With His Pistol In His Hand

Texas Ranger Captain John Coffee Hays, on patrol with 15 men in search of cattle rustlers, encountered a war party of Comanches. The Indians pretended to run, intending to lure Hays into an ambush. He surprised them by flanking them. And discovered he was opposed by 75 Indians. 

Hays didn’t consider himself outnumbered. His fifteen men had the new Paterson Colt (manufactured in Paterson, NJ). It was a five-shot repeating revolver. Hayes counted five times fifteen and decided the match was even, at least. 

The Paterson Colt carried the day for the Rangers and became a favorite. It had a disappearing trigger, that emerged when the hammer was cocked. There were some disadvantages. Early models required  disassembly for reloading; hard to do in the dark and nearly impossible on horseback. Some Rangers carried spare cylinders already loaded, a dubious procedure. The Paterson shot accurately, though, and became widely used. Later models could be reloaded more easily.

Hays was lauded for his victory over the Comanches. He was a self-effacing man, and he spoke of the heroism and leadership of the Comanche chief during that fight. (Hays left Texas for California in 1848. In 1850 he was elected mayor of San Francisco County. Hays was one of the founders of Oakland, California).

Texas Ranger Samuel Walker visited Samuel Colt in New York and suggested some improvements in the Colt revolver. He wanted a pistol of 44 or 45 caliber (the Paterson fired a 36 caliber ball), and he wanted a six-shooter instead of the Paterson's five shots. He suggested a longer, bigger barrel (“half as long as your arm). And he wanted a heavier weapon that could be used as a club if necessary. The Paterson colt weight just over two pounds; the “Walker Colt” weighed 4.5 pounds. 

The Walker Colt is recognized today as the most powerful handgun produced until the S&W 357 Magnum in 1935. It made its mark in the Mexican War of 1846-48. There were several problems with it – the reloading lever often fell down, preventing it from firing (Rangers solved this by tying it to the barrel with a piece of rawhide). And the cylinder sometimes exploded, which Rangers blamed on weak materials. John S. (“Rip”) Ford thought differently. In his report on the Walker Colt, he said that troopers sometimes loaded the conical bullets backwards in the cylinders. They thought the pointed end belonged under the cap. 

(Ford got his nickname from his habit of writing “R. I. P.,” rest in peace, in the casualty lists. And became well known as Rip Ford.).

dac

8/9/2008

Comments

[Irene Black]

I have wondered when the name "Walker Colt" originated. I just assumed it was named for the designer.

[Janice Pulliam]

Where did you get all these stories, DAC? Did you learn them growing up--in school or from your grandparents? They taught me Maryland history in 3rd grade, but I must have a worse memory than you. I remember at the time thinking that this Maryland history was really important stuff, but I don't remember any of it. Please tell me you learned a lot of your Texas history by reading as an adult.
Janice