Naval cylinder scene

[Abilene]

Just ran across this on Guns & Ammo's website, found it interesting with some details I had not heard.  It was submitted by Garry James:

Lots of people think the naval battle that was first seen on the on the Colt Model 1851 Navy revolver's cylinder is a fight that took place during the Mexican-American War. Not so.  If you look at the date engraver, W.L. Ormsby, included in his scene (16 May, 1843) you'll recognize that this is about four years before President Polk took on Presidente Santa Anna. What Ormsby actually portrayed was the battle of Campeche, fought between warships of the Mexican Navy and vessels of the short-lived Yucatan Republic abetted by some ships belonging to the Republic of Texas. Actually the Texian commander, Edwin W. Moore, had been ordered to bring his tired fleet back to Texas to be scrapped, but he instead decided, unofficially,  to help out Yucatan. The battle was a draw, though as the superior Mexican force had some modern steam sloops and Moore & Co. only sail-powered ships, the latter claimed at least a moral victory. In any event, Sam Colt ultimately commemorated the event by using it as decoration on thousands of his Navy and Army revolvers.

[Long Johns Wolf]

Thanks for sharing this background info.
Long Johns Wolf

[Fox Creek Kid]

You didn't know that Abilene and you went to school in Texas!? 

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[Mako]

You didn't know that Abilene and you went to school in Texas!? 

Do you realize how long it has been since he was in the 6th grade?  (that's when they take Texas history)

Oooops, I forgot to ask Abilene if they had Texas history in school in the 19th century...

~Mako

[Abilene]

Regarding the first post, all I had ever heard befrore was that the scene portrayed a battle between the Texas and Mexican Navies.  Never heard the other details.

School?  I don't remember school. 

[Mako]

School?  I don't remember school. 

We know...

[Crow Choker]

Love Colt percussion guns, the engraved cylinders on the various models, love shootin' em', lookin' at em', and reading any and all history and information on em', BUT it wasn' always that way as far as "history and info"! Travel back to 1969 when I turned 21 and could legally purchase a handgun in Iowa. Purchased a Ruger Super Single Six 22 LR and a Ruger standard model 22 cal semi-auto. (actually they were bought in 1970, paid $72 and $49 respectively new for each-hey---gas was .30 a gallon, hamburger was 3# for a buck, bread .20 a loaf, min wage less than $1.50 an hr, if ya made 20 grand a year you had it made, etc., etc., etc.-some of ya can remember those days)!!! Those two were my only handguns until 1972 and I shot the 'begiggers' out of them-still have em' .
  Back to Colts engraved cylinders. When 1972 came around, my reading of Colts or any history on most firearms was minimal. I had been shooting and hunting since around 1962 (22 Remington 521T rifle and H&R single shot 16 guage shotgun, loved those days), but hadn't ever read how most firearms were developed. Just to clear the air, I did 'gadgeuate' from the 6th grade, just as Jethro Bodine did, so I wasn't completely uneducated! Prior to '69 my only guns were the aforementioned ones, but after this, I started buy, collect, and shoot others. Since this time I have built a pretty good library on firearm history. My first expierence to any percusion firearms was a 36 caliber brass framed '51 Navy a friend bought and I shot a few times pior to '72. March of '72 brought an annual gun show to my North Iowa area attended by myself and three shooter friends. One table had a seller with a pretty good display of various 'cap an ball' Colts. We started to look over his offerings, my good friend "Smitty" and I had been intrigued with the Navy Colt our mutual friend had bought some time earlier, (he was with us at the gun show).. As we looked over the offerings, we each picked up a Euroarms '51 Navy marked Army Model-44 caliber. As we looked them over 'Smitty' remarked "Hey the cylinders are all scratched up"! Without looking close I noticed 'the scratches' too and asked the seller why they were so. The seller looked at us like 'I've got a couple of suckers here' and advised us what they were, ie the battle scene. The friend who had bought the Navy some years before remarked something to the effect 'Ya dumb a__es'. Guess when shooting his we never noticed 'the scratches' or paid any attention. Ya gotta remember, we were in our early twenties and had never read Colt history, or had much contact with percussion revolvers. Smitty and I  each bought one of the 44 Colts thinking at the time Colt did make an Army Model '51 in 44 caliber-think we paid around $62 for the Colt and if memory serves me well, bought some Metor black powder for the hefty price of $2.75 a pound and some caps for $1 a hundred.. Still have the gun, but it sustained fire damage several years ago when it accidentally got mixed with some items destined for a burn pile. Gonna make some boxed wall hanger with it someday.
     Well I 'opened the closet' and 'let my hair hang down' on this subject. Now ya may being saying to yourself "I don't give a crap' or 'This Crow Choker guy sure is windy', but look at it this way-if I had not posted it and gone into all the dirty details, you would never had been enlightened. It pains me to let ya all know of my previous lack of knowledge and stupidity on the Colt percussion gun engraved cylinders, but saw the post started by Abilene and it brought the old incident and memory back and I just had to 'let it out'! Besides--- my 'Ol good friend and shootin' pard who bought the 36 cal brass framed Navy many years back never lets me forget and reminds me of it from time to time. Don't cha ya Mr. Jubal Starbuck!!!!! ;