Title:
Masterson pistol, Confederate
Description:
Cap and ball pistol, .44 caliber. Has a blank crest on the back of the handle. A silver plate on the butt of the stock has engraved the battles that Thomas W. Masterson participated in: Eltham's Landing, Seven Pines, Mechanicsville, Gaines Mill, Malvern Hill, Freemans Ford, 2nd Manassas, Boonsborough Gap, Sharpsburg, Savage Station, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga. In the center of these names is: Thomas Masterson, Brazoria, Texas.
Description:
Historical Note: This pistol was used by Thomas W. Masterson in Hood's Brigade all through the Civil War. Masterson enlisted at the age of 18 and his father had a gunsmith make this pistol for him as a parting present. Hood's Texas Brigade was organized on October 22, 1861, in Richmond, Virginia. It was initially commanded by Brigadier General Louis T. Wigfall and composed of the First, Fourth, and Fifth Texas Infantry regiments, the only Texas troops to fight in the Eastern Theater. The First was commanded by Wigfall and Lt. Colonel Hugh McLeod, the Fourth by Colonel John Bell Hood and Lt. Colonel John Marshall, and the Fifth by Colonel James J. Archer and Lt. Jerome B. Robertson. On November 20, 1861, the Eighteenth Georgia Infantry, commanded by William T. Wofford, was attached. On June 1, 1862, eight infantry companies from Wade Hampton's South Carolina Legion, commanded by Lt. Colonel Martin W. Gary, were added, and in November 1862 the Third Arkansas Infantry, commanded by Colonel Van H. Manning, joined the brigade. Both the Georgia and South Carolina units were transferred out in November 1862, but the Third Arkansas remained until the end of the war.
Identifier:
ATF0460
Item identifier:
ATF0460
Collection:
Artifacts collection
Date range of creation:
1850 to 1860
Source:
Texas State Library and Archives Commission, 1983/127
Container information:
Artifact Box 0201
Subject:
Confederate States of America. Army. Texas Brigade
Type:
Image
Type:
Firearms
Type:
Pistol
Medium:
Metal
Citation information:
ATF0460, Artifacts collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Copyright information:
This image is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States. The Item and its design depicted in this image may be protected by copyright, patents, trademarks, or other related rights. You are free to use this image in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Texas State Library and Archives Commission makes no warranties about the Item and cannot guarantee the accuracy of this Rights Statement. You are responsible for your own use. Please contact the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for more information. You may need to obtain other permissions for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy or moral rights may limit how you may use the material.
Size or duration:
13.75 in x 5 in x 1 in
Language:
English