MEXICAN BORDER CAVALRYMAN’S COLT By James E. Kattner    Many years ago the contents of an unclaimed trunk were auctioned by a moving and storage company somewhere in the Virginia area. Among the items sold that day was an early presentation inscribed Model 1896 Colt double action in its original military style flap holster. I later purchased this fine gun and holster because the extensive inscription work appeared to be of the script style and execution quality turned out by the Colt factory about the turn of the century. My intuition about the origin of the engraving proved to be correct, and research on the original owner led to a turbulent era of intermittent bandit raids across the Mexican Border into Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Before pursuing the historical significance of this early Colt double action, additional information will first be provided on the pistol and holster.    The features of this pistol are generally compatible with the Colt Model 1892 DA series that were first issued for field use by the U. S. cavalry during the 1890’s. It is similar in that it is chambered for the early large bore 38 long Colt cartridge and equipped with a 6" barrel and standard fixed sights. It differs from the U. S. issue Colts in that the grips are the standard checkered hard rubber with a rampant Colt at the top, the blue finish is of the bright commercial grade, there is no lanyard swivel, and no government inspection marks or other army markings are present. This revolver retains 95% of the original fire blue finish and is inscribed on both the right sideplate and down the backstrap. The sideplate inscription reads "First Prize Skirmish Match 1900", while the backstrap is engraved in a single line "G. B. Regar 2nd Troop PCC NGP".    The black holster is generally of the style issued by the U.S. military during the period for this Colt model, although not arsenal marked. The slim form-fitting holster is equipped with a full protective flap that may be secured down by an early type brass snap. A 3 inch wide belt loop is attached to the back of the holster by a total of 7 split rivets, and was likely intended for use with a Mills pattern woven cartridge belt for large caliber rifle bullets. The part of the holster that supports the outer trigger guard bow is constructed with an overlapping leather design for greater strength, and the muzzle end includes a sewed concave leather plug complete with a small drain hole.    To initiate the history research, a factory letter was requested from Marty Huber on this most interesting revolver. A copy of this letter is provided here, and confirms all of the features including the special inscription work. This letter further reveals that two similar M1896 Double Actions were shipped to Thos. J. Stewart and 1st Lieutenant J. P. Wood on November 9, 1900. Both were factory engraved on the sideplate to commemorate superior marksmanship at a 1900 competitive event deemed appropriate for a cavalryman of that time. In searching the old shipping ledgers, Mr. Huber did not find a recorded address for the destination of these two revolvers.    Although the destination of this presentation revolver was unknown by Colt factory records, it was suspected that "NGP" was the abbreviation for "National Guard of Pennsylvania". A letter to the Pennsylvania Museum and Archives at Harrisburg requesting information on G. B. Regar soon resulted in a definite reply: "George Bertram Regar was a member of Pennsylvania National Guard, 2nd Troop, Philadelphia City Cavalry from 1899 to 1905".    Another letter to the Harrisburg archives brought a copy of Regar’s military records. From this information, it was learned that he generally remained active with cavalry units over a period of 18 years. According to the sealed certificate that was received, Regar enlisted as a Private in the 2nd Troop on January 5, 1899. At that time he was 19 years old, having been born and raised in Philadelphia. A few months after the "Skirmish Match", he was promoted Corporal on April 28, 1901. He re-enlisted with that rank on January 4, 1902 and served out a three-year term in the Philadelphia City Cavalry. Five years after having been honorably discharged, Regar enlisted a third time in the NGP as "Sargent Major, Squadron A, Cavalry" on October 15, 1910. With the expiration of that three year term, he again re-enlisted as "Regiment Sargent Major, Headquarters Troop, 1st Cavalry". This three-year term extended his service to late 1916.    By the beginning of the second decade of this century, many of those who had served in various cavalry units in the United States knew that the days of the horse soldier were numbered. The long series of Indian Wars had finally ended at Wounded Knee in 1890. The Spanish-American War and the aftermath of continued conflict in the Philippines during the first decade of a new century had provided some additional activity for the cavalryman. But with the introduction of the first automobiles and airplanes, the mechanisms of military engagement were soon to change. That progression of change would first be realized by the United States military in an emerging conflict with Mexico.    The series of revolutions in Mexico, with associated random raids into the extreme southern regions of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, would soon provide another opportunity for the effective use of U. S. cavalry units. This conflict with Mexico was anticipated by April, 1914 when Black Jack Pershing was given command of Fort Bliss and directed the conversion from an infantry station into the nation’s largest cavalry post. Pershing, a veteran of the 1880’s Apache wars, would soon be pushing into Mexico in pursuit of Villa and other revolutionaries south of the border, taking cavalry units into action. The catalyzing event occurred when a group of Villa’s raiders spurred into the sleeping village of Columbus, New Mexico on the night of March 9, 1916, killing 17 civilians and burning much of the town. Pershing then crossed the boundary into Mexico on March 15th from Culberson’s Ranch in southwestern New Mexico with two regiments of cavalry and a battery of artillery to begin the so-called "Punitive Expedition". Eventually, this expedition would send nearly eleven thousand troops into Mexico. But that would leave many towns, ranches, and even trains in the southern brush country of the border states at risk. A glance at the front page of almost any Texas newspaper, published during the second decade of this century, will provide adequate accounts of these brief invasions into U. S. territory. These bold but brief "bandit raids" often involved the theft of livestock and other assets, along with the murder of U. S. citizens who happened to be in harms way. With most of the United States Army already involved under Pershing’s command, any additional military support would now have to come from the various State National Guard units.    Then on the night of May 5, 1916 two groups of Mexican raiders under the leadership of Rodriquez Ramirez and Natividad Alvarez surprised the small Texas villages of Glenn Springs and Boquillas in Brewster County, killing at least four citizens. This event eventually led to the establishment of an array of permanent cavalry camps in the Big Bend area of Texas. This increasing menace of unexpected invasions from Mexico now resulted in such a public outcry that on June 18, 1916 President Woodrow Wilson ordered the entire National Guard of the United States to mobilize on the Mexican Border. By the end of July, over 100,000 Guard units were offloaded from trains at their initial Texas destinations of Brownsville, San Antonio, and El Paso, and at Douglas, Arizona. At this time, troops from 14 states were sent just to occupy the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Several National Guard units from Pennsylvania were stationed among the new cavalry camps in the historically-turbulent Big Bend region of West Texas.    Regar was accordingly requested to rendezvous for participation in this event on June 22, 1916. He was subsequently mustered into federal service on July 6, 1916. Additional records from the Harrisburg Archives also indicate that he re-enlisted for border service four times, evidently on a monthly basis, until being furloughed to the National Guard Reserves on November 10th, 1916. It is assumed that Regar was among the Pennsylvania cavalrymen dispatched to one of the military camps in the Big Bend. If this is correct, aside from his ample opportunities for sudden and intensive military action in that volatile region of Texas, it must be noted that he entered this vast arid land during the hottest time of the year, and was given orders to return to Pennsylvania when the weather was just becoming somewhat pleasant. However, this entire U. S. military buildup on the Mexican border was to be short lived, as a result of Congress declaring war on Germany early the following year. By this time, only 40 percent of the national guardsmen originally called up for border service remained on active duty. On August 5, 1917 all of these guardsmen were ordered to report for duty in Europe. This left Texas once again unprotected from foreign invasion, a bitter situation that Texas and Texans had previously dealt with through their own resources many times since becoming a State in 1845.    George B. Regar was honorably discharged from the National Guard Reserves on June 25, 1917. With the recent activities of developing genealogical websites and the increasing information otherwise available on the internet, more details regarding Regar’s military and later life are sure to surface. Because of the potential historical significance of Regar’s personal experiences on the Mexican Border, additional research is certainly warranted.    All of the previous discussion about Regar and the accompanying brief summary of the Mexican Border conflict leaves the story of the second gun in this special presentation shipment untold. This other Colt M1896 DA shipped on November 9, 1900 bears the serial number 147,429 and was inscribed down its backstrap "R. S. Hart, Jr. 2nd Troop PCC NGP". If some lucky reader has this revolver, I would appreciate knowing of its existence and present condition. ©1997 James Kattner _____________________________________________________________________________________________ SOURCES: THE HANDBOOK OF TEXAS, Texas State Historical Commission, Austin, Texas 1996. BORDER, THE U. S.-MEXICO LINE, Leon C. Metz, Mangan Books, El Paso, Texas 1989. PECOS, A HISTORY OF THE PIONEER WEST, Alton Hughes, Pioneer Book Publishers, Seagraves, Texas 1978. Colt Industries factory letter 1974.