Civil War Auction
Lot 38:
RARE SOUTH CAROLINA CIVIL WAR !! LeMat 2nd Model “Grapeshot” Revolver with provenance in excellent condition with some wear. Bores are very good. The gun is in an even rich brown patina finish with excellent, beautifully aged, ivory grip panels adorned with a silver 5-point star with a Palmetto tree engraving, the symbol of South Carolina. This particular revolver was carried by Captain James P Richardson. Also included is a large folder of documentation of his locations and biography. LeMat revolvers were highly sought after by Confederate leaders during the Civil War, and many prominent generals carried them, including; JEB Stuart, Stonewall Jackson, Braxton Bragg, Richard H. Anderson, and P. G. T. Beauregard. The LeMat two-barrel grapeshot revolver was one of the most unconventional wheel guns ever conceived. Invented by native Frenchman Dr. Jean Alexandre LeMat of New Orleans, these fascinating combination guns were primarily produced in Belgium, Paris, and England, and earned fame with the Confederacy during the Civil War. The LeMat revolver’s low production numbers, novel design, and service as a Confederate cavalry weapon have made the unique pistol one of the most popular guns in antique arms collecting. Jean Alexander Francois LeMat was born in France in 1821 and immigrated to America in 1843 after becoming a physician. A lifelong inventor, Dr. LeMat was awarded numerous patents in the medical, maritime, and aviation fields throughout his storied career, though the LeMat revolver is undeniably his most famous design. Through his marriage to Justine Sophie in April 1849, LeMat also became cousin-in-law to P.G.T. Beauregard, a Louisiana-born military engineer who would rise to fame as the Confederate general who ordered the first shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Dr. LeMat patented his grapeshot percussion revolver in 1856 and received financial assistance from Beauregard to begin production in Europe. The serial number matches on this firearm’s frame, barrel, cylinder, trigger, take down pin and loading rod. The octagon barrel is clearly engraved with “Col LeMat Bte s.g.d.g. Paris” & ” *LM”. Frame screws are engraved. Surely the finest example of a LeMat I’ve ever seen! The absolute Gem of anyone’s collection! C&R Eligible S/N:1525
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