"Was this the .38 Long Colt revolver that started the army on a search for an automatic .45?"
The Colt Army & Navy DA revolver, in several variations and chambered in .38 Long Colt (the "U.S. Service Cartridge"), was the official U. S. military revolver at the turn of the 20th Century. The reputed poor performance of the revolver and cartridge in the Philippines prompted a search for something more effective. Wesson's answer was S&W's Model of 1899 revolver in .38 S&W Special, which was more powerful. And of course, both .38 LC and the .38 S&W Special cartridges could be used with it (the .38 Special being only a longer version of the .38 LC). Apparently, this was not the answer the military sought. So. I'd say that the answer to your question is no, it was the Colt.
Starting in 1905, the Army got serious about a better handgun and through a series of tests and trials, finally adopted the Colt Model of 1909 (Colt New Service) revolver, chambered for a cartridge which was essentially the .45 Colt cartridge (mainly for stopgap use in the Philippines), and shortly thereafter, the Model of 1911 in .45 ACP.
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