.54 caliber, 36" barrel with three barrel bands, no S/N. Browned and color casehardened finish, smooth walnut stock, iron furniture and patchbox. Flint lock marked R JOHNSON in downward arc over a spread-winged eagle flanked by the letters US , over MIDDN CONN in an upward arc and dated 1824 at the tail. Matching 1824 date on breech plug tang, breech marked with US over depressed-P proof over JN inspection. Counterpane with script JN cartouche and block JN at tail. Old brass collection tag with the number "6" is attached to the counterpane as well. Lock in original flint configuration with matching mating mark "x" on all internal parts and hammer neck. Pan fit is perfect, touchhole is unmolested, well centered in the pan and correctly tapered and angled. Retains both sling swivels and original, correct pattern ramrod. Patchbox is void of tools. Robert Johnson received a contract for 5,000 US M1817 Rifles in March of 1819 and delivered 5,002 between 1819 and 1823. Subsequently the firm R & JD Johnson received a contract for 3,000 additional M1817 Rifles in December of 1823, delivering a total of 3,060 between 1824 and 1828. Only 220 were delivered in 1824, the year this gun was produced. The fact that the rifle retains the earlier " R JOHNSON " marking, rather than the more common " R & JD JOHNSON " marking suggests they were using up left over parts on hand for the new contract, a practice well documented on the Deringer deliveries of M1817 rifles. Although Moller notes that only 1,780 of the 3,060 rifles under this contract were browned, based upon extra payments for this finish, and suggests that none of the 1824 deliveries were so finished, it appears that this gun retains much of its original brown finish, and is not in anyway refinished. As no extra payments for browning were included in the Deringer contract, but those arms were browned, the contract price obviously included that finish. No extra payments are noted for R Johnson contract rifles, but surviving examples indicate they were likely browned as well, with the price again included in the contract. This very early R&JD Johnson contract gun, assembled from parts remaining from the first contract, was likely delivered browned as that was the process then in use at the factory at that time. As the contract progressed, bright guns were delivered under the contract terms until it was decided by the Ordnance Department to return to the brown finish. A lovely example of a scarce original flint M1817 rifle with some nice period brown finish on it.

30" double-edged spear point blade with narrow median fuller. 5.75" gilt brass hilt with flowing 4.5" foliate pattern guard. Hilt cast with an American Eagle on the obverse, a blank oval inspection panel on the reverse and with an acorn finial. Obverse langet cast with MS surmounting 13 stars within an laurel wreath, reverse langet plain, as if leaving place for an inscription. obverse of blade etched with foliate themes and United States Medical Staff . Reverse etched with foliate themes, a patriotic panoply of arms and with the motto of the United States within a ribbon. Reverse ricasso marked Clauberg / Solingen in an overall around a standing knight. Browned steel scabbard with gilt brass mounts decorated with foliate themes, upper mount with two suspension rings, middle mount with one.

.69 caliber, 26" barrel secured by to brass barrel bands, no S/N. Bright finish, brass furniture, walnut stock. Lock marked with Spread-Winged Eagle over US forward of the hammer and in three vertical lines behind the lock: SPRING/FIELD/1848 . Breech tang dated 1849, with small V/P/[eagle head] proofs at breech. A script JS cartouche is visible on the counterpane, as is a block W.C.K . inspection with a matching W.C.K . on the barrel flat forward of the bolster. Lock with two-click tumbler, not modified ca 1851-1852. Original configuration captive ramrod with swivel arms in place, as is long sling bar and ring on reverse of stock. Many of the M1847 Cavalry musketoons were either upgraded or modified as the ramrods were found to be troublesome and many locks had a third safety notch added to the tumbler to retain the percussion caps. Many were later altered to "Artillery" (Cadet) configuration and some were even rifled and sighted. This example has escaped all of those later modifications. The presence of the W.C.K. inspection presents a conundrum, as William C. Kirby appears to have worked at Harpers Ferry exclusively. Kirby's mark on barrels is most associated with M1841 reinspected rifle barrels and M1855 rifle musket barrels made at Harpers Ferry. While Moller notes that some US M1842 barrels that had flaws were shortened and used in M1847 musketoons, and that these barrels came from both Springfield and Harpers Ferry, this would only explain the Kirby re-inspection on the barrel and not its presence on the stock. At least one theory suggests that Kirby inspected arms in or for the Benicia Arsenal in California, so this gun may be that missing link that proves that theory as the presence of his marks on an otherwise correctly marked and inspected Springfield arm is truly confusing.

Period copy of the famous 1857 half plate daguerreotype taken by Whipple and Black in Boston and curated at the Boston Athenaeum. Housed in full pressed paper case.

Period photograph featuring John Brown's M-1853 Sharps carbine held by a young boy with a letter and envelope at his feet; credited on verso to R. A. Lewis, New York. Ink inscription on verso reads, " The gun taken from the hands of John Brown, at Harper's Ferry, now in possession of H. T. Drowne, New York. The lad holding it, is Drowne's son. / Presented to me by Mr. Drowne, Oct 4, 1870. "

The carbine shown in the photograph was put on display at the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park after it was discovered in a family estate in Cooperstown, NY in 1998. With the firearm was a letter written in 1870, that happens to be the very one featured in this CDV. The letter outlines the carbine's history of ownership after John Brown, beginning with General George W. Randolph, who apparently retrieved it from John Brown himself (a fact the letter states can be corroborated by Virginia Governor Henry A. Wise). Written on behalf of General Randolph's widow by Confederate Major Thomas G. Peyton, the letter was intended for a J. Lyttleton Adams. It is believed that Adams could have been an associate of the firearm's subsequent owner, New York's Henry Thayer Drowne, a noted collector of historical artifacts and the man referenced in the inscription on this CDV.

Brass pendant, 1.125 in. diameter, with " Abraham Lincoln Free Soil & Free Men" surrounding ferrotype portrait of a beardless Lincoln, .75 in. diameter; reverse with " Hannibal Hamlin Free Speech" surrounding ferrotype portrait of Hamlin, .75 in. diameter.

Silk ribbon, approx. 2.25 x 6.25 in., featuring a beardless portrait of Abraham Lincoln at center, with black printed text " Kalamazoo / Wide Awakes " above, and " For President, / Abraham Lincoln / Of Illinois " below. Portrait with indecipherable credit at lower right.

Collection of 10 clipped signatures from members of Abraham Lincoln's cabinet, ca 1864. Mounted with printed photographs after original negatives taken by Mathew Brady, 1861-1865 and framed to approx. 15 x 12 in. each. Signatures include Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, Secretary of State William Seward, Secretary of Treasury William P. Fessenden, Secretary of Navy Gideon Welles, Secretaries of War Simon Cameron and Edwin M. Stanton, Attorneys General Edward Bates and James Speed, Postmaster General William Dennison Jr., and Secretary of the Interior John P. Usher.

Accompanied by several modern reproduction photographs for display purposes.

Albumen vignette portrait published by Henry F. Warren of Waltham, MA, with recto imprint: "The Latest Photograph of President Lincoln / Taken on the Balcony at the White House, March 6, 1865 ." Waltham made three negatives that day, one of which was lost, and they are believed to be the only photographs of Lincoln taken between his second inaugural and death. This pose is cataloged by Ostendorf as O-112. Albumen print measures 10 x 13 in., on 10.5 x 15.25 in. mount. Penciled in the extreme lower right margin, " Original print (not from a copy negative) ." Warren sold this photograph in several sizes. All are rare, but this version is the largest and rarest.

Goodrich, W.L. Captain and A.A. General to Major General E.O.C. Ord. DS signed on Ord's behalf, 1p, 7.625 x 10 in., " By Telegraph from Richmond, Va." April 16, 1865. Addressed to " Captain L.L. Langdon, 1st Artillery USA 25th Army Corps Chief of Artillery. "

Dispatch of an order from General Ulysses S. Grant sent directly to Langdon regarding " depredations " committed by enlisted men, " both Black & White Cavalry," following the death of President Lincoln. Some troops exercised their anger over the assassination by terrorizing the civilian population of Petersburg, VA, and Grant's orders outline specific consequences for their actions: " . . . any persons found outraging private houses or plundering persons [shall be] summarily Shot. " Langdon must also " make [his] men rebuild fences destroyed. . . return horses, mules, etc ."

Lot of 2 albumen prints of mounted photographs featuring the Lincoln funeral procession in Cleveland by Sweeny, Cleveland, OH. One captioned " Monument Square and Pavillion [sic] / Cleveland, O. / Remains of President Lincoln Lying in State ," with pencil inscription " Gilbert Bros / Akron " on verso; the other captioned " Catafalque / Remains of President Lincoln Lying in State, Cleveland, O. " Images feature two different views of Monument Square Pavilion, with the funeral procession and mourners standing by to pay their respects to the deceased president.

Ferrotype, approx. 0.5 in., mounted on black badge with stickpin backing. Portrait bust of Abraham Lincoln, with " LINCOLN " printed above. Possibly a campaign badge from 1864 converted for memorial use.

Full plate ambrotype housed in gilt wooden frame, 7.5 x 8.75 in. A full-length view of a uniformed soldier sporting a mustache and goatee, standing in a simple studio setting sparsely decorated with a small table and what appears to be a coat rack at left. The officer is shown in a double-breasted frock coat typically worn by militia officers prior to the Civil War, complete with epaulettes and what appears to be a US Pattern 1851 sword belt plate. He poses with his sword in hand, and his dress shako with infantry hunting horn insignia and " D " rests on the table beside him. The subject's cheeks and floral table cloth are lightly tinted pink and red. Ca 1850s.

Anonymous, half plate tintype featuring officers and enlisted men of the 38th Indiana Infantry, taken around Murfreesboro, TN in April of 1863, while the 38th was encamped there following the Battle of Stones River. This spectacular outdoor image shows the men gathered around an open tent, with a captain's desk figuring prominently in the scene. Image housed in a full pressed paper case, fully separated at spine.

Accompanying period label with embossed maker's mark identifies all of the subjects, including Captain George Windell of Co. K, Captain William Leneau of Co. B, and Lieutenant James Low of Co. D. At the time this image was made, it is likely that Low had recently returned to the regiment after recovering from a serious head would received at Stones River. Low eventually took command of the 38th, but was killed at the Battle of Bentonville, NC, before the official commission and subsequent promotion was received. Additional paperwork included with lot provides more detailed biographical information of each subject, referencing official reports, company histories, and post-war memoirs.

The 38th Indiana saw extensive service in the western theater of the war, participating in over a dozen battles including Perryville, Stones River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Resaca, Kennesaw Mountain, Sherman's march, and Bentonville. The regiment suffered heavy casualties during the conflict, losing over 400 men to combat and disease before mustering out of service in July of 1865.

This photograph was published in Shadows of the Storm: Volume One of The Image of War 1861-1865 , edited by William C. Davis and published by Doubleday & Company Inc., Garden City, NY, 1981 (p. 340). A fine image.

Quarter plate ruby ambrotype featuring an armed Union cavalryman wearing a mounted services jacket complete with shoulder scales, standing next to an older man, possibly his father. Jacket trim and shoulder scales highlighted in gold. Housed in rare full Union case, Scroll Design with Patterned Center and Stars (see Krainik-42).

Lot of 2, including a very rare sixth plate daguerreotype of a Union officer holding a sword. He wears light blue trousers and a standard officer's frock coat, as well as a cap with branch insignia. Of particular note is his sash, worn high across the chest, designating him as Officer of the Day. Image features red tinting on sash and is housed in a half pressed paper case; accompanied by a later sixth plate tintype of the same man, seated with a cavalry saber and full beard. He wears a forage cap, overcoat, and unusual pocket watch fob. Consignor-assigned accompanying label reads "Civil War 7th NY Infantry." Image features gold highlights and is housed in a half pressed paper case.

Sixth plate tintype portrait of a young Union infantryman, seated with arms folded, wearing a frock coat and what appears to be a private purchase forage cap complete with regimental, company, and branch insignia, the latter of which seems to be of the false embroidered variety, and what appears to be a bucktail. Soldier's cheeks are lightly tinted pink. Housed in full Union case, of the scarce Farmer's Dream design (See Krainik-138).

5.25" spear point blade, bone handle with German Silver escutcheon with period inscription " G. A. Custer " engraved in the escutcheon. German silver guard. Blade marked with " N " shield " Y " on the reverse Sheffield. Red leather scabbard with German silver tip and throat with button. This was purchased during the sale when Dr. Frost purchased the Custer Farm.

A signed and notarized document dated February 16, 1980 stipulates provenance for the aforementioned Sheffield Bowie Knife, to whit: " This knife and sheith (sic) were acquired at public auction from Custer residence in Monroe, Michigan after Mrs. Elizabeth (Bacon) Custer died in April of 1933 by my late Husband Mr. H. M. Wilkinson. The knife was purchased from Mr. Wilkinson by C.E. Baer of Mansfield, Ohio in September of 1949 at the Richmond County Gun Collectors Meeting in Ashland, Ohio. The history of this knife was passed on to Mr. Wilkinson at the time of purchase and has been retained in the Wilkinson Family ever since the knife was purchased 46 years ago. Signed and Witnessed, Mrs. Harold Wilkinson/Mr. Carl E. Baer." Another more recent document dated March 12, 2018 on the letterhead of a Mansfield, Ohio Jeweler attests " that the engraving on this item was performed by hand and not by machine ." Nothing could be found online regarding the 1933 " public auction ."

We posit that this is likely the very blade carried by Custer during the Civil War as his personal side knife. A common knife was then a necessary if innocuous utilitarian item that was every bit as personal as, say, a pair of expensive pistols or high end sword owned by this larger-than-life personality.

Note: The wording suggests that, in fact, Carl E. Baer was the owner from 1949 and that The Wilkinson Family, namely Mrs. Wilkinson, retained only the "history" to which both parties signed the notarized document on February 16, 1980. Carl E. Baer was the husband of the current consignor.

CDV of Brigadier General Custer, published by Anthony after Brady's portrait of the ascendant American icon taken on or about February 15, 1864. Custer presented standing with clasped hands, holding a hat, catalogued in D. Mark Katz's Custer in Photographs (K-28).

Vignetted photographic engraving of a photograph illustrated in Katz' Custer in Photographs [K-77V], dated May 23, 1865 (during the Grand Review), by Mathew Brady & Co. Verso includes E & H.T. Anthony backmark and a canceled two-cent U.S. Internal Revenue Proprietary stamp.

CDV of Brevet Major General George Getty and members of his Sixth Army Corps. Eleven men presented in the group portrait, each with a handwritten identification number that corresponds to a name, in most cases. Bottom row, L to R: 1st Lt. John H. Macomber, 1st VT Heavy Artillery; unknown; Captain George W. Bonett, 3rd VT Volunteers; Captain Penrose G. Mark, 93rd PA Volunteers. Middle Row, L to R: unknown; Brevet Colonel Charles Mundee, assistant adjutant-general; Brevet Major General George W. Getty; Colonel Hazard Stevens, assistant adjutant-general. Top row, L to R: all unknown.

George Washington Getty (1819-1901) graduated from West Point in 1840 and served extensively in the pre-war Army, including ample participation in the Mexican and Seminole Wars, and even the troubles in Kansas. As the Civil War broke out, Getty was commissioned into the US 5th Light Artillery and commanded the regiment in engagements near Budd's Ferry in winter of that year. The following year, Getty commanded four batteries at Yorktown, Gaines' Mill, and Malvern Hill, and engaged at South Mountain and Antietam. He was then commissioned into the US Volunteers General Staff as a brigadier general on September 25, 1862, in which capacity he participated in the Rappahannock Campaign, engaged at Fredericksburg and in the defense of Suffolk.

During the course of the war, he was consistently promoted, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel in April of 1863, and being brevetted numerous times for his gallantry at the Battle of the Wilderness (where he was severely wounded), and his service at the Battles of Petersburg, Fisher's Hill, and Winchester. Nearly a year after the war ended, in July of 1866, Getty became Colonel of the 37th Infantry, commanding an array of districts and posts until his ultimate retirement from active service in October of 1883.

Hazard Stevens (1842-1918) enlisted as a 1st lieutenant and was commissioned into Field and Staff, NY 79th Infantry on August 1, 1861. The following month, he was commissioned into US Volunteers Adjutant General Department. He later received the Medal of Honor for action at Nansemond River, VA on April 19, 1863, when he led an assault across the river to capture enemy arms.

CDV of John Lincoln Clem, 22nd Michigan Volunteers. Morse's Gallery of the Cumberland, Nashville, TN imprint on verso.

Clem (1851-1937) of Newark, OH joined the 22nd Michigan as a drummer boy and gained notoriety for killing a Rebel Colonel at Chickamauga. General Rosecrans promoted him to "honorary sergeant" and he remained a staff pet and orderly for General Thomas until September 1864. Clem was commissioned into the regular army in 1874 and retired in 1901 as a brevet Major General. Here, Clem stands wearing sergeant's coat, tall boots, and corps badge with a pistol in his belt. Autographed with his claim to fame: " Johnny Clem / That shot the / Rebel, Colonel. "