POTD: Cylinders of Twisted Iron – The Spiller & Burr
Sam.S 03.05.24
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! The Spiller & Burr revolver was a Confederate copy of the 1854 Whitney .36 caliber percussion revolver, manufactured under contract during the Civil War. Designed by James H. Burton, it was intended to produce 15,000 revolvers at $25-30 each for the Confederacy, as a more economical and easier-to-manufacture alternative to the official Colt Navy model. However, only around 1,451 were actually made due to material shortages caused by the Union blockade. The Spiller & Burr used brass frames instead of steel, and had to resort to using twisted iron for the cylinders rather than proper steel. It closely resembled the 1858 Remington, with an octagonal 7.5″ barrel and a solid frame. While solidly constructed, the lack of materials hindered full-scale production. Most Confederate forces ended up using captured Colt and Remington revolvers instead of the Spiller & Burr during the war. Only a handful of original examples survive today as a reminder of the Confederacy’s troubles arming its troops.
“Reportedly approximately 700 Spiller & Burr percussion revolvers were manufactured in Atlanta, Georgia, circa 1862-1864, and another roughly 700 were manufactured at the Macon Armory after the firm was purchased by the Confederacy in January of 1864. Production started with a very optimistic government contract of about 15,000 revolvers in 1862 but was stopped in November 1864 due to Sherman’s March to the Sea. The revolver is patterned after the Whitney Navy Model and has a distinctive solid brass frame with “C.S.” stamped on the left side. This Second Type features a large cone front sight, frame groove rear sight, six-shot cylinder with safety notches between the nipples like the Remington revolvers, and smooth walnut grips. The barrel, loading lever, cylinder, trigger guard, frame under the trigger guard, and the butt are all marked with the matching serial number.”
Lot 3171: Civil War Confederate Spiller & Burr Percussion Revolver. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/82/3171/civil-war-confederate-spiller-burr-percussion-revolver.
