Cranston, RI, USA, July 24, 2023 -- A powder horn used by a Revolutionary War soldier at the Siege of Boston, a uniform worn by a Confederate captain during the Civil War, and a Civil War-era Missouri First National Confederate flag and sash are a few of the expected highlights in Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers’ Historic Arms & Militaria auction slated for Saturday, August 5th, live and online.
“Much of the material in this auction comes from museums and private collections,” said Joel Bohy, Bruneau & Co.’s Director of Arms & Militaria. “Many of the arms are from the collection of William “Billy” McMillen, who was a good friend and collector of American martial muskets and pistols. The uniforms were deaccessioned by the Valentine Museum in Richmond, Virginia.”
The 12-inch-long, Rev War cow horn belonged to Richard Andrus, from Simsbury, Conn. He marched as a member of Captain Abel Pettibone’s 7th Company, 2nd Regiment, to the Siege of Boston (and then to Roxbury, Mass.). The horn, marked with foliate designs, trees and a soldier, is marked, “Richard Andrus his / horn made at Roxbury, Massachusetts” (est. $4,000-$8,000).
The Confederate uniform was worn by Johnston De Lagnel, a captain in the 20th Virginia Artillery Battalion who fought in the Civil War but reportedly died of pneumonia in 1864. The uniform includes a cadet gray superfine broadcloth frock coat with buttons and captain’s bars (and the original tailor’s receipt in one pocket) and cadet gray trousers (est. $10,000-$15,000).
The Missouri First National Confederate flag and sash originally belonged to Russell B. Caples, who joined the Confederate army as a private in Searcy’s Sharpshooters and was later wounded at the Battle of Vicksburg. The flag, 4 feet by 6 feet, is hand-sewn silk with red, white and red stripes, a blue silk canton with 14 white silk stars and a silk officer’s sash (est. $5,000-$7,000).
The circa 1847-49 officer’s artillery coatee (tight-fitting uniform coat) worn by Julius Adolphus De Lagnel (the brother of Johnston De Lagnel) features a blue superfine broadcloth body, plus a red leather belt and skirts lined with scarlet broadcloth. It was passed down by a descendant until being donated to a museum in 1962, along with Johnston’s officers uniform (est. $3,000-$5,000).
A circa 1762 British pattern 1759 Elliott light dragoon pistol with a .68 bore, just over 15 inches long (with a 9-inch barrel), features a walnut stock with a light storekeeper’s stamp on the upper right wrist, brass fittings, a lock engraved with double incised lines, a government ownership stamp of a broad arrow and crown and a brass-tipped wooden ramrod (est. $3,000-$5,000).
A circa 1853 Springfield Armory Model 1851 cadet rifled musket with a 40-inch barrel and an overall length of 55 inches is expected to realize $1,500-$2,500. The U.S.-made cadet musket (one of 342 that were rifled and fitted with long range sights and sent to West Point to update the smoothbores used previously) is a .57 caliber weapon with serial #234 on the lower barrel band.
A Civil War-era Whitney U.S. Navy Model 1861 Plymouth rifle (.69 caliber, serial #5544) is 50 ¼ inches long, with a 34 ¼ inch barrel. It has a walnut stock with a crisp cartouche on the left side, steel fittings, a butt plate tang marked “US”, a lock marked “1863” and “U.S. Whitneyville” with a large eagle and flag, a barrel tang marked “5544” and a steel ramrod (est. $2,000-$4,000).
A Confederate Lemat Grapeshot revolver (.44 caliber, 16 gauge, serial #1645, all matching) has checkered walnut grips with a light “C.S.A.” stamped on the upper left side, an octagonal barrel marked on the top flat with foliate designs and “Col Le Mat Bte S.G.D.G. Paris”, and a 6 ¾ inch barrel (overall length is just over 13 inches). The cylinder is marked “1645” (est. $5,000-$7,000).
A circa 1863 U.S. Model 1863 Lindsay double rifle musket (.58 caliber, with a 41 ¼ inch barrel and overall 56 inches long) boasts a walnut stock with two crisp cartouche marks on the left side and a small “K” on the comb in front of the butt plate, steel fittings, the butt plate tang barked “US” and the top of the breech marked “Lindsay / Patent’d Oct. 9, 1860” (est. $2,000-$4,000).
A World War I-era French MAT Model 1917 RSC rifle (8mm Lebel, serial #F23385, matching), has a walnut stock with a round cartouche on the right side of the butt, a 31 ½ inch barrel and an overall length of 52 ½ inches, the serial number showing on the left side of the butt and base of the forestock, and marked on the right side of the barrel base “MA T1917” (est. $2,000-$3,000).
Online bidding will be provided by bidLIVE.Bruneauandco.com and the mobile app “Bruneau & Co.” on iTunes or GooglePlay, plus the platforms LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com.
Live, in-gallery previews will be held on Thursday and Friday, Friday, August 3rd and 4th, from 9 am to 4 pm Eastern time, and on auction day, August 5th, when doors open at 8 am, or by appointment, in the Bruneau & Co. gallery located at 63 Fourth Avenue in Cranston, R.I. To schedule an appointment, call 401-533-9980; or, send them an email at info@bruneauandco.com.
All winning bids will be subject to a 17.5 percent buyer’s premium, with a 3 percent cash or check discount when bidding on the Bruneau & Co. platform and app only. Third party bidding platforms will be subject to a 20.5 percent buyer’s premium, with no discount.
Before purchasing a firearm at auction, Bruneau & Co Auctioneers recommends having it examined by a qualified gunsmith to determine whether or not it is safe to use. FFL transfers are handled by Lost Treasures in Pawtucket, RI, and are subject to a $35 fee.
To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the online-only Historic Arms & Militaria auction planned for Saturday, August 5th at 10 am Eastern time, visit www.bruneauandco.com.
About Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers:
Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions, with commissions as low as zero percent. Now would be a perfect time to clean out your attic. To contact Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers about consigning a single piece or an entire collection, you may send an e-mail to info@bruneauandco.com. Or, you can phone them at 401-533-9980. To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers, please visit www.bruneauandco.com. Updates are posted frequently.