Len,
The Colt Rifle articles can be found in the Raleigh Spirit of the Age newspaper for Oct. 12, 1863 (p. 3, c. 3) and the
Raleigh Weekly Standard of Oct. 14, 1863 (p. 2, c. 4)
Did Jeff tell you where he found the reference to the 63rd
Virginia's flag being lost in a 1910 flood?

Ken