FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 4, 2004 CONTACT: Nancy Callison American Forests Historic Wood Company 8701 Old Kings Road Jacksonville, FL 32219 904-765-0727 904-768-4630 (fax) Email: ncallison@historictrees.org
Lee versus Grant historic pistols bring the struggle to life again
Historic wood firearm collection also benefits the environment and honors America’s Armed Forces
Jacksonville, FL – Just in time for holiday giving, Investment Arms introduces two new products for collectors - limited edition historic wood firearms. Civil War history buffs will thrill to own these pistols, gripped with wood from old trees at sites where the Generals lived and fought. Honoring General Robert E. Lee and General Ulysses S. Grant, these black powder pistols are reproductions of firearms used during the Civil War. Only 5000 Robert E. Lee Special Edition 1851 Revolvers will be made, with the first 500 Lee pistols paired in a matched set with the General Ulysses S. Grant Special Edition 1851 Revolver.
The Lee and Grant pistols are part of Investment Arms’ Historic Wood Collection, using wood from trees that have been “silent witnesses” to important events in America’s history, or that have grown at homes or graves of famous Americans. The first pistols in the collection, the Sergeant Alvin York 1911 Peerless Grade and Issue Grade pistols were introduced earlier in 2004 and Investment Arms offers collectors the option of reserving in advance the same series number for future releases. Future items in the collection will feature wood from other important time periods in America’s history. Go to www.historicwood.org/ia to view the entire collection of historic firearms. Considered one of the most popular models during Civil War times, the Colt 1851 Navy revolver was a .36 caliber black-powder revolver which was prized for its lightweight design. Over 200,000 of these 1851s were manufactured by Colt and the revolver was considered to be an improvement over earlier models because of a cylinder shot redesign which gave it higher firing reliability. The Robert E. Lee Special Edition 1851 Revolver, a reproduction of the pistol personally carried by General Lee during the Civil War, showcases wood for the pistol’s grip that originates from a cherry tree on the grounds of Stratford Hall Plantation in Virginia where General Lee was born. Lee’s ancestral home and birthplace is located on the Potomac River in Westmoreland County, VA in the area known as the Northern Neck. This cherry tree suffered damage from a 1998 storm.
The Ulysses S. Grant Special Edition 1851 Revolver grip features wood from a honey locust tree that witnessed the historic surrender of Lee to Grant on April 9, 1865. At the time of the tree’s death in 2000, it was determined to be 186 years old. The honey locust grew on the southern edge of the Richmond-Lynchburg State Road where General Lee and 28,000 Confederate soldiers filed past and turned in their arms in surrender. Formal surrender ceremonies were held three days later on the green known as Surrender Triangle at today’s Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. The Lee/Grant pistol set comes with a beautiful dual pistol display case made with inlays of wood from both the Lee cherry tree and the Grant honey locust tree. Investment Arms has pledged that each historic wood collection firearm purchased will fund the planting of trees, to honor Americans serving in the armed forces. Called Liberty Forests, the trees will be planted in environmental restoration projects dedicated to the 1,384,000 men and women currently serving in the United States Armed Forces. American Forests will plant the Liberty Trees and provide a complimentary one-year membership to pistol purchasers which also include a one-year subscription to American Forests Magazine. ### Images available upon request
American Forests (www.americanforests.org), founded in 1875, is the nation’s oldest nonprofit citizens’ conservation organization. We are a world leader in planting trees for environmental restoration, a pioneer in the science and practice of urban forestry, and a primary communicator of the benefits of trees and forests. American Forests Historic Tree Company (www.historictrees.org), a division of American Forests, is dedicated to bringing history alive by propagating and selling the descendents of famous and historic trees (www.historictrees.org/store) and by working with prestigious manufacturing companies to incorporate fallen rare historic wood into collectible items (www.historicwood.org). American Forests Historic Tree Company is also committed to enhancing the quality of life for all Americans by building strategic partnerships with corporations and organizations to advance mutual environmental initiatives that help reforest damaged ecosystems (www.environmentalmarketingco.org).
Investment Arms (www.investmentarms.com) is the country’s leading designer of Limited Edition firearms. Using 24-karat gold, the purest form of nickel and various special finishes, for over 10 years Investment Arms has turned firearms into the most beautiful, durable and collectable, heirloom-quality firearms for the most discriminating customers. The Investment Arms firearms have been beautifully engraved with historical scenes by some of the industry’s finest artists.