers ranging in number from 9240 through 9974. This, the so-called "Pratt Roll" has become the standard by which all collectors measure the collectibility of imported revolvers of all types that were imported by the Confederacy. For many years, then, the number of Kerr revolvers imported from England to the southern States has been fixed at 10,000. Anything above that has been rejected as being too high a number and therefore not Confederate. Furthermore, only those revolvers marked with a JS/Anchore were acceptable as Confederate-used. The fact is, however, there has been sufficient information all along to soundly refute what was a completely erroneous conclusion drawn from the very factual Pratt Roll. Here's the truth: On October 31, 1864, some three months after the Pratt Roll was taken, blockade runner City of Petersburg entered the port of Wilmington, NC, carrying "no freight on Government accout." On the same day, Captain John M. Payne of the Confederate Ordnance Department bought 900 "Kerr's pistols with rings in butts, spare nipples & cloth bags" form one E. HOPE. Just who this person was is unknown to me. The sale also included 900 powder flasks, 900 cleaning rods, 90,000 skin cartridges and 108,000 percussion caps, among other revolver-related items. Captain Payne immediately transhipped 500 Kerrs to Colonel J.C. Moore in Selma, AL. On November 14, Payne shipped the remaining 400 Kerr revolvers to Colonel W. L. Broun in Richmond. For the non-beleivers, the cargo information is available in the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 4 Volume 3, page 956. The purchase and transhipment information can be found at the Eleanor Brockenbrough Library at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, VA. This effectively extends the range of Kerr revolvers imported into the Confederacy from 10,000 to 10,900. This gun is in the 10,100 range and came to me from Selma, AL. I own another one in the 10,200 range, well used and missing parts, that I bought from a family in the Northern Neck of Virginia. Neither gun has a JS/Anchor marking. This gun is in very good to excellent condition. It is a brown gun, heavily patina'ed and is absoulutely complete, except for the trigger return spring, which is a replacement. There is only one slightly buggered screw to be seen. Buyer pays shipping and insurance. Money orders or a Cashier's Check only, please. Additional photos on request. Return accepted only if the revolver is received by me in exactly the same condition it was shipped to the buyer. Thanks for looking.
Condition:
Used - See Item Description
Caliber:
.44 (other/Cap & Ball)
Location:
ID
Trades Accepted:
Shipping Notes: See Description
