LeMat two barrel revolver manufactured in Paris c.1864-1865. The unique LeMat revolver was patented by Dr. Jean Alexandre Francois LeMat of New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1856. The revolver has a .42 caliber barrel with 9-shot percussion cylinder that revolves on a .63 caliber, smoothbore "grapeshot" barrel. Approximately 2,900 LeMat revolvers were manufactured in Liege, Paris and London between 1856 and 1865. During the Civil War, the Confederate government awarded contracts for about 1,500 LeMat revolvers. LeMat revolvers were carried by several prominent Confederate officers during the Civil War; the most famous of these officers was General J.E.B. Stuart. The flamboyant "JEB" Stuart was probably the finest cavalry leader of the Civil War; Stuart carried a LeMat revolver when he was mortally wounded at Yellow Tavern, Virginia in 1864. This revolver has the Second Model features which include: (1) full octagon barrel, (2) loading lever mounted on the left side of the barrel, (3) button disassembly latch on the front of the frame, (4) center-mounted hammer pivot, (4) round trigger guard with no spur and (5) solid butt with lanyard ring. The top of the barrel is engraved "Col LeMat Bte s.d.d.g. Paris" in Old English letters. The marking is enclosed by engraved, single-line borders with flourishes at either end. The right side of the barrel is stamped with the serial number "1445" followed by the "Star/LM" LeMat logo. The serial number is also stamped on the lower right side of the frame and on the side of the cylinder. "N" is stamped on the left side of the hammer. The revolver has a high polish blue finish and two-piece checkered walnut grips. This revolver is pictured and described on page 203 of "LeMat, The Man, The Gun" by Forgett and Serpette; a copy of the book accompanies the revolver.

Very good plus. The revolver is completely original and retains nearly 20% of the original high polish blue finish in protected areas. The balance of the revolver has a brown patina. There is light pitting on the left side of the frame and the cylinder. The rear edges of the cylinder, percussion nipples and hammer all have light-moderate flash pitting. The engraved markings on the top of the barrel are sharp and the serial numbers and factory markings are clear. The walnut grips are in good condition with moderate handling wear. The action is tight and functions well. This is a solid example of a rare Paris-made Civil War LeMat revolver.