Colt vs Remington

 by Joe Walker

Noted Texas Civil War Docent, Reenactor and Expert

 

During the Civil War, two revolvers stood out as favorites on both sides: the Colt Army Model 1860 and Remington Model 1863.  Although both sides used those two revolvers, the Confederate Cavalry favored the Colt while their Union counterparts used the Remington. Overall, the Colt was the primary revolver for both sides.

 

Notable Differences

The 1863 Remington and the 1860 Colt Army have two notable differences. First, the Remington has the "top strap" designed frame that covers the cylinder, as well as connecting the barrel to the frame. The Colt cylinder has an "open top".  Second, the Colt’s entire barrel assembly is held to the rest of the weapon by a small, flat "wedge" in the barrel frame and held tight to the cylinder pin with a small tension screw.  By removing the wedge and screw, the barrel can be removed before removing the cylinder. The Remington has a long thick pin between the loading lever and barrel. These two design features have their own pros and cons. The Colt wedge and screw is easily dropped, lost, or worn. The Remington has a larger more secure pin that is harder to lose, but more difficult to handle when removing the cylinder.

 

In Combat

Both weapons are heavy- around 2-1/2 pounds, with the Remington a bit heavier. They are obliviously meant for mounted service; these monsters, along with their ammo, could fatigue most men if worn on the march. However, they both supply the .44 cal. "killing" power as opposed to the widely used .36 cal. 1851 Colt "Six Shooter" obtained mostly by civilians before they enlisted.

 

I have owned and have live-fired originals of both guns, as well as the smaller Colt Navy.  It is quite evident why soldiers carried few if any extra loaded cylinders if in the mounted service.  In close combat, you CANNOT remove and replace a cylinder on horseback, next to impossible on a jumping horse. Both weapons would have been using pre-made paper cartridges supplied in “arsenal packs” that are stuffed by fingers into the front of the cylinder and rammed home by the loading lever. Grease, used to lubricate the cylinder chambers before loading conical balls, would most likely be omitted. Adding to the difficulty, percussion caps would still have to carefully be placed on each cylinder nipple. Dismounted, loading under fire was difficult, but possible, especially if unhampered by powder flasks, lose balls, and grease.

 

Fighting dismounted using carbines and rifles became the most common tactic on defense and skirmishing for the Cavalry. The revolver was seldom used. Both the Colt and Remington had “accurate” ranges of around 25-30 yards. To improve accuracy, the Colt had one extra land and grove in the barrel. Though more than the Remington, it made little difference. The Colt never had a rear mounted sight, which attests to the lack of “long range” accuracy. However, many original Colts can be seen with a small notch on the top of the hammer that will align with the front sight when cocked. The Remington had a groove in the top strap of the frame with no notch on the hammer making it more effective for long range use.

 

Conclusion

Comparing the two, my overall opinion is they measure close to equal, with the 1863 Remington edging out the Colt Army due to a stronger frame design and overall loading ease during combat. Despite their differences, a trooper wouldn't hesitate to use the butt or barrel of either in a melee!  By 1864, any new issues to Union troopers were usually Remingtons, and the Rebs were still hanging on to their Colts and Southern manufactured revolvers.                                                                 

Big Fued in Bell County

Bell County Confederate Memorial

The Home Guard

During the Civil War, towns and cities throughout the South formed militias or home guard units to protect civilians while sons and husbands were off fighting in the war. They often consisted of old men and teenagers who were either too old or too young to serve in the Confederate Army. Some were the sons of wealthy settlers who had them enrolled to avoid military service. Others were disreputable types, who would use their time in the Home Guard for their own nefarious activities. Home Guard duties included chasing down deserters and draft dodgers, investigating subversive activity, and defending against Union cavalry raids, or in Texas - Indian raids. Sometimes home guard units were little better than outlaw gangs, a bigger threat to civilians than the Union Army. Such was the case in Bell County, Texas.

Sam Hasley Enlists

Like most young men in Texas during the early1860’s, Sam Hasley was swayed by the Confederate cause and enlisted in the Confederate Army. He left behind his elderly, white-bearded father, Drew Hasley, to run the family farm. Young Halsey departed, secure in the knowledge the Bell County Home Guard would protect his dad. Things turned out otherwise.

Home Guard Terror

As the war progressed, the Bell County Home Guard became adept at rounding up deserters, a capital offense in the Confederacy that often led to a firing squad or a hanging tree. In 1865, prior to Lee’s surrender, Confederate armies began losing more and more men to desertion. Deserters would hide out at home or congregate into armed bands and camp out in the brush. Three deserters were caught and promptly hanged from a pecan tree near Reed Lake. Civilians were questioned about deserter activities, sometimes in a less than tactful fashion. To make matters worse, Home Guard members engaged in cattle rustling, stealing cattle from absent settlers fighting in the war.  The Home Guard were fast becoming the Home Hoodlums.

John Early vs The Hasleys

The leader of the Home Guard was a shifty, abrasive, and bullish character named John Early, who changed loyalties to either the Union or Confederacy when it best suited him. Early paid a visit to the Hasley home where he got into a heated exchange with Drew Hasley. He roughed up old Hasley, pulling out tufts of hair from his bead. Needless to say, Hasley’s son was not thrilled about his father’s treatment when he returned home from the war. A vengeful Sam Hasley sought out Early, who had sided with local Unionists and received their protection. That didn’t discourage Hasley from watching his movements and looking for a chance to strike.

 

During an evening ride, Hasley spotted a band of Unionists on horseback. Seeing an opportunity, he brazenly rode into the middle of them, saying nothing but looking at their passing faces. He spotted Early, drew his pistol, and fired. Fortunately for Early, the shot hit his horse, causing it to fall on top of him.  From there, all hell broke loss. Although Hasley escaped, Bell County’s Union officials began looking for ways to suppress former rebels, especially Drew Hasely and his son Sam. Chief Justice Hiram Christian, the local U. S. appointed judge in Belton, found the answer: arrest them for hanging those three deserters near Reed Lake.  A detachment of U. S. cavalry arrived from Austin and began rounding up suspects in the hangings, including Drew Hasley. They were hustled off to Austin where they spent several months in jail before being released. The Austin jail cells were no place for a sick old man; Drew Hasley died a few years later after his release. The simple blood feud between Hasley and Early escalated into a gang war between Unionists and former Secessionists.  

The Bell County Fued

Realizing there was security and firepower in numbers, Hasley and his Secessionist friends formed the Sam Hasley Gang, fronted by Hasley’s outspoken, Union-hating brother-in-law, Jim McRae. In April 1866, criminals and Unionists began disappearing off the streets or found floating in the river. Belton Unionist, Dr. Calvin Clark, fled to Missouri, but was gunned down shortly after his arrival. After the killing of Jasper Lindley, a suspected horse thief and Union supporter, fifteen members of the U. S. 15th Cavalry, along with Lindley’s father and brother, arrived in Belton, looking for LIndley’s murderers. They settled on a local rancher named Dawes and an English sheepherder named Duncan. Both were summarily shot off their horses after being arrested. The fued reached its climax when the Lindley’s were arrested and confined in the Bell County Jail. Incensed over the Dawes and Duncan killings, a mob surrounded the jail, chased away the guards, and shot the Lindleys. The following year, Jim McCrea was ambushed after leaving a watermelon party with family members. After McCrae’s death, the fued lost steam. Law and order returned to Bell County as residents began focusing more on postwar rebuilding instead of settling old scores. Amidst all the turmoil and murders, Sam Hasley and John Early managed to stay aloof from the fighting.  

With the war over, his father dead, and his gang dispersed, Hasley became just another drunken public nuisance better off in a jail cell. In 1889, a drunk Sam Hasley created a disturbance in downtown Belton.  Deputy Marshal William “Cap” Light ordered him to go home. Instead, Easily rode his horse on the sidewalk. Light tried to arrest him before Hasley pulled his pistol. Light shot him dead. John Early had had enough. He left the Belton scene all together, never to be seen again. 

Cotton Wagons in downtown Belton

Check It Out

Check out C.L. Sonnichsen's book "Ten Texas Feuds." This University of New Mexico publication is a collection of stories about Texas' bloodiest feuds.