The 45 ACP was designed to mimic the 45 COLT GOVERNMENT [a.k.a.-45 short COLT] cartridge that was made to fit in both the 45 COLT SAA revolvers as well as the S&W Schofield revolvers, not the 45 COLT [a.k.a.-45 long COLT] cartridge.
The 45 COLT GOV. being shorter had less power, so it was not a horse stopper like unto the 45 COLT cartridge.
By the time of the Spanish American War the US soldiers were carrying revolvers chambered in 38 Long COLT, of which would not STOP the Moro warriors. So the US military decided to pull the 45 COLT GOVERNMENT chambered revolvers out of mothballs for this task. They worked well at stopping doped up men so when the US military decided they wanted semi-auto pistols they wished it to mimic the 45 COLT GOV. cartridge being it proved to be an efficient MAN STOPPER.
To put all this another way, the 45 COLT is the father cartridge to the 45 COLT GOV. and the 45 Schofield was more like its mother cartridge. Then the 45 COLT GOV. was the father to the 45 ACP, which made the 45 COLT the grandfather of the 45 ACP.
Long Live all the 45 caliber somethings or another!
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