The 1860 Colts equipped with attachable shoulder stocks were found to be of limited military utility. The 10th Kentucky Cavalry was armed with shoulder-stocked Colt .44s purchased by the state from Colt’s in the fall of 1893. In the mountainous areas of Kentucky, the enemy just stayed out of range of the 10th’s revolvers. Because of that, the 10th’s commanding officer felt they were little more than spectators, and the regiment was useless except for guard and outpost duty.

In close-range cavalry encounters, the revolver and saber were the main arms used. At Brandy Station, Va., in June 1863, the two armies faced off in the largest cavalry battle ever fought in North America. A private from the 1st Maine Cavalry captured an armed enemy cavalryman by aiming his unloaded Colt revolver at the rebel’s head. Another Maine cavalryman—after being thrown from his horse by a dismounted Confederate—drew his Colt and wounded the rebel. He approached the rebel and took his surrender.

During the July 3, 1863, cavalry battle at Gettysburg, George Custer led the 7th Michigan Cavalry in a charge against dismounted rebels as they were in the process of driving back federal skirmishers. When the 7th reached a stone wall with them on one side and the rebels on the other side, the 7th’s Colt revolvers were put to good use. With their flanks being pushed back, the 7th had to retire, and the unit’s casualties came to 100 in the action. The 7th Michigan and 1st Maine were both armed with .44-cal. Model 1860 Colts.

In November 1864, Union cavalry entered Mosby’s Confederacy (so named for partisan cavalry commander Col. John Singleton Mosby) in Northern Virginia for the purpose of destroying as much of the food stuff as possible. An eight-man detachment of the 1st New York Dragoons commanded by a sergeant was sent out to burn barns, forage and drive off livestock. They stopped at a farm house and were in the process of burning the outbuildings and barn when they were attacked by 30 of Mosby’s Cavalry. One of the dragoons shot the rebel leader with his .44-cal. Colt, but in a dash to capture one of Mosby’s men, the New Yorker’s revolver failed to fire and he in return was shot through the lungs by the Confederate. The Union cavalryman died of his wounds a few days later.

The .44-cal. Model 1860 Colts remained in field service throughout the war. At the start of the spring 1865 campaign in the East, the Army of the Potomac’s Cavalry reported 8,354 revolvers in service, which included: 4,260 .44-cal. Colts; 612 .36-cal. Colts; 257 .44-cal. Starrs; and 3,225 .44-cal. Remingtons. During that campaign, Gen. Phil Sheridan’s cavalry played a major part in forcing Gen. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The Model 1860 Colts remained in cavalry service in the post-war period up to the adoption of the .45-cal. Colt Single Action Army revolver in 1873.