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Make: Smith & Wesson
Model: Number 2 “Old Army”
Serial Number: 36068
Year of Manufacture: ca. early to mid May 1865. Serial number 35,731 is known to have been produced around May 1, 1865. While General Lee surrendered his army of Northern Virginia to Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, it was up to each Confederate General to surrender his army when and how he saw fit, and the last Confederate army to surrender was the Trans-Mississippi Department, which officially surrendered on June 2, 1865, under the command of Lieutenant General Edmund Kirby Smith. That makes this revolver US Civil War era.
Caliber: .32 Rimfire
Action Type: Single Action Six-Shot Revolver with Tip-Up Barrel
Barrel Length: 6” Octagon. Full-length top rib
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a rounded brass blade fixed to the barrel. The rear sight is a “V”-notch cut into the cylinder stop leaf on top of the cylinder that reveals itself once the hammer is cocked.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are lacquered rosewood on a flat butt grip frame. The right grip panel is stamped with a serial number matching that of the revolver. The wood is dark with luster glowing around the brass escutcheons of the grips. There are small scratches near the bottoms of the panels and a few light handling marks in both grips. There is a thin crack on the left grip panel that runs from the base to just below the escutcheon. There is a set of initials and a date marked inside the left grip panel, reading “SVM 7/11/24”. There is verdigris forming on the escutcheons. Overall, these original stocks rate in about Very Good Condition.
Type of Finish: Blued. The hammer and trigger were once case colored. The cylinder, frame, and barrel show their age. The blue that is left has begun to turn to mostly brown patina.
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright with apparent rifling. There is sporadic erosion throughout. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 7/10.
Most antique firearms have bores that will show erosion. This is not only due to age but to the use of black powder. When fired, black powder reacts corrosively. NRA Antique Firearm Conditions Standards are quite lenient for bores. In some cases, NRA standards disregard bore condition for collector firearms.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 60% of its metal finish. There is thinning on the leading edges. There are a few light handling marks scattered over the barrel, front strap, and backstrap. There is light oxidation and even some surface rust forming towards the muzzle. The side plate displays hard scratches from vigorous cleaning. The hammer spur has broken off. The main spring has been replaced. The screw heads are lightly tool marked, and the markings range from clear to faded. Overall, this handgun rates in about Fair to Good Condition.
Mechanics: The revolver functions as designed. The barrel lockup shows a small amount of side to side play and a small amount of up and down play. We did not fire this handgun. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None
Our Assessment: Smith & Wesson was the leader in the commercial development of rimfire cartridges before the Civil War. With war clouds looming, Smith & Wesson realized they needed a revolver with a little more punch than their Model 1 .22, and introduced their Model 2 “Old Army” .32 in 1861. Like the Model 1, the Model 2 was a tip-up design, with a 6-shot non-fluted cylinder and a “spur” trigger. Although the US government didn’t purchase any Model 2s, the State of Kentucky ordered over 700 Model 2 “Armies” from Benjamin Kittredge & Co. in late 1862, and even more in 1863. They also remained a popular private purchase sidearm among cavalrymen and officers. General George Armstrong Custer is known to have carried a pair during the “War Between the States”, and the legendary gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok was carrying one the day he met his end in Deadwood, South Dakota in 1876. Smith & Wesson produced 77,155 of the Model 2 from 1861-1874, with those under serial number 37,000 having been made by the end of May 1865, and rightfully viewed as Civil War era.
This Antique Smith & Wesson US Civil War Era Model 2 “Old Army” was made in ca. early to mid May 1865 and is in Fair to Good Condition. It features a 6” tip-up barrel, about 60% of its original blued finish, elegant serial-number matching lacquered rosewood grips (there’s a set of initials and a date inside the left grip panel, reading “SVM 7/11/24”), and a semi-bright bore with apparent rifling and sporadic erosion throughout. The hammer spur has broken off, the main spring has been replaced, the side plate displays hard scratches from vigorous cleaning, and there’s a thin crack on the left grip panel that runs from the base to just below the escutcheon. This is a wonderful example of an early American cartridge pistol, the Smith & Wesson Model 2 “Old Army”.