The LeMat revolver was a unusual pistol that combined a percussion revolver with a central smoothbore "grapeshot" barrel. The smoothbore barrel served as the center axis for the cylinder. The design was patented in 1856 by Dr. Jean Alexandre Francois LeMat of New Orleans, Louisiana. During the Civil War, the Confederate government awarded contracts for 900 LeMat revolvers for the Army and 600 revolvers for the Navy. Many senior Confederate officers, most notably cavalry commander General J.E.B. Stuart, carried LeMat revolvers. General Stuart carried a LeMat revolver when he was mortally wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, Virginia, in 1864. The Parisian Second Model LeMat revolvers had full octagon upper barrels with loading levers mounted on their left side, rounded trigger guards with no spurs, pull-out assembly latches, butts with lanyard ring holes, and hammers with center mounted pivoting strikers. After approximately serial number 2000, the French made Second Models were proofed in London as seen on the barrels and cylinder of this example. The top of the barrel is engraved "Systeme Le Mat Bte. s. g. d. g. Paris" in Old English style script. The right barrel flat is stamped with the serial number followed by a star above the letters "LM". The serial number is also stamped on the right side of the frame below the cylinder and on the cylinder. The cylinder measures .42 caliber, and the smoothbore barrel measures .65 caliber.