Relics

[Wesley Harris]

OK, I'll bite - what is a buggy pistol?

When traveling in a buggy or wagon, the typical single-shot pistol like Booth's Deringer was of little use if confronted by a highwayman. Too inaccurate at the distance from a buggy seat. A rifle would be too unwieldy for the driver to bring to bear on a robber. So the buggy pistol was a sort of in between weapon. It had an enormously long barrel for a pistol (about two feet) but was still small enough it could be brought to bear quickly. The long barrel gave it more accuracy than the common pocket pistol. With the advent of 6-shot revolvers, buggy pistols went out of use.

The attached buggy pistol was supposedly sold by John Surratt in Canada before leaving for Europe.