Book Reviews
Book Reviews
The Whitney Navy Revolver Book Reviews
Review by Herbert G. Houze, Man At Arms Magazine, June 2013
The Whitney Navy Revolver 1857-1866, by
Daniel E. Williams, Jr. Schiffer Publishing
Ltd., 4880 Lower Valley Road - Rte. 372,
Atglen, PA 19310. ISBN 978-0-7643-4249-3.
112 pp.; 8 1/2"x ll"; 148 color and 16 b&w ill.;
hdbnd. $45.00 (+ $4.50 s/h).
Despite having been made by someone
with an immediately recognizable name,
Whitney percussion revolvers have long
been overshadowed by those made by Colt
and Remington. As a result, little has been
written about them since 1946, when Claude
Fuller penned his general work on Whitney
firearms.
Mr. Williams' book provides collectors
with easily accessible information concerning
the production of the Whitney Navy revolver,
its physical construction, rifling, markings and
usage. As a result, any questions concerning
how an example issued to the United States
Army during the Civil War differs from those
purchased by the Navy are readily apparent
(pp. 47-50, 53-55). Likewise, the progression
of barrel markings by serial number range is
also set forth (p. 25).
Aside from illustrating standard production
pistols, the author has also included photos of
examples having historical significance, such
as the one owned by Confederate General
James Ewell Stuart (p. 63) or those issued to
police forces in Australia (pp. 89-91).
The Whitney Navy Revolver is a well-written
and extremely well-illustrated book that
will repay its purchasers with much-needed
information concerning a U.S. military sidearm
that appears regularly in the marketplace
at a moderate cost. Hopefully its publication
will spur other Whitney enthusiasts to write
similar works documenting Eli Whitney, Jr. 's
other revolvers. H.GH.
Review by Frank Graves, Arms Heritage Magazine, December 2012
THE WHITNEY NAVY REVOLVER - 1857-1866,
by Daniel E. Williams, Jr., Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, Pennsylvania 19310. 2012. ISBN 978-0-7643-4249-3. 112 pages, 8.5" x 11", Over 180 color and black & white illustrations, hardcover.
Many of us are familiar with the name of Eli Whitney from our school days as the inventor of the cotton gin. Many gun collectors are familiar with the name of his son, Eli Whitney,Jr. as the provider of the New Haven, Connecticut factory to Samuel Colt for the production of the Walker Colt revolver which re-established Colt's position as the foremost gun maker of the day. And, many martial collectors are familiar with Eli Whitney and his Whitney Arms Company as a
provider to the United States Army first of muskets and later as maker of a successful revolver, many of which were used by the government. This book documents and describes the percussion revolvers made by Whitney in a way never before described in such researched detail.
With the expiration of the Colt patents for the revolving mechanism of the revolver in 1857, many gun makers attempted to use this newly available mechanism for use in their various revolving firearms to compete with those well established products of Colt. Many were awkward and more than a few were very well made guns. As with Colt, many of these makers attempted sales to the government. The story of Eli Whitney, Jr. and his Navy revolvers was one of the best examples of a competing product to those of Colt.
The author of this well done and timely book, Daniel E. Williams, Jr. has been interested in and
has been researching this subject for some time. He not only established a very comprehensively
done survey to assemble his data, he has also painstakingly looked through government records
and has first hand documentation of conversations that Whitney had with U. S. procurement
officials, such as John A. Dahlgren, to show that even through proportionally fewer than those
revolvers of Colt and Remington were sold to the government, that they were generally very well
received and could be termed a success in the business of gun making. There is a great deal of study and detail in identifying the types and models of these revolvers in a very clear way. These guns are seen today but haven't been the subject of much study until now, which is justified as this type of gun is very collectable and at prices generally much lower than that of the Colt revolvers of the period. There are examples of finishes, inspector markings, grip materials, engraving and attributed guns along with very interesting period images of men holding these guns as well as images of Eli Whitney, Jr. himself and his factory. The photographs showing
virtually every part of a Whitney Navy revolver very clearly will enable the collector to easily
see what model that he has or is interested in. Serial numbers of the different types and models
are very logically estimated as are the overall production figures. Other revolvers such as those
by Confederate makers and Shawk & McLanahan of Missouri who used the basic concept of the
Whitney Navy are explored. Various statements are footnoted with end notes that are quite
detailed. The paper used in this book is of high quality as is the reproduction of the photographs
that are used. It is bound very well with a nice dustcover. All in all, this book, very affordably
priced, is a must as a primary resource for either the gun collector or those interested in the various armaments for the Civil War.
Available from the author at www.whitneyrevolver.com for $45.00 which includes free shipping for individual US orders. Reviewed by Frank Graves