Cpt. Exum Saint, 4th IA, Cavalry's side arm

Tilden123

Cadet
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Nov 1, 2016
I am trying to find the owner of a side arm owned by Exum Saint, Captain, 4th IA Calvary.

Here’s what I know about the pistol:

1. The San Rafael Independent Journal reported on Dec. 9, 1969 that Winford William Saint wife, Jeraldine Saint, displayed the revolver at a Sausalito Women's Club 's show. They had no children and it is possible that it was donated to a museum. The Marin History Museum that recently is in the middle of reorganization with the sale of some of its collection. See https://www.marinhistory.org I contacted them, but got no response.
2. If the pistol went to his sister, Avice Saint in Oakland Hills, CA it might have been destroyed in a 1991 fire of her home.
3. One descendant sold some old rifles, revolvers and a sword in the 1960’s in CA, but it is not know if one of them was the pistol of Exum Saint. It might have been handed down from another ancestral line.

Where would I begin to look for this pistol if it was in any museum, or sold to a private buy?

I am not interested in buying or having it returned to a descendant. I only would like to have a photo of it to share with Exum Saint’s descendants and to post on Exum Saint’s Find a Grave Memorial that I manage at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=50462652

The pistol that he used might have been cap and ball percussion sidearm is an identified Civil War Colt Model 1860 much like the one used by Pvt. John Norris at http://www.horsesoldier.com/products/identified-items/firearms/2838

This is only a wild guess about the side arm Exum Saint owned at the end of the Civil War. Need help with this.

Also I have been trying to figure out where to post Exum Saint’s account of the arrest of Alexander H. Stephens in CivilWarTalk. It’s from a Indianapolis newspaper that published it after Exum Saint’s death. It’s two and one half pages, single spaces. I have it in a pdf format. Willing to share.
 
Unless it was engraved to stand out for ID or if you know the serial number, even then it is kind of a lost cause. There were many manufactures and types used. Each model/ caliber is going to look just like any other of that model/ caliber by that same manufacture. There were many thousands of most of them issued, not to mention private purchases. Welcome to CWT, enjoy.
 
John's right.
Short of paying someone to research the Regiment's ordnance books, at best you can point out illustrative examples like this one - http://www.horsesoldier.com/products/identified-items/firearms/2838

Note that this particular issued M1860 was manufactured in 1862, and the Regiment was formed in 1861. That's why you'd need the 1861 Ordnance records for the unit to see if the Captain shows up on them.
 
I "googled" into this thread. I am the Curator of Arlington National Cemetery. I used to work with the US Army Core collection of artifacts at Fort Belvoir. Anyway, the Army collection DOES have a revolver of Exum Saint. It was donated some time ago to the now defunct Presidio Museum in California. The Revolver is a M1863 Remington New Model Army, SN 90093, indicating 1964 manufacture. It was thus issued to Saint late in the conflict. Attached is an image of the weapon.
 

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Great find! For most of the Vicksburg Campaign the 4th IA Cav was the only full strength cavalry regiment on the Federal side. They were armed with Sharps and Union carbines with ,as above, Colt and Remington Armies. Beside the Vicksburb Campaign they were at Brice's Crossroads and on Wilsons Raid. The regimental history The Story of a Cavalry Regiment by Edwin Forse Scott is highly recommended if you can find it.
 
Great Story. I hope you find it. Here is the issue range of the Remington in the SRS that @rgainer1861 provided all were issued in 1865
90095 65 CO K 8TH MICH VOL CAV
92322 65 CO K 8TH MICH VOL CAV
93310 020165 CO F 6TH MICH VOL CAV
93429 65 CO K 8TH MICH VOL CAV
93570 65 CO K 8TH MICH VOL CAV
93855 020165 CO F 6TH MICH VOL CAV
93955 020165 CO F 6TH MICH VOL CAV
 
Great find! For most of the Vicksburg Campaign the 4th IA Cav was the only full strength cavalry regiment on the Federal side. They were armed with Sharps and Union carbines with ,as above, Colt and Remington Armies. Beside the Vicksburb Campaign they were at Brice's Crossroads and on Wilsons Raid. The regimental history The Story of a Cavalry Regiment by Edwin Forse Scott is highly recommended if you can find it.
Welcome, enjoy
 
I "googled" into this thread. I am the Curator of Arlington National Cemetery. I used to work with the US Army Core collection of artifacts at Fort Belvoir. Anyway, the Army collection DOES have a revolver of Exum Saint. It was donated some time ago to the now defunct Presidio Museum in California. The Revolver is a M1863 Remington New Model Army, SN 90093, indicating 1964 manufacture. It was thus issued to Saint late in the conflict. Attached is an image of the weapon.
Welcome, enjoy.
 
Thanks for all the help with Exum R. Saint's side arm. Rgainer 1861's comment was most useful. But I am still a little confused about the current location of the pistol. Is at Fort Bolivar, Arlington National Cemetery or some other place?

Rgainer 1861, I'd like to use the image of the pistol in a Yahoo Group that I manage for the Saint family genealogy. Who do I ask to get permission?

I hope to post Exum R. Saint's own account of the arrest of Alexander Stephens, VP of the Confederacy, at Crawfordville, GA, May 11, 1865.
 
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