This Gustave Young Deluxe Factory Engraved Colt Model 1860 Army Revolver has an unprecedented historical pedigree: it was presented by the Colt factory to legendary Civil War Union General George B. McClellan, the great organizer of the Union Army of the Potomac and Union leader at the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest single day of combat in American history. Its historical significance can be clearly seen in part by the fact that its known mate, serial number 100362E, and the case for the pair have been part of the national collection since 1870 at the prestigious Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The revolver will most certainly, as Life magazine proclaimed in 1962, “rouse envious dreams among gun collectors.” The accompanying factory letter (copy) states an entry in the Colt inventory ledger for March 28, 1863, indicates “the revolver was engraved for General McClellan.” No other information is provided in said factory entry. The revolver has been identified in the March 2, 1962 included edition of “Life" magazine on page 49 and in R.L. Wilson’s “Samuel Colt Presents” on pages 187-188, “The Book of Colt Engraving” by serial number only on page 83, and “The Colt Engraving Book, Vol. I” on page 166. The revolver was also exhibited as part of the “Samuel Colt Presents” exhibition at Wadsworth Athenaeum in 1961, exhibited at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and once part of the Old Guard of the City of New York collection. Even aside from its historically significant recipient and the fact that it was presented by the company, the revolver is incredible and important to Colt collectors due to the rarity of factory engraved Model 1860 Army revolvers and the incredibly high quality of the engraving on the revolver which was executed by renowned Master Engraver Gustave Young. The revolver features beautiful deluxe engraving and bears a presentation inscription on the back strap that reads, “Maj. Gen. Geo. B. McClellan/From Colts Pt. F. A. Mfg. Co.” The profuse foliate scroll engraving with punch dot backgrounds is inhabited by an eagle head on the left side of the barrel lug above the wedge and a wolf or dog head on the left side of the frame. The hammer has the classic Gustave Young wolf head motif and a 5 dot marking to denote the amount of days it took to execute this high quality engraving. The naval battle cylinder scene is profusely hand engraved, and the rebated section of the cylinder has matching scrollwork. The front section of the loading lever has a cross hatching motif, a rare feature. The matching serial numbers on the barrel, frame, trigger guard, and back strap have the additional letter “E” used by Colt to specify parts destined for factory engraving. The wedge, cylinder pin, and cylinder are numbered to the gun. Note the cylinder serial number is factory error over stamped with the number “3” over a “2.” Other features found on this revolver are the following: a three-screw frame cut for a shoulder stock, silver-plated trigger guard, and varnished select walnut grip. General George Brinton McClellan (1826-1885) was one of the most significant leaders during the Civil War and is remembered as the organizer of the Army of the Potomac which was vital in defending Washington, D.C., during the early part of the Civil War. He was loved by his men and a talented officer. He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1842 and graduated second in his class in 1846 and joined the Corps of Engineers as a brevet second lieutenant in during the Mexican-American War. He returned to West Point as an instructor following the American victory and also explored potential routes for the transcontinental railroad and went abroad as an observer during the Crimean War before resigning in 1857 in order to work for the Illinois Central Railroad, the same railroad Abraham Lincoln represented during his law career. When the Confederates opened fire on Fort Sumter and the war began, Governor William Dennison of Ohio appointed McClellan as a Major General in the Ohio Volunteers on April 23, 1861, and Lincoln then commissioned as McClellan a Major General in the Union Army which placed him directly under General Winfield Scott whom McClellan had served under in Mexico. Early in the war, McClellan is credited with preventing the divided slave state of Kentucky from joining the Confederacy and also helped what became West Virginia was not taken over by Confederates forces. Thanks to his early successes, innate skill, and perhaps personal connections as well as General Irvin McDowell's embarrassing defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run, McClellan was placed in command of the Army of the Potomac. When General Winfield Scott retired in November 1861 after serving in the Army since before the War of 1812, McClellan became General-in-Chief of the Union Armies less than one year into the war when Union victory was very far from assured and Confederate forces were within striking distance of the capital. In the spring of 1862, President Lincoln took control as Commander in Chief, and McClellan retained command of the Potomac Army which was still disorganized and full of mostly raw recruits with little training and often outdated weaponry. Lincoln pressed McClellan to take the fight to the Confederates and hoped for a decisive victory. The public in the North had expected a quick Union victory over the Confederacy from the beginning, but the fact that this war was going to be a real fight was settling in. McClellan, perhaps due in part to his love for his men and his calculating mind was cautious, too cautious for Lincoln’s tastes. Years later he wrote, “It has always been my opinion that the true course in conducting military operations, is to make no movement until the preparations are as complete as circumstances permit, and never to fight a battle without some definite object worth the probable loss.” During the Peninsula Campaign, he delayed attacks fearing the enemy had larger numbers than they really did which allowed the Confederates to consolidate and then surprise the Union forces at the Battle of Seven Pines which further slowed McClellan’s advance. In the meantime, Robert E. Lee was placed in command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, took the offensive, and forced McClellan and the Army of the Potomac to retreat back to Washington and abandon their hopes of a quick capture of the Confederate capital in Richmond. Lincoln then tasked General John Pope with capturing Richmond, but he too failed and was defeated in the bloody Second Battle of Bull Run. This left McClellan and the Army of the Potomac to fight against Lee’s 1862 invasion of Maryland. McClellan’s army pursuit of Lee culminated in the bloodiest single battle in American history: the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland. In this epic battle, over 87,000 Union troops under McClellan faced off against 38,000 troops under Lee just less than 65 miles to the northwest of the White House. Though McClellan failed to truly defeat Lee and suffered 12,410 casualties (25% of his force), Lee had 10,316 casualties of his own (31% of his force) and was forced Lee back into Virginia giving McClellan a strategic victory. McClellan was and has long been criticized for not concentrating his army and crushing Lee in the battle and for allowing Lee to escape in the aftermath. Lincoln personally went to Antietam and spoke to McClellan about his failure to capitalize on his victory. However, McClellan was arguably justly cautious, particularly in not pursuing Lee, and recognized his men had just been through hell and were not prepared to begin an arduous pursuit that would culminate in another bloody contest, and he had just won the bloodiest battle in American history and the first major battle in the eastern theater on northern soil during the war; that much should not be forgotten. He took the initiative and confronted Lee at Antietam Creek despite believing Lee had superior numbers and despite Lee’s defensive positions. That November, McClellan was relieved of command and sent to Trenton, New Jersey. Two years later, he faced a new opponent: Abraham Lincoln. McClellan ran for president as the Democratic candidate on a platform centered on ending the war by making peace with the Confederate states as soon as possible. Lincoln feared he would not win given the immense bloodshed, string of Confederate victories, and some of his unpopular policies combined with the fact that he faced competition within his own voter base from Fremont and the Radical Democrats. However, Fremont backed out of the race and threw his support behind Lincoln, and the Union victories in the Atlanta Campaign convinced many that a Union victory was both possible and near. Lincoln won with 55% of the popular vote to McClellan’s 45%, far from an overwhelming victory. Though denied the presidency, McClellan later served as Governor of New Jersey from 1878 to 1881. Like many Union generals early in the war, he has been criticized for his failures during incredibly trying times rather than being recognized for his successes. Though he is open to critique in hindsight, he was in part used as a convenient scapegoat for the Union’s early defeats which were certainly not entirely his fault. He should be remembered for molding the Army of the Potomac into a capable force early in the war, for his efforts to prevent the border states from joining the Confederacy, for successfully defending the nation’s capital, for valuing the lives of his men, preserving his Army of Potomac’s strength to continue fighting on just as Washington had with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, and for facing off against Lee and winning on the single bloodiest day of battle in American history. Lee himself later said McClellan was the ablest general of the entire war.

Extremely fine. The barrel retains 50% bright original high polished blue finish, and both the factory hand engraved cylinder and back strap retain 20% of the original high polished blue finish with the balance a smooth gun metal patina. The loading lever retains 40% original case colors with the strongest colors remaining on top. The hammer and frame retain patterns of original case colors. The trigger guard retains 95% plus original silver plating. The engraving is sharp. The grip is excellent showing a barely noticeable nick in the left toe, otherwise some minor handling/storage evidence and retaining most of the original varnish. Whether in private hands or museum this historic deluxe factory engraved, inscribed General McClellan factory presentation Colt Model 1860 Army Revolver is worthy of the world's finest collections just like its mate which is housed at the Smithsonian. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire a National Treasure, Civil War masterpiece. Provenance: Major General George Brinton McClellan, George B. McClellan Jr., Old Guard of New York City, Property of a Gentleman.