Chief,
It is good to see you on here. I myself have been a bit remiss lately, but regular trips to the local cancer center have taken up my time. I have been reading the posts in this thread and would like to add a comment. As to weapons used by the provost marshal's office, there was no official military police at that time and different units were assigned this duty at different times so the weapons used would have been the regular issue rifled musket. As to officers, pistols were not part of the issue in 1861 and most had to buy their own. As for the 1862 Pocket Police by Colt, this weapon was originally designed for the Metropolitan Police Dept. of New York City. It came with a 4.5 and 5.5 inch barrel and a fluted cylinder. Really a beautiful piece. Uberti makes an excellent reproduction in the original .36 caliber. I have one and it is an excellent sidearm. I am sure some of these found their way the front lines as a privately purchased weapon.

Len