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Exceptionally Rare, Documented, Individual Identified Two Digit Serial Numbered U.S. Colt Model 1911
Colonel W.A. Mitchell
LOT 1466
Incredibly Early Production, Exceptional, Documented,
Two Digit Serial Number 14 U.S. Colt Model 1911 Semi- Automatic Pistol Issued to Colonel William A. Mitchell of the 20th Engineers with Factory Letter - Serial no. 14, 45 ACP cal., 5 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. Assembled on 28 December 1911, this U.S. Contract Colt Model 1911 pistol, serial number 14, is one of the earliest we have ever had the pleasure of offering here at Rock Island Auction Company. Only the first 51 of these iconic pistols were produced in the year for which they are named, making this example a “true” Model of 1911. This pistol was also included in the very first shipment of 50 pistols sent to Springfield Armory on 4 January 1912. The pistol was then subsequently shipped on 12 July 1912 to Captain William A. Mitchell of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is not entirely clear what role Mitchell played within the army early in his career, but he rose through the ranks fairly quickly, graduating from a military academy in Georgia in 1898 and graduating first in his class from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1902. He was then commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the engineers in 1902, promoted to first lieutenant in 1904, graduated engineer school in 1907, and promoted to captain in 1909. In 1914, the First World War broke out, with the nature of the war and the infrastructure surrounding it proving to necessitate vast amounts of lumber. In 1917, with the entry of the United States into the war, it was these needs which led the war weary allied powers to urge the “yanks” to bring over as many experienced foresters and lumbermen as they could to supplement the vital industry. The United States answered the call, quickly forming the 10th Engineers under the command of Colonel James A. Woodruff and shortly after, the 20th Engineers under the command of, a promoted, Colonel William A. Mitchell. These two regiments were quickly trained to be soldiers as well as woodsmen, and upon arriving in France were immediately put to work acquiring raw wood from French forests and processing it into usable lumber through the operation of mills throughout the country. This lumber was used in almost all aspects of the war including trench building, telephone poles, barracks building, hospital building, roads, and railroads. In October 1918, near the conclusion of the war, the 10th and 20th Engineers were combined into the 20th Engineers, nicknamed the “Fighting Foresters”, and became the largest regiment to have ever served in the United States Army, operating 81 mills with a strength of 360 officers and 18,183 enlisted men. During the course of the war, Col. Mitchell was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Croix De Guerre, and the Legion of Honor, as well as going on to become a professor of engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Collector’s Fact
One of only 51 Colt 1911 pistols completed in 1911.
THIS PISTOL HAS THE EARLY "DIMPLED" PATTERN MAGAZINE RELEASE, WHICH WAS REPLACED AT SERIAL NUMBER 3190
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