Page 166 - 87-BOOK3

Howell Cobb
164
LOT 3225
Very Fine Wm. Read & Sons Marked Brass Naval Style Muzzle Loading Cannon with Carriage - NSN, 1 3/4 Inch , 30 1/2 inch round bbl., bright finish. William Read & Sons was a well known sporting goods store that opened early in the 1850s in Boston. This cannon bears their mark on the rear of the tube
just above the cascabel. The cannon itself was likely intended as a small signal cannon or as a light defensive weapon for merchant ships. The tube measures approximately 33 1/4 inches from the muzzle to the end of the cascabel and the bore measures approximately 1 3/4-1 7/8 inches, which would use a 2 pound cannon ball.. The trunnions measure approximately 9 1/4 inches across. It is mounted on a mahogany stepped naval style carriage with its original tube elevation wedge.
CONDITION: Very fine overall, the brass tube and fittings showing a mellow attractively aged patina and the dark wood of the carriage showing some mild wear. An attractive naval style cannon that is the perfect size for display! Estimate: 8,500 - 13,000
LOT 3226
Historic
Mexican-
American
War Era
Presentation
Carved Bone
Cane Inscribed
Flag Staff
National Palace
Mexico Presented by Brigadier General Belknap - The top of the grip on this cane
is inscribed “Flag Staff/National Palace/ MEXICO/Presented by/Brig. Genl. Belknap”. This inscription almost certainly refers to William G. Belknap (1794-1851). Belknap was a first lieutenant during the War of 1812, during which he was wounded during a sortie against the besieging British forces
at Fort Erie, Ontario. He was promoted to captain on 1 February 1822 and then brevet lieutenant colonel on 15 March 1842 for his services during the Second Seminole War. He then took part in the Mexican-American War, where he was involved in multiple battles, and was promoted to colonel for gallantry during General Zachary Taylor’s
Rio Grande campaign. At the Battle of Monterrey, he was inspector general, and he was promoted to brigadier general by brevet on 23 February 1847 for his services at the Battle of Buena Vista. The shaft appears to have been from a flag staff captured at the National Palace in Mexico. After the war, he returned to the rank of lieutenant colonel and commanded his regiment at various western outposts in the United States and
in 1851 died of typhoid dysentery near Fort Washita. The knob grip of the cane appears to be bone carved with multiple facets around the sides and the inscription on top as noted. The smooth shaft appears to be walnut and is not tipped. It measures 33 1/8 inches overall.
CONDITION: Very good, the grip showing an attractively aged appearance with some hairline age cracks. The shaft is good with a stabilized minor crack running 3/4 of
the length, a minor chip near the tip, and otherwise minimal handling evidence. Estimate: 2,500 - 4,000
LOT 3227
Historic Pre-Civil War Presentation
Cane Inscribed to Lieutenant David Constable of the
U.S. Revenue
Service from
Howell Cobb, a
Founder of the
Confederacy - This cane is packed full
of incredible history, having been presented just a few years before the outbreak of the Civil War. The inscription on top of the
grip reads, “Lieut. D.C.Constable,/U.S.R.S./
from Howell Cobb./July 1858.” Howell
Cobb (1815-1868) was elected to the U.S.
house of representatives in 1843 until
1851 when he was elected governor of
Georgia, where he served until 1853. In
1857 he was appointed Secretary of the
Treasury by President Buchanan, and served there until December of 1860. The presentation of this cane in 1858 makes complete sense,
given the connections between the Revenue Service and the Department of the Treasury. After his resignation, Cobb would go on to serve as president of a convention of the seceded states in February of 1861, and it was under his
guidance that the constitution for the Confederacy was drafted. He was then commissioned as a colonel and then brigadier general in the Confederate army, with he and his brigade seeing combat in the Peninsula Campaign,
as well as the battles of Seven Days,
South Mountain, Crampton’s Gap,
and Antietam. Lieutenant David C.
Constable was clearly an officer in the
U.S. Revenue Cutter Service as early
as 1858, and in April of 1862 assumed command of the USRC Naugatuk/E.A.
Stevens, the first iron clad warship in the Cutter Service, which was on service at Hampton Roads as part of the Union’s
North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. The
ship was involved in the hunt for the Confederate iron clad CSS Virginia and exchanged fire with the vessel at one
point, as well as being involved in the
assaults on the fortifications of the James
River, including Drewry’s Bluff. It is unclear if there was a deeper personal or professional connection between Cobb and Constable other than that which has previously been stated. Apart from the inscription, the gilt knob grip of the cane has extensive floral motifs
and is fitted to a shaft that may be fruitwood,
having smooth knobs and tipped with iron. It
measures 36 inches overall.
CONDITION: Very good overall, the grip showing most of the bright gilt finish with minimal handling evidence, and the shaft having some scattered light handling marks and a hairline crack near the tip. An interesting presentation piece that clearly illustrates the deep rifts caused by the Civil War!
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,500