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A.Waters U.S. Model 1836 pistol.

A. Waters Milbury, Mass. Model 1836 Flintlock conversion pistol, caliber 54 percussion, standard 8 1/2” round barrel, brass blade front sight oval shaped rear sight on barrel tang, swivel type ramrod with button shaped head. All mountings of iron. Dated 1843. Eagle, makers name and date are only partly visible but present and correct. The stock is very fine and has two Inspector’s cartouches “J.H.” Joseph Hannis and “W.A.T.” William A. Thornton (letter T looks like a letter J in the cartouche). The barrel has US/P markings indicating military acceptance and proofed and is also stamped “NWP” Nathan W. Patrick inspector of military contract arms. Single letter Ordnance sub-inspection marks are on several places on the gun. Mechanically perfect and a fine bore.

With an estimate quantity of 20.000 made these US martial pistols were the last with a flintlock ignition system produced for contract with the US Government. It was a standard issue pistol for the Mexican American War 1846-1848. Many of these were converted to percussion for use during the Civil War.

H. Aston & Co. Model 1842 percussion pistol.

The last of the US single shot martial pistol and first of the US percussion pistols, the US Model 1842 percussion pistol was successor to the flintlock Model 1836 and like that earlier pistol was intended to be carried by mounted troops in pairs, one in each pocket of the holsters strapped across the pommel of the saddle. They were intended for use by both US forces and state militias. Some saw early-war service in Confederate cavalry drawing from militia stores, and even some later service in southern rear-echelon and local guard units, but revolvers had become the sidearm of choice in the 1850s.

This is a very strong example made by Henry Aston under his second US contract of 1851-52 for 6,000 pistols, on top his first contract for 24,000 from 1846 to 1851. A Third contract, with Ira N. Johnson, an Aston business partner who bought the factory and assets, brought the government another 10,000 from 1853 to 1855. (William Glaze also produced his non-US contract Palmetto Armory version in South Carolina.) The pistols were single-shot, .54 caliber smooth-bores, and were fitted with a captive, swivel ramrod, in the hope a trooper might be able to reload his pistol while mounted, and not lose the ramrod in the process, if he tried. They were mounted with brass butt cap triggerguard with long strap, backstrap, side-plate and barrel band, screw fastened by an rearward extension using the forward lock screw. All in all, these are hefty, robust pistols.

All markings are sharp. The lock is stamped forward of the hammer, US / H. ASTON & CO. (the proper marking for these second contract pistols) and MIDDTN/ CONN/1851 to the rear. The barrel proof at left breach reads US/ WN / P, indicating inspection by Walter North (grandson of famous arms maker Simeon North,) who worked at the Springfield Armory and was an inspector of contract arms in the 1850s. The breech plug tang has a crisp 1850 date indicating the pistol was assembled in that year, with lock production frequently outpacing that of barrels, which might fail in boring, proof, etc. The wood has two crisp script inspection cartouches on the counterpane: the final ordnance acceptance stamp “W.A.T.” in script of William A. Thornton, and just forward of that the “W N” inspection stamp of Walter North, one of nine different inspectors of the Model 1842 pistol at different times, and perhaps familiar to collectors from his inspection of Colt Dragoons, as well as other arms. (I note also what is likely his small “N” on the barrel side-flat at left breech. The pistol rates excellent plus overall. The action is perfect. The wood, metal and brass parts are like new. This is a very nice example of a regulation US pistol for mounted troops that is a key piece in tracing the development of cavalry arms.