Offered here are two pistols attributed to U.S. Army Colonel Herbert Jermain Slocum, commander of the 13th Cavalry that engaged Pancho Villa’s forces during the Battle of Columbus. The accompanying factory letter lists this pistol with a 5 inch barrel in .45 caliber, blue finish and type of stocks not listed when shipped to Stauffer Eshleman & Co., New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 16, 1915. The slide has the two-line, two block patent dates/address marking along with a Rampant Colt stamped behind the serrations on the left side and two-line caliber designation on the right side. The pearl grips feature a relief carved steer head on the right panel and an inscription on the left panel. The inscription reads, “COL. HERBERT J. SLOCUM/13TH CAVALRY, U.S.A./FROM/TEXAS ADMIRERS/1916.” The full blued magazine has a lanyard loop. As reported in the March 23, 1916 issue of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, this pistol along with a “jeweled sword” were purchased with funds gathered by a Texas based fundraiser and were intended to be presented to Slocum. Donations were gathered from Texans such as former Governor Colquitt who wanted to show appreciation for their hero at the Battle of Columbus. This handgun is described as “a 45-caliber army model Colt’s automatic, mounted with mother of pearl on both sides, and with a steer head, emblem of Texas, in bas relief on one side.” A near identical inscription is also called out. The presentation of the pistol is confirmed in the June 1, 1916 issue of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Slocum thanked the Texans for the pistol: “The pistol is a beauty. If I ever have to pull the trigger and ‘fire low’, I hope it may be in accordance with the motto of the Thirteenth cavalry—‘One Vision. Our Country; One Cry, Victory; One Ideal, Right.’ Again, thanking you and your associates, I am very sincerely.” Colonel Herbert Jermain Slocum’s (1855-1928) U.S. Army career nearly ended before it began. He failed to graduate from West Point in 1876. A short time afterwards, however, he received a commission in the 25th Regiment of Infantry before appointed to the 7th Cavalry and spent much of his early Army days posted in the Dakota Territory. As one of "Custer's Avengers", Slocum served in military campaigns against the Sioux, Nez Perce, Cheyenne and Apache following the disastrous defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. An included copy of a 1925 dated letter reflects on Slocum's eyewitness account of Sitting Bull's surrender in 1881 at Fort Beaufort where he was stationed with the 7th Cavalry. Slocum recounts, "[Sitting Bull's] rag tail outfit were bunched together on the prairie in front of the C.O. quarters and came forward and laid down their guns. Of course they did not have any modern or very serviceable guns, naturally, these had been left behind (for cash) with their late friends in Canada but we took what they had and searched their travois and the Red River Carts, old and Dilapidated." At the surrender Lone Wolf gifted his Winchester to Slocum. During the Spanish-American War, Slocum served in the Inspector General branch before eventually participating in the occupation of Cuba and Philippine Insurrection. In 1912 he was promoted to colonel, and on September 1, 1914 took command of the 13th Cavalry at Cavalry Camp Columbus in New Mexico. He was in command of the 13th when Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa raided the United States border town of Columbus, New Mexico, on March 9, 1916. Known as the Battle of Columbus or Burning of Columbus, the Villa led raid began with the looting and burning of the small town of Columbus and escalated into a full scale battle between Villa’s forces and the 13th Cavalry. The invaders were driven back to Mexico at a cost of at least 70 of Villa’s men being killed (some estimates put the deaths at over 100). American casualties stood at 8 soldiers and 10 civilians dead. The American public demanded action, and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson ordered the U.S. Army into Mexico. Villa’s forces were eventually defeated, but Villa was not captured. As for Slocum, a board of inquiry exonerated him for his failure to prevent Villa’s raid on Columbus and remained on active duty until his retirement on April 25, 1919. When he died in 1928 his estate was worth an estimated $4,000,000. Slocum’s included personal archive includes the following: several officer commissions (2nd lieutenant, brevet 1st lieutenant, 1st lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel), appointment to special inspector and instructor order, Army Cooperative Fire Association paperwork, 1898 letter of appreciation for his work done at Camp George H. Thomas, memos related to the gallant conduct of 1st Lt. George Millholland to which Slocum endorsed while stationed in Texas in 1918, 6 photographs, 1909 Michigan Central Railroad card, personal copy of “The Grenade” (1917), and calling card. His second lieutenant commission is signed by President Ulysses S. Grant and Secretary of War J. Donald Cameron. His captain of cavalry commission is signed by President Grover Cleveland and Secretary of War Daniel Lamont. His major of cavalry commission is signed by President Theodore Roosevelt and Secretary of War William Taft. His lieutenant colonel of cavalry commission is signed by President William Taft and Secretary of War Jacob Dickinson.

Very fine, retaining 99% plus of the period refinished blue and showing slight slide wear and light handling marks. The grips are also very fine with a couple surface chips at the top (left panel), few minor handling marks and crisp carving and inscription. Mechanically excellent.

The accompanying factory letter lists this revolver with a 5 ½ inch barrel in .44-40 caliber, blue finish, and type of stocks not listed when shipped to Shelton-Payne Arms Co. of El Paso, Texas, on September 15, 1915. The revolver presumably shows battle damage. The left side of the barrel towards the muzzle has a full metal jacket bullet like strike that likely occurred while the revolver rested in a holster worn by the owner. Tradition attributes this revolver as once being owned by Slocum. When this revolver was shipped to El Paso in September 1915, Slocum was commander of the 13th Cavalry, and the historical record places Slocum in El Paso in late summer 1915. According to Thomas Ty Smith in “The Old Army in the Big Bend of Texas: The Last Cavalry Frontier, 1911-1921”, the 13th Cavalry arrived at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, from Columbus, New Mexico, on June 8, 1915 and were deployed on the border on the same day and Slocum arrived at Fort Bliss from New Mexico in early August 1915. From 1911 to 1916 the 13th Cavalry focused their attention on defending the U.S.-Mexico border which included areas in New Mexico and Texas. American border towns were experiencing the spillover of violence from the ongoing Mexican Revolution. One such example occurred in El Paso, which is less than 100 miles from Columbus, where Mexican revolutionary leader Pascual Orozco Vázquez escaped house arrest. Members of the 13th Cavalry and Texas Rangers formed a posse to pursue Orozco. The pursuit ended with the death of Orozco in a gunfight on August 30, 1915. Furthermore, Fort Bliss was the headquarters of the Pancho Villa Expedition.

Good as battle damaged (see above), retaining 97% period refinished blue finish with very scattered mild spotting. The markings are faint. The grips are fair with a chip absent from the broken right panel. Mechanically excellent.