Surgeon and United States Army general (1828–1880) who is known as the father of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, as its first chief signal officer just prior to the American Civil War, the inventor of wig-wag signaling (or aerial telegraphy), and also as the father of the U.S. Weather Bureau. Albert James Myer’s Colt Model 1849 pocket revolver, Serial #28353, .31 Caliber, 4" octagon barrel with a good bore that has light pitting within the grooves. This revolver was made in 1852 and has all matching numbers, including the cylinder, loading lever, wedge, and arbor. The metal retains 90-92% of a later, added blue finish on the cylinder and frame, while the barrel assembly has an overall plum-brown patina with fading along the high edges, and areas of pinprick pitting along both sides; some further pitting is present on the edge of the recoil shield on the left side, as well as some areas of gray fading on the cylinder. The walnut grip is in very good shape with a few minor handling marks in the excellent, reapplied varnish finish. The grip-straps retain about 60-70% of the original silver plate finish, with a pale yellow-ochre patina to the exposed, underlying brass on the balance. The backstrap is engraved in flowing script, "Col. A.J. Myer S.C." (Signal Corps). The revolver is tight and the lock-up is good with the action functioning flawlessly. A small and attractive pre-war Colt, which has ties to one of the most important figures in the history of the US Army Signal Corps, and would make a splendid addition to any collection. Accompanied by a printed copy of Myers’s Medical Officer File (1851-1859) from the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
Myer showed early promise as a telegrapher before pursuing education at Geneva College and earning an M.D. degree from Buffalo Medical College in 1851; his doctoral thesis, A New Sign Language for Deaf Mutes, featured concepts that he later used for his invention of aerial telegraphy. After moving to Florida, Myer became a surgeon in the Regular Army, where he developed a coded signaling system drawing on his telegraphy background and, in 1860, became the first U.S. Army signals officer. During the Civil War, he organized and commanded the Signal Corps, and served first under Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler at Fort Monroe, Virginia, where he established a camp of instruction, and then as the chief signal officer for Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac. Despite setbacks, including news that his appointment as colonel and chief signal officer had been revoked, Myer was reinstated post-war with the permanent rank of colonel and oversaw significant advancements, including patents for ‘Aerial Telegraphy’ and a cipher disk. Myer also played a crucial role in the introduction of heliography and the establishment of the U.S. Weather Bureau. He passed away in 1880, having achieved the rank of Brigadier General.
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