Offered here is a S&W No. 2 Army revolver inscribed to Major George P. Laurence. An 1860 Harvard Law School graduate, Major Laurence served as a paymaster for a brief stint with the U.S. Volunteers during the Civil War for the 5th and 13th New York Cavalry and 58th, 68th, 119th and 141st New York State Volunteers before being honorably discharged on May 3, 1864. Major Laurence returned to Massachusetts with the muster rolls of the aforementioned New York units. These documents were at some point in time given to the Massachusetts National Guard and remained there until being rediscovered and transferred to the New York State Archives in February 2006. Major Laurence was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on April 23, 1836, married in late 1874 to Belle Richmond who gave birth to his two daughters and died from pneumonia on December 15, 1907. The inscription is on the left side plate and reads, "Major Geor. P. Laurence/Presented by his friends/Boston Sept. 1863." The barrel rib has the one-line S&W Springfield address marking. Matching assembly marks are stamped on the barrel, cylinder and grip frame, and the right grip panel is numbered to the gun. The cylinder has the patent dates marking and is plated in the gold. The remaining surfaces are plated in silver. The accompanying factory letter lists this revolver with a 6 inch barrel and smooth rosewood grips when it was invoiced to J.W. Storrs, New York City on August 27, 1863, as part of a 50 gun shipment. The letter also states that the factory invoice indicates that the revolver was plated and blue, meaning a silver frame and barrel with a blued cylinder, and delivered to Boston, the city of Major Laurence's presentation several weeks later, where it was presumably inscribed by a local engraver and presented to Major Laurence. The partitioned deluxe case is lined in velvet and contains a case key, oiler and screwdriver. A truly outstanding-in-every-way Civil War Model No. 2 Army.

Extremely fine as period embellished. The revolver retains 98% silver plating showing a few scattered areas of flaking. The cylinder retains 95% thinned gold plating. The grips are excellent showing some minor scratches and retaining nearly all of the varnish. Mechanically excellent. The deluxe case is fine showing a number of fine scratches on the exterior.