T.W. Cofer was a Virginian gunsmith who made revolvers for the Confederate cause during the Civil War - although he never had a formal contract with the CSA. His pistols were sold privately to individual soldiers, and in at least one case bought in bulk by a unit commander.

One thing that makes Cofer stand out is that he tried to develop newer and better designs rather than simply copying the existing technology - although the demands of the war forced him to abandon his new ideas. Just a few weeks after the opening of the CSA's formal patent office, Cofer submitted a patent for a two-part revolver cylinder using self-contained cartridges.