This is a late war Inscribed Smith. Probably from the officer assigned to the 89th New York vice the other two Lt. Valentines from the below info from a historian. Thanks for looking. Bob
Thanks for reaching out to me through my website.
The Smith & Wesson Model 1, 2nd Issue bearing serial number 52,846 probably shipped from the factory sometime between late 1864 and mid 1865. On the best of days Smith & Wesson guns tended to ship in the rough order of serial number, but during this particular timeframe there was much more variability in when particular guns left the factory.
That said, virtually all Smith & Wesson guns from this time period were shipped to Joseph Storrs, who acted as Smith & Wesson's sole sales agent in New York City. Unfortunately, Storrs' records are not known to survive, so there's no way to know where the gun went from there.
I hope this information helps.
Best,
Mike Helms
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