Just to be picky again, but ".45 Government" is not .45 Colt (there really is no such thing as ".45 Long Colt").
.45 Government is the same as .45 Colt, but has a shorter case and a lighter bullet; it was designed to work in both the Colt Model 1873 and the S&W Schofield. From about 1874 to 1909, it was the only pistol (revolver) cartridge made by Frankford Arsenal and the only one issued to the U.S. Army. In spite of many writings to the contrary, the Army never used the .45 Colt in the Indian wars or in the Philippines during that period.
(One presumes, though, that the revolvers in question were actually chambered for .45 Colt, so that both cartridges would fit.)
Jim
Hmmm...I'll be picky for a change, since certain subjects are getting confusing pertaining to this hi-jacked thread.
The Colt 1873, chambered in .45 colt, was ordered from Colt primarily for issue to the U.S. Cavalry during the time of the Indian wars West of the Mississippi River.
***added: The term "Indian wars West of the Mississippi" is commonly used to differentiate the Indian wars in the US, the "Indian wars East of the Mississippi" were in an earlier time period.***
To establish a timeline period, these Indian wars were from 1823-1890. Two later battles were fought,1898 battle of Sugar Point (Minnesota), and 1918 battle of Bear Valley (Arizona).
***added: Refers to the "Indian wars West of the Mississippi", and identifies the time period.***
The .45 S&W (Schofield) was manufactured for the S&W model 3 top break which was newly available on the civilian market. The .45 colt was a 250 grain slug, and the .45 S&W weighed in at 230 grains (and .15" shorter case).
The original .45 S&W cartridge would fit into the .45 colt chamber, BUT the chamber could not be completely loaded due to its larger rim diameter. The .45 S&W cartridge was later redesigned as the M1877 ball cartridge which also had a smaller rim diameter. The redesign allowed the .45 S&W to fit the S&W model 3 and the Colt 1873. At that time, the 1873 Colt could have a fully loaded chamber. The Frankford Arsenal standardized the round later in the 1880's. It is to be noted the Colt 1873 was never chambered to fit the .45 S&W round.
The S&W model 3 did see service within the U.S. Cavalry (8,000+ in 1879) due to the fact it could be loaded faster than the Colt in service. That made a difference, on horseback especially.
***added:A more detailed explanation pertaining to the S&W model 3 Schofield version is to be found in my next post as to not have to cover the same ground twice. Please note the 1873 Colt was ordered by, and put into use by the U.S. Cavalry prior to the development,orders placed,acceptance, and issuance of the Smith & Wesson model 3 Schofield version.***
At no time did Colt manufacture a .45 Long Colt cartridge. That was a common term to differentiate the shells as the .45 colt would not chamber into the model 3. Hence the need for standardization if additional model 3's were to placed into service.
After the Indian wars were supposedly over, the U.S. Cavalry were issued double action Colt .38s beginning in 1893. The turned in Cavalry .45s were still standard issue to the infantry and artillery divisions.
In 1894, the Chief of Ordinance, Brigadier General D.W. Flagler, issued a request for a shorter length barreled 1873 Colt. That is another story in itself.
The Spanish-American war of 1898, and the other later conflicts, still saw many, many Colt 1873s in service, and with .45 S&W issued ammo.
The early first years of it combat service within the Indian wars, however, required .45 colt ammo. That is unless you wanted to ride into battle with only four rounds in a six round chamber.
Since the early days of its production, the Colt single action has been chambered to include the following calibers:
.22 rimfire/.32 rimfire/.32 colt/.32 s&w/.32-44/.32-20/.38 long colt/.38 s&w/.38 colt special/.38 s&w special/.38-44/.357 magnum/.380 eley/.38-40/.41 long colt/.44smoothbore/.44 rimfire/.44 German/ .44 Russian/.44 American/ .44special/.44-40/.45 colt/.45 smoothbore/ .45 ACP/ .450 boxer/.450 eley/.455 eley/.476 eley