Bruneau & Co.'s Aug. 5th Historic Arms & Militaria Auction Has 350 Lots From Museums And Collections

By Author: Joel Bohy
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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.

The auction, starting at 10 am Eastern time, contains 350 lots. In addition to the items mentioned, the catalog also features an artillery officer’s coatee worn by Lt. Julius Adolphus De Lagnel in 1847, the Confederate artillery uniform of Julius’s brother Capt. Johnston De Lagnel, flintlock pistols and muskets, a large selection of percussion muskets, socket bayonets, and other objects.

“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.