Lefaucheux revolvers were one of the few handguns used by both the North and South during the Civil War that used self-contained metallic cartridges. 10,000 Lefaucheux Model 1854 revolvers were purchased by Colonel Schuyler in the fall of 1861 from Eugene Lefaucheux in France. Additional revolvers and several hundred thousands rounds of ammunition were also purchased through American dealers. A total of 11,833 Model 1854 revolvers are believed to have been imported for use by the Union troops. This example has the standard bead front sight on a triangular base, hammer notch rear sight, smooth grips, and lanyard ring and is marked "INVON E. LEFAUCHEUX BRTE PARIS" on the barrel, crossed revolvers over "LF" followed by "33770" on the right side of the frame, "INVON E. LEFAUCHEUX/BREVETE SABE (PARIS)" on the left side of the frame, and "44" and "E" on the underside of the grips (hand marked), loading gate, and rear face of the cylinder.

Fine overall. 85% plus of the original blue finish remains on the barrel and cylinder. The remaining surfaces have gray and brown patina, "shadows" of dark case colors, and patches of minor oxidation. The fine grips have some mild handling wear including some light scratches. The markings are clear, and the action functions very fine.