I am now satisfied about how the 2nd Colo Cav was armed (Starr carbines & Starr double-action revolvers), citing Mrs. Ellen Williams 1885 history of the regiment and Michael Musick's 1995 article for the National Archives and Records Administration.

This means that I have to discount two eyewitnesses, guerrillas Frank Smith (that the Federals were armed with Savage revolvers) and John McCorkle (that the Federals were armed with "French Dragoon" pistols). Obviously, Smith and McCorkle were writing years after the event and their memory got mixed up, as one of you pointed out. I have found that even the most observant guerrilla postwar writers tangled up other things with the best of intentions. That's why I prefer to compare multiple sources about each event, when I can get them.

I am also now satisfied about what was wrong with those firearms. Let me quote Mrs. Williams on pages 45-6:

"The regiment was armed with the government sabre, Star's carbine, an arm capable of throwing a ball with great force and precision when properly adjusted, but of uncertain fire, a very important defect, when the life of a brave man was depending; also Star's revolver, a good pistol, with one serious objection, the revolving apparatus was liable get to out of order [sic] after a few discharges. It seems strange, with such imperfect arms, so few accidents should happen, only one or two being the result therefrom [not so, Mrs. Williams]." Let me also quote Musick in the NARA article:

"Page 145 names eleven officers of the First and Second Regiments, Colorado Cavalry, in the second quarter of 1864 who say: 'These officers agree that [Starr carbines]carry well, get out of order very easily, the locks break most often, prefer large Cal., and that they are not sure fire, and are poorly made.'"

Perhaps the government agreed and that is why they ordered such limited quantities of both the carbines and the double-action revolvers from the Starr company of Yonkers, NY, and then sent most of those to the Western Theater. We can also see from these remarks why the guerrillas had such trouble trying out the pistols after the battle, not realizing these had the double-action feature, and etc. These Rebels were no fools, either.

Thanks everybody for all the replies. I am now ready to write about this in the proper place in my book.

One last thing. I am under an assumption that the "Mountain Boomers" (2nd Colo Cav) got rid of these pesky carbines and revolvers and accepted issue of "something else" later in 1864. Can anyone verify this, and tell me what the "something else" was? Or, did I dream that part?

Bruce Nichols