Thank you for contributing that information from McAulay's 1997 book into the mix. This seems to confirm that most of the 2nd Colorado Cavalry Regiment when organized in October 1863 at St. Louis from the two Colorado infantry units was issued first the M1861 rifle-musket and then 805 Starr carbines and 86 Merrill carbines. Except for determining what carbine the regiment received when they turned in the unreliable Starr carbines, that rather nails down the carbine question.

I appreciate the information that the Coloradoans wore the 1858 "Hardee" dress hat. That adds something.

I am perplexed that the Osprey book indicates this regiment was issued with sidearms from such a wide variety of m,akes, including a few Lefaucheux revolvers, because Mrs. Williams' history of the regiment says they were armed with Starr revolvers. However, even though Mrs. Williams was present with the regiment in Missouri, her narrative shows some naivete about the unit's firearms. She may have been mistaken, at least in part. That a few Lefaucheux revolvers were in the regiment adds fuel to the statement John McCorkle gave to his memoirs several years after the war about the guerrillas capturing some "French Dragoon" revolvers from the Coloradoans at an ambush site in Jackson County. It appears that in October 1863 when the regiment was organized from infantry to cavalry the U.S. Arsenal in St. Louis had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find enough shootin' irons for all those mountain troopers. This is assuming that they weren't armed simply from stocks at Benton Barracks on the north side of town. That is where nearly all such troop equipping was performed. I gather that the Arsenal was for large lot transactions, rather than single regiment issues, but I am certainly not sure about that. Jefferson Barracks, just south of town, was a giant hospital and convalescence barracks during the war, and was not involved in weapons issue.

Well, that helps, John. Thanks again for adding those pieces to help solve this armaments questions.

Bruce