The next three lots represent a tremendous opportunity to acquire a fascinating collection of three historic artifacts inscribed to Medal of Honor Recipient Major General Daniel Sickles, one of the Union's most infamous "political generals." He is most well-known today for his controversial actions as the commander of the III Corps at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, where he openly defied orders and placed his corps ahead of the rest of the Union line where they were then slaughtered when Longstreet's Confederates attacked. Sickles argued for the rest of his life that his move was in fact the right one and had won the battle. Some historians now credit him with blunting Confederate assault and thus preventing a break in the Union line. His actions spurring his men on even after he had been severely wounded earned Sickles the Medal of Honor, and he continued to remain a prominent public figure in the years during Reconstruction and was a key figure in preserving the hallowed ground of the Gettysburg battlefield where his men and so many others shed their blood. Prior to the Civil War, Daniel Edgar Sickles (1819-1914) was already a controversial and wealthy New Yorker associated with the powerful Tammany Hall political organization. Many of his early scandals stemmed from his lurid romantic affairs, but none is as noteworthy as the murder of Philip Barton Key II in broad daylight across the street from the White House in 1859. Key, a son of Francis Scott Key and nephew of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, had been having an affair with Sickles' wife Teressa. At the time, Sickles was a U.S. representative for New York, and Key was the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. After Sickles shot Key multiple times, he turned himself in and confessed to the murder. He was allowed to retain his weapon while in custody. Edwin Stanton, later Secretary of War under Lincoln, was one of his defense attorneys. In his trial, he pleaded temporary insanity (a first in the U.S.) and was acquitted. The press and public seemed more shocked by the infidelity than the murder and especially by the fact that Sickles forgave his wife. Sickles had little military experience aside from serving as major in the 12th Regiment of New York Militia in the antebellum era, but when the Civil War broke out, he quickly moved to raise regiments and make a name for himself as a military leader. Given his connections to Tammany Hall, prior public service, and charisma, he was a natural choice to raise New York units, but he also met opposition from Republican leaders, including the state's governor, due to his Democratic affiliation and prior scandals. Nonetheless, through adept political maneuvering, he was able to raise and take command of the famous Excelsior Brigade. The sword in the third of the Sickles lots is from his time as their commander. As their leader, he created new controversy of the proper sort when he refused to return runaway slaves who fled to the Union lines, and he commanded the brigade at the Battle of Seven Pines and the Seven Days Battles where Sickles and his men earned a reputation for bravery. Despite earlier opposition to him even leading a brigade, in early 1863, Sickles became the commander of the III Corps, and thus became the only Union corps commander who was not a West Point graduate. He led them at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863 where the III Corps was noted for their aggressiveness and accounted for 4,100 of the 17,000 Union casualties. During the battle, he held a strong defensive position in the Hazel Grove but was ordered to move to the Plank Road. The Confederates soon took over the position in the Hazel Grove and used it to pound the Union with their artillery and launch the attacks that ultimately won the battle for the Confederacy. This no doubt remained in Sickles's mind when he led the III Corps at Gettysburg. During the Battle of Gettysburg, the largest battle in American history, Sickles disobeyed orders from General George Meade, whom he personally disliked, and moved the III Corps forward from Cemetery Ridge to the higher ground about a mile ahead to Emmitsburg Road where he thought he could better utilize his artillery. Instead, by placing his men ahead of their assigned position in the Peach Orchard and Devil's Den, he stretched them thin and threatened the integrity of the Union line and also created a salient that left his men vulnerable to fire from three directions. Meade was going to pull Sickles back, but there wasn't enough time to pull the III Corps back into their intended defensive position before the Confederate attack. Because of their advanced position, the III Corps were struck directly when the Confederates under Longstreet's command launched their assault which led to Sickles's men suffering a 40% casualty rate. Meade sent in the V Corps to secure Little Round Top and several other divisions to reinforce Sickles's men thus weakening the overall Union line. By the end of the fighting that day, the Union forces had held against the initial assault and then fallen back to the lines Meade had originally intended. In doing so, the Union effectively blunted the Confederate assault and inflicted heavy losses on Longstreet's troops. During the battle, Sickles was struck by a shell in his right leg. He famously sat upright smoking a cigar and smiling while on a litter to show his men he was alive and encourage them to continue the fight. Though his actions remain controversial to this day, with most Civil War historians arguing Sickles's actions hurt the Union effort at Gettysburg, they earned him the Medal of Honor, particularly in relation to his bravery and his composure in leading his men after he was injured. Sickles's leg was amputated and is still on display at the National Museum of Health and Medicine. He recovered from the amputation of his leg in Washington, D.C., and brought news of the battle, maneuvered for credit for the victory, and was visited by President Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad. Though Lee's army was ultimately defeated at Gettysburg, Lincoln was frustrated that Meade allowed Lee to escape. Sickles attempted to return to his command after he recovered but was deemed physically unfit for service. He argued before Congress that he had not willfully disobeyed orders and claimed Meade would have ceded the field to Lee had he not advanced and thus claimed responsibility for the Union victory. Meade later blamed Sickles for the fact that Union losses prevented Meade from destroying Lee's army. Despite the loss of his leg, Sickles remained with the U.S. Army and commanded departments in the South during Reconstruction and worked to protect the rights of the freedmen and laborers. He also served in diplomatic roles abroad during which he had an affair with the deposed Queen Isabella II in Paris earning him the nickname the "Yankee King of Spain." His wife had died in 1867, and Sickles married one of the Queen's younger attendants while in France. After returning home in 1879, he participated in supporting veterans of the war and attended many of the veterans reunions where he continued to defend his actions at Gettysburg. He also befriended his former adversary James Longstreet and played an influential role in securing the preservation of the Gettysburg battlefield, including as chairman of the New York Monuments Commission for the Battlefield of Gettysburg. In 1892, he was re-elected to Congress and in while in Congress introduced the legislation that created the Gettysburg National Military Park. One of his final significant acts was attending the famous 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg where he reportedly said the whole battlefield was a monument to him. He died the next year and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The revolver was manufactured in 1867, the same year Sickles's wife died, and features scroll engraving without punched backgrounds as became common on the late percussion era Colts. The back strap is inscribed "To David E. Sickles/From Colt's Pt F A Mfg Co." The checkered grip features a "DES" monogram on the left. The barrel has a brass post front sight and the two-line New York address. The cylinder has the stagecoach roll-scene and the arbor pin retaining screw. Matching serial numbers are on the barrel, cylinder, and butt. The case contains a brass mold, cap tin, small powder flask, a piece of wood labeled "BARK FROM THE TREE WHERE GEN. SICKLES SHOT KEYES IN WASHINGTON BY W.H.WOMANS," a small pin with a portrait on it, portraits of Sickles, and an Excelsior Brigade pass from 1861. Comparably few presentation Colt Model 1855 "Root" revolvers are known. This revolver is featured on page 94 of "Colts from the William M. Locke Collection" and page 123 of "The William M. Locke Collection." Provenance: The William M. Locke Collection; Property of a Gentleman

Fine with 50% original blue finish remaining, smooth gray and brown patina on the balance, distinct engraving and inscription, some faint oxidation and pitting, and general minor overall wear. The cylinder is refinished with 30% blue finish remaining. The grip is also fine and has distinct checkering and carving, minor age cracks in the butt, and light handling and storage wear. Mechanically fine. The case and accessories are also fine and have minor age and storage related wear. The flask retains much of the dark original finish.