For those of you who like to keep track of published articles, etc. regarding the Civil War in Texas, my two part piece on a gun used in the First Battle of Adobe Walls is in the Fall and Winter 2011 issues of The Rampant Colt, which is the quarterly publication of the Colt Collectors Association. It is circulated to every member of the CCA, and perhaps to some libraries as well.

The article tells the story of a farm boy from Illinois who made the gold rush to California in the early 1850's, joined the 1st California Vol. Cavalry, made the 1,000 mile march to the Arizona-New Mexico territory in 1861/2, and ended up fighting against about 3,000 Comanche, Kiowa and Kiowa-Apaches under Col. Christopher 'Kit' Carson on the Canadian River in the Texas panhandle in November, 1864. Also, a bit of a detective story regarding reaching the conclusion that the gun was most likely used in that battle.

No new historical insights, but some pretty good information, taken from contemporary sources, about the battle as well as information about the arming of Union troops in the Western theater.

Mike