Southern Derringers of the Mississippi Valley — John Shaqi
Southern Derringers of the Mississippi ValleyKirkland, Turner
History
Southern Derringers of the Mississippi Valley
Kirkland, Turner
Firearms industry and trade -- Mississippi River Valley; Pistols -- Mississippi River Valley
#222 O’Dell guns are often times easily recognized by their
characteristic European influence. The grips are a little different in
this shape gun in that they are the flat bag type instead of a rounded
bag type which is more of an English style than American. The round
faced hammer does not follow the characteristics of Southern derringers.
All furniture is of German silver and of the highest quality casting and
are fully engraved with English line scroll engraving. The trigger plate
has a pineapple finial and through the trigger plate is the typical
Southern style screw that attaches the forearm to the barrel along with
the barrel being held in place by a wedge.
I need to mention that there are several known Henry Deringer made guns
that are marked in one line on the barrel and with a hand stamp “S.
O’Dell.” In this specimen that we present here that is marked on the
lock plate, the name is hand engraved in and is not stamped.
This ornate specimen has five gold and silver bands at the breech. The
barrel is rounded with a rib flat on top. The silver front sight is
machined into place. The lockplate is filed down to fit the wood with
more of a cross curve than Henry Deringer guns show. The caliber is
unusually small, it being only .330.
This gun is marked on the lock only as follows:
S. O’Dell
O’Dell came from New York State probably in the late 1830’s or early
1840’s and according to newspaper accounts of that period was murdered
in the early 1860’s at Natchez. Although his derringers had bag shaped
grips and not bird head grips, I am classifying them as a derringer
rather than a pocket pistol. Halfstock rifles with his name are known.
SCHNEIDER & GLASSICK
#215 Schneider and Glassick derringers have characteristics of both of
these earlier companies that merged to form this one. All furniture is
very plain German silver without even the least line engraving. There is
a screw through the trigger plate holding the barrel into position along
with the typical wedge. The full octagon barrel is rather plain with no
embellishments at the breech. The caliber is .450.
The markings are in one line with one stamp on the top flat of the
barrel as follows:
Schneider & Glassick, Memphis, Tenn.
Schneider & Glassick, gunsmiths, formed about 1859 by William S.
Schneider and Frederick G. Glassick, both of whom had previously
operated independently. They early secured a Confederate contract to
manufacture revolvers, this being in addition to the repairing of other
types of firearms. They advertised in March, 1862, advising persons who
had left “guns or pistols longer than three months” to call, as they
intended delivering all such arms to the Confederate government as of
March 15th.
Shortly after this advertising date of March 7, 1862, Memphis was
evacuated by all Confederate Ordnance activities, and the firm was not
heard from again.
SCHNEIDER & GLASSICK
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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