Manufactured in Paris, France, circa 1863. This revolver is pictured in "LeMat, The Man, The Gun" by Forgett and Serpette on page 99 and is identified as having the 1863 production Paris barrel address. Patented in 1856 by Dr. Jean Alexandre Francois LeMat of New Orleans, Louisiana, the LeMat revolver was a unique pistol that combined a 9 shot .42 caliber percussion revolver with a .63 caliber smoothbore grapeshot barrel. The grapeshot barrel served as the center axis for the cylinder. The Second Model, Paris made, LeMat revolvers had a full octagon upper barrel with loading lever mounted on the left side, rounded trigger guard with no spur, pull-out assembly latch, butt with a lanyard ring hole and hammer with center mounted pivoting striker. In the upper position, the striker engages the percussion nipples in the cylinder and in the lower position contacts the percussion nipple for the center grapeshot barrel. 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, "1906", followed by the LeMat logo which consist of a star above the letters "LM". The serial number, "1906", is also stamped on the right side of the frame below the cylinder and on the side of the cylinder. Total production of LeMat revolvers in Liege, Paris and London was less than 2,900 between 1856 and 1865. 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. A copy of "LeMat, The Man, The Gun" accompanies the revolver.

Very good plus. The revolver is all original and has strong traces of original blue with the balance an even brown patina. The percussion nipples and adjacent portions of the cylinder, frame and hammer have light flash pitting. There are a number of shallow dents on the butt near the lanyard hole. The screws all show moderate screwdriver battering. The two-piece walnut grips are fine, and the checkering shows moderate handling wear. The barrel markings and the serial numbers are sharp. The action is tight and functions fine. The revolver lacks a lanyard ring. This is a solid representative example of a desirable Parisian LeMat Two-Barrel Percussion Revolver.