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ALS re Confed shipment of Colt Revolvers

COLT REVOLVERS - Confederate Shipment. Autograph Letter Signed by a North Carolina merchant concerning a shipment of Colt revolvers from Baltimore to Richmond a week following Virginia's secession.

Reidsville, NC: 22 April 1861. 2 pp. (246 x 193 mm). Condition: light soiling at vertical crease. A letter from Robert P. Richardson to Baltimore merchants Magruder, Taylor and Roberts concerning an order of pistols in the midst of the secession crisis and the outbreak of war: "I returned home on Saturday night, and find I can sell to my customers some good Pistols and wish you to send me the Bill below by Adams & Co. Express to Greensboro NC, If you can send them safely but I don't wish to incur risk ... we are now in doubt of the safety of getting arms of any kind and I do not know whether you can get them to Richmond Va. but suppose you will know when this reaches you - I do not know as yet whether my goods bought of you came safe to Richmond or not, everything is in confusion here, and hope you will send me the articles order'd if it can be done without risk. I want $250.00 worth of Pistols &c and wish them of some good kind that can be used without Cartridges & such as will do good service when necessary to use them ..." Richardson then proceeds to name specific guns including: "5 Colts Navy 4 ½ In pistols large Ball" together with 5 of the 7 ½ inch versions of the same as well as 5 of the "New Model 3 ½ In Bll ... as well as the appropriate tools and 500 No 1 Cartridges ..." Although North Carolina had yet to secede, the week prior to this letter Fort Sumter surrendered, Virginia seceded and Lincoln declared a naval blockade of the Confederacy.