1. I can’t read it, what does it say?

   1

2. Yea, Im a bit muddled on this 1.

3. I can read a fair portion of it; as handwriting goes it’s fair to middling.
   Among other things, it says:
   “Mr. S [H.L. Stevens]… has consented to take charge of the long standing claims of myself & others growing out of the Submarine experiments made by me for the information and under the direction of the Navy Department when Mr Badger [?] and Mr Re…? was at its head.”

   What, Sam Colt working on submarines? I’m not sure about the date on the letter, it looks like Dec 3, 1887 but the year is not clear. Hm, that can’t be right, he died in 1862, so it must be 1857 then.

   Google to the rescue, sure enough https://www.biography.com/people/samuel-colt-9254072 mentions his work on submarines, before he switched to gunmaking. Amazing.

4. I had the privilege to assist Clayton Cramer with his book “Lock, Stock and Barrel. The origins of American Gun Culture” (Great book by the way) . He was given access to Col. Colt’s mail and it was an amazing enterprise. And Mr. Colt had an atrocious penmanship and his spelling was not up there either.

   1. Thats awesome guy. I will look for that book. Thank you Sir

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