Historic Firearms, Antique Guns, & Curiosities

Chief Cornplanter (Gaiänt’wakê) Seneca Chief from 1754 -...

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:14:00 -0400

Chief Cornplanter (Gaiänt’wakê) Seneca Chief from 1754 - 1836

Was a famous war chief of the Seneca during the French and Indian War. During the Revolutionary War he was appointed one of two war chiefs for the Iroquois Confederacy, who were allied with the British. His most famous legacy, however, is not as a warrior but as a diplomat. After the Revolutionary War he negotiated the Treaty of Fort Stanwix of 1784 which recognized Iroquois sovereignty. He even traveled to Philadelphia where he met George Washington and Gov. Thomas Mifflin were he made a speech detailing Seneca grievances against the US Government.

In 1797 he was granted 1,500 acres of land along the Allegheny River for him and his heirs “forever”. He died in 1836 but a prosperous Seneca community grew in his stead. Unfortunately his land was flooded with the erection of the Kinzua Dam in 1965, forcing the Seneca who lived on the tract to relocate.

The making and firing of a home made matchlock musket. These...

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:47:41 -0400

The making and firing of a home made matchlock musket. These folks did a really good job.

The Forgotten Soldiers of Rome —- The...

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:15:00 -0400

The Forgotten Soldiers of Rome —- The Roman Auxiliaries

When a person today imagines a Roman soldier, they typically envision the stereotypical Roman Legionary. A common staple of modern Hollywood movies, the Roman Legionary is easily identifiable by his strong but flexible plate armor, his very elaborate protective helmet, his myriad of weapons (short sword, dagger, two or three javelins), and most especially his large rectangular shield. In other words, the typical Roman soldier looks like this…

While accurate for the typical Imperial era Roman Legionary, the Legions did not make backbone of the army.

Roman Legions were Rome’s heavy infantry. Given the best training and equipment, the Roman Legions were the empire’s elite force of badasses; the best of the best. Most importantly the Roman Legions were exclusively manned by Roman citizens. Because the Roman Legions were recruited from a very select pool of men, the Legions themselves only made up around 1/4th to 2/5ths of the Roman Imperial Army. While the Roman Legions were a powerful force, the backbone of the Roman Army were the Auxiliaries.

When Rome’s first Emperor (Augustus) built the Imperial Army he understood that the legions, while formidable, were not enough to rule a vast and mighty empire. After all 90% of the inhabitants of the Roman Empire were not Roman. A diverse multicultural empire, the Romans dominate a realm consisting of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. At its height it spanned over 2.5 million square miles and was populated with over 88 million people.

Clearly the Roman legions were not enough to maintain order and defend the empire alone. Thus the Auxiliaries were created. Recruited from the empire’s many non-Roman subjects, Auxiliaries were the common foot-soldiers of the empire. While the Roman Legions were the vanguard of the army, sent to smash down the enemies of the empire, the Auxiliaries were tasked with policing the empire, maintaining order, maintaining and manning the border posts, patrolling the empire, and defending the empire from foreign invaders. To accomplish these duties Roman Auxiliaries were issued simpler and lighter armor, making them Rome’s common light infantry who could respond to a threat quickly. The common equipment of the Auxiliary was of significantly lesser quality than that issued to Roman Legions. Rather than the plate armor of the Legions the typical Auxiliaryman wore a simple chain mail shirt or armor made of hardened leather. He carried a short sword, and rather than throwing javelins was armed with a common spear. Instead of the large Roman square shield used by the Legions, he carried a smaller circular or oval shaped shield. Finally his helmet was much simpler, with less protective features and usually made of brass rather than the stronger iron. Often Auxiliaries wore helmets that weren’t even Roman at all, but those common to the Celts, Germans, Africans, or Syrians. So rather than the heavily armed and tough looking Roman Legionary, the average Roman footsoldier typically looked more like this…

The Auxiliaries also served another purpose. While the Romans created the best heavy infantry in the world, they were terribly lacking in other types of units, especially cavalry and missile troops. To fill in these gaps specialized soldiers were recruited to form Auxiliary regiments. Such soldiers could include lancers, heavy cavalry, light cavalry, archers, slingers (use slingshots), and scouts. It is even noted that in the 2nd century AD, a unit of camel troops served in the province of Syria.

Unless they were a high valued specialized unit, Roman auxiliaries tended to be payed less than their Legionary colleagues. However, after 25 years of service an Auxiliary soldier would be granted Roman citizenship and awarded a plot of land within the empire. While the recruitment of Auxiliaries provided the empire with a ready supply of common footsoldiers, the practice was often a double bladed sword. It was not uncommon for barbarians to train and learn to fight with the Roman Army as Auxiliaries, only to become rebels and future enemies of Rome. One such example was the German prince Arminius, who used his position as Auxiliary cavalry commander to trick the Romans into an ambush in the dense Teutoburg Forest. The resulting battle lead to the massacre of 20,000 Roman soldiers.

The Remington Model 1858, A creation of Eliphalet Remington and...

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:46:00 -0400

The Remington Model 1858,

A creation of Eliphalet Remington and Sons (a precursor to Remington Arms Company), the Remington Model 1858 was created as a competitor to Colt’s line of popular army and navy revolvers. Chambered for both army (.44) and navy (.36) the Remington has several advantages over the famous colt. Its one piece solid frame made it more durable than Colt’s open top models. The Remington had a special safety slot so that the hammer could be placed in between two chambers. This prevented accidental discharges since a firing pin was not sitting on a loaded chamber. Colt revolvers did not have this feature, so often the user had to carry his Colt with one chamber empty. The Remington’s most important feature was an easy to remove cylinder. Whereas the Colt had to be loaded with loose powder and bullet one chamber at a time, with the Remington the user could swap out cylinders within seconds. As a result soldiers and officers armed with a Remington would often carry multiple pre-loaded cylinders. The easy to remove cylinder also permitted the use of paper cartridges would could be inserted into the chambers. The only disadvantage the Remington had compared to the Colt was that the Colt was significantly cheaper.

Despite the extra cost, the US Army purchased many of these revolvers during the American Civil War. Soldiers and officers too would often shell out the extra money for a Remington. The result was that the Remington became the 2nd most popular revolver during the war. Remington especially hit paydirt when the Colt factory experienced a fire in 1864. As a result the US Army issued Remington’s as a substitute until Colt could go back into production. Most models were cap and ball, but later many would be converted to use metallic cartridges. Production ended in 1875 when Remington introduced a new model that was a heavily improved version of the Remington M1858. Around 132,000 were produced. Today reproductions of these revolvers are very common, made by Italian companies such as Uberti, Pietta, and Pedersoli.

Very ornate Tranter “Bulldog Style” revolver. Acid...

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:22:43 -0400

Very ornate Tranter “Bulldog Style” revolver.

Acid etched engravings, elaborate gold decorations, and mother of pearl grips.

Sold at auction: $7,000

mrsramseysshawl: Bertha Wegmann (1847 – 1926, Danish), Ivar...

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:02:23 -0400

mrsramseysshawl:

Bertha Wegmann (1847 – 1926, Danish), Ivar Rosenberg

General Wolfe’s Song, French and Indian War According to...

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:34:05 -0400

General Wolfe’s Song, French and Indian War

According to legend this song was sung by Gen. James Wolfe to his soldiers the night before the Battle of Quebec. The next day Gen. Wolfe would sustain three mortal wounds during the battle.

It is also noteable for being sung by Alexander Hamilton before his death in the Hamilton-Burr duel.

A cased pair of traveling pistols, maker unknown. —-The...

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:03 -0400

A cased pair of traveling pistols, maker unknown.

—-The brass barrels and locks on these are very intriguing. I love old brass firearms.

A pair of flintlock officers pistols, by Robert...

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:19:00 -0400

A pair of flintlock officers pistols, by Robert Wogdon.

—-Would make a lovely decorative addition to my room.

muirin007: willowclove: Miss Sanderson and the womanly art...

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:01:34 -0400

muirin007:

willowclove:

Miss Sanderson and the womanly art of parasol self defence

This is everything I have ever wanted in a photo set ever.

Glycerius A minor Roman Emperor (473-474) from the last days of...

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:08:00 -0400

Glycerius

A minor Roman Emperor (473-474) from the last days of the empire. During his short reign Glycerius accomplished nothing of notable importance.

Ethiopian painting of the Battle of Adwa, 1896 By the late...

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:47:00 -0400

Ethiopian painting of the Battle of Adwa, 1896

By the late 1890’s Ethiopia was one of the last nations in Africa that remained fully sovereign and free of European colonial rule. This all changed when Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1895. While the Italians had a force of 18,000 men, the Ethiopians were able to build a grand army consisting of 120,000 men. Furthermore they were armed with modern rifles supplied by their Russian and French allies. The two armies met on March 1st, 1896 near town of Adwa, where the Italians attempted an ill fated surprise attack in the early morning, thinking that the Ethiopians would be asleep. Unbeknownst to the Italians, the Ethiopians had risen early for special religious services. The Ethiopians counterattacked with overwhelming force, forcing the Italian Army to abandon the campaign and retreat to their colony in Eritrea.

Irish fiddles with banjo, Anna Ludlow and Gillian Boucher

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:02:24 -0400

Irish fiddles with banjo, Anna Ludlow and Gillian Boucher

The only woman ever awarded the Medal of Honor —- Dr. Mary...

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:38:00 -0400

The only woman ever awarded the Medal of Honor —- Dr. Mary Walker, American Civil War

During the outbreak of the US Civil War in 1861, Dr. Mary Walker abandoned her private practice in Rome, New York to volunteer with the US Army medical services. Though a trained and certified physician, she was at first only permitted to work as a nurse, often only on a volunteer basis with no pay. In 1863 due to exceptional performance and a greater demand for trained medical personnel, Walker was hired by the US Army as a civilian army surgeon, the first and only woman to be directly employed to such a position during the war.

Dr. Walker served with incredible distinction, making a reputation for herself among the soldiers. Her most defining characteristic was her willingness to brave any danger to treat her patients. Unlike most medical personnel of the age, Dr. Walker often treated soldiers directly on the battlefield, braving musket and cannon fire to rescue and triage wounded soldiers. Dr. Walker also would not hesitate to cross enemy lines if needed. Unfortunately on April 10th, 1864 her courage got the best of her when she was captured by the Confederates and arrested as a spy. Since she was a woman the Confederates chose not to hang her, the traditional fate of spies. Rather she was imprisoned as a POW until she was released as part of a prisoner exchange on August 12th, 1864.

Throughout the remainder of the war she served as a surgeon during the Atlanta campaign and Sherman’s march to the sea. After the war Gen. William T. Sherman and Gen. George Henry Thomas recommended her for the Medal of Honor, the highest military award in the country. President Andrew Johnson present her with the medal on November 11th, 1865.

After the war Dr. Mary Walker made a living as a writer and lecturer. She was an outspoken supporter of women’s rights, equality, feminism, and women’s suffrage. In 1917 the military reviewed the Medal of Honor rolls, determining that the award should be only exclusively granted as a military award. Her Medal of Honor, along with that of seven civilians who earned the award, was stripped from her and her name removed from the official registry of recipients. Regardless of the ruling by the military Walker continued to wear the medal until her death in 1917. She had earned the medal, and be damned the man who tried to take it away from her.

In 1977 President Jimmy Carter restored her status as a Medal of Honor recipient. She remains the only woman to ever win the award.

The Frankenau Purse pistol, One of the great oddities of the...

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:00:18 -0400

The Frankenau Purse pistol,

One of the great oddities of the 1800’s were the many ways gunsmiths and gunmakers found to hide firearms in everyday objects. One such creation was the purse pistol, a highly concealable weapon popular among Victorian Era ladies. Often the weapon was a flintlock or percussion lock pistol that was built inside of the purse. Later the purse would be made with five shot pinfire or rimfire revolvers.

The example above is of a five shot 5mm pinfire revolver made by Frankenau and sold both in Europe and the United States. As you can see the revolver is built into the frame of the purse itself. A long trigger mechanism folds out from the bottom of the purse, so that the pistol can be fired with the purse closed. When not in use the trigger folds back up into the purse. The series of holes in the lid serve to allow for the escape of gasses when fired. Today these pistols are very rare and seldom in good condition, as they were pieces that were constantly carried, used, and worn. The example above is estimated to be worth around $5,000 - $8,000.

Vetterli single shot police carbine with bayonet.

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:44:12 -0400

Vetterli single shot police carbine with bayonet.

Sikh Warriors, India, mid 19th century.

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:39:18 -0400

Sikh Warriors, India, mid 19th century.

Pair of nickel plated single shot needle fire pistols made...

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:26:21 -0400

Pair of nickel plated single shot needle fire pistols made by L. Joalland & Cie Bte. S. G. O. G., 19th century.

A cased pair of flintlock officers pistols by Clark of London.

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:19:26 -0400

A cased pair of flintlock officers pistols by Clark of London.

Photo

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:01:34 -0400