Rifle stocked 1860 Colt and 1858 Remington revolvers were common during the Civil War. Trouble happend when the 1858 Remington was built as a true carbine. Cap & ball revolvers can and do chain fire- meaning that several chanbers go off simultaneously. In a revolver, this is a problem, but the shooter usually isnt harmed. In a carbine where the shooter tends to place his supporting hand on the barrel, a chain fire means 4 or 5 shots in the hand. This actually happened during the Civil War. The Remington had the advantage of rapid cylinder change, but thats about it.
In my opinion, a Civil War officer would have been far better off armed with a breechloading carbine such as the Smith-Carbine or Manard Carbine. These guns offer a high rete of fire in comparison to a rifled musket and are relatively light in weight. As I recall, General Beaufords Cavalry was armed with Smith Carbines, holding the high ground on the 1st day of Gettysburg, setting the stage for Lee's loss.
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