This feature appears in the December ‘17 issue of NRA America’s 1st Freedom, one of the official journals of the National Rifle Association.
By the end of the American Civil War, Byron M. Cutcheon had received the brevet rank of brigadier general and the Medal of Honor for his gallantry on the field in the Battle of the Wilderness. Cutcheon, while serving with the 20th Michigan Infantry during 1863 in the pursuit of Morgan’s Raiders, used this .36-cal. Colt Model 1851 Navy revolver. He later received the revised Medal of Honor shown here when the earlier awards were reviewed by Congress in 1917. The third Medal of Honor was presented to Sgt. John P. Barry, a member of the Lincoln Funeral Guard, whose ceremonial award was later stricken from the rolls. These historic pieces were recently donated to the museum by the family of noted collector and dealer Norm Flayderman.
The NRA National Firearms Museum at NRA Headquarters in Fairfax, Va.; the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Mo.; and the Frank Brownell Museum of the Southwest at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, N.M.; each have fine selections of historic arms on display. Admission to each is free, and donations are gratefully accepted. For more information, visit nramuseums.com, phone (703) 267-1600 or email nfmstaff@nrahq.org.
