George, my great-great grandfather was in the 5th MSM cavalry, Co. F (Lawson Monroe Bess). So I'm also interested in the arms they carried. In an older report, it mentioned 'six hundred and thirty-three Austrian rifles in the regiment, six hundred and thirty-three revolvers, three hundred and twenty sabres, twenty-five pistol carbines, two hundred and two pairs of holster pistols, and fifty cavalry musketoons.' I think this was in the 1865 AG report, published from a December 1863 report.

So a couple of questions. Have you narrowed down which rifle this was? And are you aware of which revolvers they may have carried in their history? From what I've read, 'holster pistols' commonly referred to the Colt Army Revolver, 1848. I shoot a Colt generation 2 Navy, but might consider moving up if I found out that's part of the family legacy.

Thanks,
Ron