FALL 2019
therewasany, wasoftenata
disadvantage.U.S.marshals
were,attimes,theonlyreal
lawaround,aside fromlocal
sheriffsandsomeappointed
deputieswhooftenhad
politicaltiesto onefactionor
anotherrunningthetown.
U.S.marshalsandvery
wore a badge for a living
learned to havea backup
plan,aside fromtherevolver
ontheir hipor thegunrack
in the jail lined with afew
Winchesters and a double-
barreled shotgun. Butthe
idea of a backup gun,a small
pistol in a large caliber,had
its origins not with thelaw-
men who carried themin
the late 19th century, but
rather from men in a more
nefarious line of work:gam-
blers. Southern riverboat
gamblers called a
shortened revolver
a “NatchezTheideahad emerged
withsomepopularityinthe
last years of the Civil Waras
soldiers began cuttingthe
barrels short on Colt Model
1851 Navy and 1860 Army
re volvers and other percus-
sion pistols that had per-able.Thereis norecord of
whenthefirst cut-down pistol
had its backs ap reshaped
into so hat was akin
to d’s head,Anambushwasevery
lawman’sworstfear.Inthis
staged set piece, the fight
is all but over as a wounded
U.S. marshal with one good
hand left in the battle draws a
2-inch-barreled, bird’s-head-
gripped Peacemaker and
opens fire on his assailants. The .41-caliber Thunderer was
popular among lawmen and
shop owners, where it was used
as an under-the-counter gun.