RARE – Civil War Revolver cylinder, recovered at the Wilderness Battlefield

Being offered is something you seldom come across; it is an excavated 6-shot cylinder from a Civil War revolver – it appears to be about a .31 caliber. It was recovered years ago from the Wilderness, VA battlefield.

The Battle of the Wilderness fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, which was an indication of what lied ahead.

The battle was inconclusive and on May 7th, Grant disengaged and moved to the southeast, intending to leave the Wilderness to interpose his army between Lee and Richmond, leading to the bloody Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.

During the Civil War many soldiers carried extra loaded cylinders so they could quickly replace them without reloading.  This one is very solid with no chipping or flaking. It has been coated for preservation and comes in the acrylic display case pictured.