Rumors that the Bride carried a pair of silver-plated pistols in the skirts of her gown were never confirmed, although they were almost certainly true.
Post Production Notes:
Thanks especially for all the support, this is taking us down a path we’d never even considered. We’re going make a run at getting published one way or another because of the encouragement we’ve gotten. If you are interested, you can Todd Dorsey (todd.dorsey.108) on Facebook. The profile picture is of an old typewriter right now.
The American Civil War: This was, by far, the most destructive war in US terms in history. A minimum of six hundred thousand Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines died out of a total population of just under 30 million. To put it in more understandable terms, one in every four white male Southerners of military age died, with another one in four maimed. One in seven white male Northerners of military age died as well. These numbers are likely low, other estimates range as high as 750,000. Civilian population deaths are believed to be between 50,000 and 250,000 dead. Estimate on deaths in free black and slave populations and Native Americans are so uncertain as to be essentially meaningless, though they were certainly very high. The total death count is probably higher than the combined total of all other United States wars combined.
The Armory:
I get a lot of weapons questions in email so it is simply easier to address them here. The American Civil War had a huge range of weapons. Some units began the five-year conflict with smoothbore flintlock muskets, while others ended the war with Gatling guns.
Colt Walker Revolver: One of the most powerful handguns of the 19th Century and well into the 20th, the Colt Walker was capable of using 60 grains black powder charges — twice that of a standard revolver. The .44 caliber Walker was a massive, four and a half-pound monster. It did have some technical problems that were addressed in the Dragoon series of revolvers. Performance was roughly equal to a modern .357 Magnum with a four-inch barrel.
Colt Army Model 1860 Revolver: This was the standard pistol issued to Union soldiers throughout most of the war. At just under three pounds, the .44 caliber Army 1860 took a 30-grain powder load and was considered a solid, reliable sidearm. Performance characteristics are similar to a modern 9MM Parabellum round.
Colt 1851 Navy Revolver: A very common sidearm of the American Civil War, the two and a half pound .36 caliber revolver was typically used with about a 20-grain powder load, with a performance roughly the same as a modern .380 caliber (also known as 9MM Browning Short).
Colt Paterson Pocket Model Percussion Revolver No 1. aka: Baby Paterson: This .28 Caliber revolver was very underpowered by modern standards, typically using a mere 5 to 7 grains of black powder per charge, there is no comparable modern round, as even the .22 short is more powerful, but it could be lethal at very close range.
Model 1860 Light Cavalry Saber: By the time of Brandy Station, most of the original M1840 Cavalry Sabers, known as “wrist breakers” due to their weight, were replaced by the lighter, generally more effective Model 1860. The Model 1860 is occasionally referred to as the Model 1862, as this was when the issue of these sabers actually began.