The owner of this revolver once answered to his middle name, Tecumseh. It wasn’t until the age of nine or 10 that he was addressed by his given name. He belonged to an active and successful family—his father was an attorney who sat on the Ohio Supreme Court. His older brother also presided over a courtroom, serving as a federal judge. Yet another brother, this one younger, served as a U.S. senator and cabinet secretary.
Like many men of his time, he entered the Army upon graduation. He then went on to a long and successful military career that included participation in numerous Civil War battles, including Bull Run and Vicksburg. While considered by many to be a national hero, his scorched earth policies during his “March to the Sea” were highly controversial, and his memory has long been reviled by many Southerners.
This revolver was presented to him in 1869. To learn more about this man and the firearm, click here. It’s yet another classic gun—and piece of history—from the annals of the NRA National Firearms Museum.
