Having secured patents in the United States and in the principal countries of Europe, Mr. Colt exerted himself to organize a company for the manufacture of his revolver.  He met with considerable opposition, for it was commonly asserted that his pistol would never be of any practical value.  The wise ones said it was too complicated for general use, and that its adoption would be attended by the killing or maiming of the majority of those who used it.  The inventor disregarded these birds of ill omen, however, and, persevering in his efforts, finally succeeded in securing the aid of some capitalists in New York.  A company was formed in 1835, called the “Patent Arms Company,” with a capital of $300,000, and an armory was established at Paterson, New Jersey.  Mr. Colt then endeavored to induce the Government of the United States to adopt the arm in the military and naval service.  Strange as it now seems, however, the officers of the army and navy were not disposed to regard the revolver with favor.  They declared that the percussion cap was entirely unreliable, and that no weapon requiring it could be depended on with certainty; that there was great danger that two or more of the charges would explode at the same time; and that the arm was liable to get out of order very easily.  They further protested that it was much more difficult to repair than the arms then in use, and that this alone rendered it unfit for adoption by the Government.  Notwithstanding these objections were fully met by Mr. Colt, who explained carefully the principles of his weapon, it was two years before the Government consented to give the revolver a trial.

In 1837, the Florida war raged with great violence, and the Seminoles, secure in their fastnesses in the Everglades, were enabled to bid defiance to all the efforts of the army of the United States.  Their superior skill in the use of the rifle gave them an advantage which the bravery and determination of our troops could not overcome.  In this emergency, the Government consented to make a trial of Colt’s revolver.  A regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Harvey was armed with this weapon, and its success was so marked from the first that the Government promptly gave an order for more, and ended by making it the principal arm of the troops in Florida.  The savages were astounded and disheartened at seeing the troops fire six or eight times without reloading; and when the war was brought to a close, as it soon was, it was plain to all that the revolver had played a decisive part in the struggle.  It was a great triumph for Colonel Colt, but in the end proved a source of misfortune.  The speedy termination of the war put an end to the demand for his weapon, and his business fell off so greatly that in 1842 the Patent Arms Company was compelled to close its establishment and wind up its affairs.