Corporal Crismon

This story was told by William Crismon, a US Cavalry Trooper.  Crismon served from 1912-1943 and participated in the Mexican Punitive Expedition, WWI, and WWII.  In 1916 Mexican revolutionist bandits invaded New Mexico and murdered US citizens.  US Army excursions were made into Mexico as far inland as Mexico City.  The Army's mission was to capture Pancho Villa, the leader of the invasion.  Most soldiers were stationed on the border, assuring that no additional invasions occurred.  There appeared to be little if any animosity toward the Mexican citizens by the soldiers.  Crismon said that on Army payday wagon loads of civilian Mexican men and women would come across the border and set up camp in the brush nearby.  With Mariachi bands playing, tequila flowing, and pretty Senoritas dancing the soldiers and their visitors had a good time.

On guard duty one day during the Mexico Punitive Expedition service, Corporal Crismon checked his Colt Single Action Cavalry Revolver, making sure he had five caliber .45 rounds loaded and the hammer was resting on an empty, unprimed cartridge.  Normally if a soldier carried a Colt Single Action revolver he would have the hammer resting on an empty chamber, not on an empty cartridge.  But this Trooper’s Colt had a bad cylinder notch.  The gun could not be fired safely if the bad cylinder was indexed to fire a live round and the bullet was not perfectly aligned with the barrel forcing cone.  To compensate for the problem Crismon said he slightly bent the neck of an empty brass cartridge before it has jammed into the cylinder chamber.  This assured him the empty shell would not be ejected when reloading.  Most of the officers and non-commissioned officers on the border carried the then new model 1911 Colt automatic pistol.  Crismon said most of the enlisted men carried a .38 caliber Colt Double Action Army revolver.  However, a few troopers, including Crismon, elected to still carry the Colt Single Action Cavalry “Artillery Model” .45 caliber revolver.  Crismon could have turned in his faulty side arm for repair but he knew it would have been exchanged for a newer gun.  He experienced great pleasure shooting the Colt Single Action Revolver as do many shooters today. 

Colt Single Action Cavalry Revolvers initially purchased by the U.S. were of .45 caliber and only came with a 7 ½” barrel.  Between the periods of 1873-1891, some 37,060 of these guns were sold to the U.S. at the cost of $12.00 to $13.00 each.  Each gun included an "L" shaped screwdriver tool that was to be used for removal of the base pin screw.  The revolvers were shipped in wooden boxes of 50 guns.  In 1894 the Army determined that being primarily a defensive weapon, the 7 ½” barrel hindered the ability to quickly remove the single action from the holster (today we call that gun handling function "Fast Draw").  This inability to bring the long barreled weapon quickly into play was even more of a problem if the trooper was astride a horse.  During the period of 1895-1903 as these guns became in need of repair beyond the capability of the company armory all 7 ½” barrel guns were shipped back to the Colt factory.  There the guns were completely disassembled.  If a part was salvageable it was placed in a bin along with the other like salvaged parts.  All of the single action barrels were cut down to 5 ½” length and a blade sight was affixed.  Interestingly, at one time a request was sent through channels to have the barrel shortened even more to 4 ¾” length but was denied.  The remodeled guns were assembled with no regard to matching the individual part serial numbers.  This mismatch of component serial numbers made these guns unique to all others produced by the Colt factory.  Over the contract period 16,097 US Army owned Colt Single Action Cavalry Revolvers were altered to the “Artillery Model” specifications.  It is highly unlikely that shooters today fire an Artillery Model Colt as these mismatched number guns are now quite valuable as collector items.  It is remembered 50 years or so ago you almost couldn't give them away!  

Corporal Crismon holstered his loaded Single Action and with field glasses scanned trenches on the Mexico side if the Rio Grande.  In some of the trenches were militia led by revolutionist Pancho Villa.  In opposing trenches also on the Mexico side were soldiers of the Mexican Army who were trying to capture the revolutionists.  Since the trenches were perpendicular to the International border, Crismon could see the Mexicans in both trenches.  Crismon said from time to time a soldier in one trench would climb to the top and fire off a round towards the opposing trench and then scurry back down into the trench.  Then an answering shot would be fired from the other trench.  He said it was doubtful that any of the shots ever hit anyone.  The US Army was there to make sure neither of the Mexican fighters crossed the border into the United States.

Later that day the order was given; tomorrow the troop will embark on a routine patrol between El Paso and Brownsfield.  On the trail Corporal Crismon dropped out of the ranks to take a toilet in the brush.  That evening in bivouac during meal time his commanding officer loudly barked, “Corporal, where is your side arm?”  Holy smokes!  Crismon had left his single action, flap holster, and web belt hanging on a mesquite limb while toileting back on the trail.  The fuming officer ordered him to immediately go back on the trail by himself and find the missing gun.  Crismon said he searched most of the dark, moonless night and never did find the gun.  Many years later the same officer was the Commanding Officer at Fort Riley, Kansas, home of the US Cavalry School.  In his office on November 1, 1933, Colonel Selwyn D. Smith signed the warrant naming Master Sergeant William Crismon the First Sergeant of Troop A, 2nd Cavalry.  At the ceremony Colonel Smith told others in attendance the story about Crismon’s lost gun incident that took place during the Mexico Expedition.   The Colonel jokingly told the ceremony gathering, “It’s a good thing Pancho Villa wasn’t assassinated with Sergeant Crismon’s Colt Single Action.  We would surely have had another International incident with Mexico”.  Francisco “Pancho” Villa had been assassinated in 1923. 

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