The average Southerner may not have had the ready cash to but a revolver but the average Southern Cavalryman certainly had the resources to buy a serviceable horse. I dare say a horse that was suitable for the service would have cost a good deal more than the average colt. (No pun intended) I was aware of the Miss troops who went into battle at Murfressboro with sticks. Also, I had ancestor in the 19th Ark Inf (Dawsons) They were detailed to guard the trains at Pea Ridge and had to fend off a yankee Cavalry attack even though only a third were armed. I still question the absolute accuracy of ordinance reports (especially in regards to revolvers) for the reasons already stated. The County Tax surveys are probabaly even less accurate for obvious reasons. I agree that most Southern Cav had probably discarded their next to useless sabers by 1863.