"Crossed Pistols"     Military Police Insignia

... and how the Military Police Corps adopted it.

In 1920, when a reorganization of the Army occurred, the original staff studies assigned 5000 infantrymen to the Military Police mission. Chief of Infantry, Major General Farnsworth, protested this arrangement because it charged him with troops that he would never have under his control. He won his point with the General Staff and the War Department created another temporary arm of the service: the Corps of Military Police.

Military Police Pistols Have A Unique History

The two Harper's Ferry pistols in the Military Police Museum at Fort Leonard Wood , MO, are special to the MP Corps. They are a part of MP Corps history, and they are unique originals in their own right, with their own unique history and personalities.

The serial number of one of the two Military Police pistols is 754. The other one has no serial number, no proof mark and no "U.S." mark. The markings were probably never on the barrel. There is no indication at all that they were worn off. Perhaps a later replacement barrel? Harper's Ferry weapons experts may be consulted on this issue.

Just the Facts ...

• Harper's Ferry pistol was the first pistol manufactured by a national armory (Harper's Ferry Armory, WV)
  
  
• Harper's Ferry Model 1805, 1806, 1807 and 1808 flintlock pistols were all identical - there were no changes in design during this model year sequence.
  
  
• The .54 caliber, single-shot, smooth bore Harper's Ferry flintlock pistol was intended for field duty and was issued as an officer's pistol.
  
  
• Harper's Ferry model 1805-1808 flintlock pistols were known then as "horsemen's pistols" and were produced in pairs; both pistols having identical serial numbers.
  
  
• No serial number higher than 2048 has ever been discovered -- and that is exactly half of the number recorded as produced at the Harper's Ferry Armory.