Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry: The Hero of Lake Erie

Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, often simply referred to as Commodore Perry is a name that sounds familiar to many, but who few know anything about. First off, he is not to be confused with his younger brother Commodore Matthew C. Perry. Oliver Perry was a distinguished U.S. naval man whose career extends back to 1797 when at the tender age of 12, he sailed with his father, USN Captain Christopher Raymond Perry, to the West Indies. By early 1799 he was made a midshipman in the Navy on his father's ship the USS General Greene, and saw combat the very next year during the slave rebellion in Haiti, then a French colony. He would continue to serve in the Barbary Wars and in the Caribbean against pirates, but is best known for his actions during the War of 1812 when he earned the nickname "The Hero of Lake Erie."

Lot 3120: Historic Early 19th Century Tailcoat, Waistcoat, War Trousers, Hat, Dirk, and Eagle Head-Pommel Sword with Documentation Attributed to Hero of Lake Erie Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry

The British, as is well-known, had the world's most powerful navy at the turn of the 18th century, a position it would hold until World War II. At the beginning of that conflict, the Brits were using that naval muscle to control most of the Great Lakes, in addition to many of the connecting rivers and advantageous cities along the coasts. The Americans, with their tiny, yet frantically growing navy, was in no position to stop them. Their only hope was to either capture British ships, bring in ships from other parts of the country, or purchase already built ships and convert them into warships. No one could expect to build ships in the presence of the British Navy, could they?

It would take a miracle for a rag-tag fleet to go against the British Navy with any notion of success. Unfortunately, the problems were more widespread than a lack of able vessels. The British controlled the Great Lakes with the exception of Lake Huron, men were scarce and inexperienced, shipbuilders were absent, essentials such as rope and rigging were nonexistent, a single cannon was available, the chain of command was frustrating at best, and British and Native American enemies could attack whenever they saw fit. The scenario would be nearly comical were the consequences not so great. It was this scenario that Oliver Hazard Perry was placed in command, headquartered at the recently established naval base at Presque Isle Bay by Erie, Pennsylvania.

Oliver Hazard Perry, 1818

Perry took the helm in March of 1813, but thankfully two short months earlier William Jones had replaced Paul Hamilton as the Secretary of the Navy. Simultaneously serving as the Secretary of the Treasury, Jones had recognized the bleak situation at Presque Bay and was beginning to make the necessary changes. He ordered two corvette ships built and brought in the necessary shipwrights to oversee the task. However, even these ships were being completed under less than ideal conditions with wooden pegs being used in construction instead of scarce nails, and hulls were much thinner than standard construction warships. Haste was a necessity and it came at the price of quality ships. Cannons were en route all the way from Chesapeake Bay and not a moment too soon, as the British soon thereafter raided the foundry from whence they came.

The assignment to Lake Erie was not a dream assignment for Perry. He undoubtedly hoped for an assignment on the vast and mighty oceans to face the best the British had to offer. Instead he was shipped inland to serve as master commandant under the timid Commodore Isaac Chauncey, who was based in Sackett's Harbor, New York on Lake Ontario. With his commanding officer over 200 miles away and with no canals yet built around the daunting Niagra Falls, Perry was relatively independent. Such autonomy was an acceptable consolation for the young officer, or likely would have been until he saw the conditions of Presque Isle. His half-finished ships were there, as was the aforementioned single cannon, but the carpenters and guards he had requested had fled in fear of the British and Native American threat, or so he believed. The town of Presque Isle had deserted as well, so he was unable to recruit local workers. Taking control of Lake Erie from the British was a prerequisite for other American goals in the War of 1812, but the situation would be enough to dishearten even the stoutest optimist.

The first act for the 27-year old Perry was to set up defenses for the Isle, and send for men and supplies. Unfortunately, Commodore Chauncey has a reputation far from that of a battle-hardened sailor. Known more as mild-mannered and cautious, Chauncey often gave responses to Perry's requests that he was too busy defending Ontario, if he responded at all. As if giving no assistance to Perry was infuriating enough, Chauncey also commandeered approximately 150 of Perry's personally trained and loyal sailors, that had accompanied him from his previous command in Rhode Island. Also poaching men from Perry was a fellow Master Commandant Jesse Duncan Elliot, a "fat, sloppy, Mary-land born navy officer," who would serve as Perry's Moriarty for  the entirety of his short career. Perry had been given command on Lake Erie, a position Elliot felt entitled to not only because of a recent victory, but because Lake Erie was the venue of a prior great success. Watching the position go to Perry embittered Elliot tremendously against him. The lack of response from Perry's superiors and the undermining of his requested manpower must have been endlessly exasperating for the young man, yet he persisted. He begged, borrowed, prodded and pleaded, before eventually traveling to Pittsburgh to visit with a naval agent under the pretense of receiving supplies such as rope, canvas, and cannons. In a stroke of luck, Perry found the 50 shipbuilders and carpenters that were to be in Presque upon his arrival, but on the way back, the Navy shipped their tools on a different route that tripled their transit time. Bad luck seemed to vex him at every turn, but as every good sailor knows, winds can quickly change. After all, he had also convinced a leader of the Pennsylvania militia to assign him 500 men to guard his burgeoning shipyard.

Perry's need was dire, so when Chauncey requested his help to attack the British-held Ft. George on the Niagra River, he obliged, no doubt hoping that the Commodore would look more favorably on his situation. The United States won the battle with Perry personally leading a charge of the marines, earning the praise of Chauncey. While he could spare no new men for Perry, he did allow Perry to utilize the spoils of the battle, namely five former merchant vessels with seven cannons between them. Perry, along with 250 men and a team of oxen, were forced to lug the ships into Lake Erie against the current of the Niagra River. It took six days of exhausting, backbreaking work pulling into the wind with three British ships nipping at their heels, but the ships were hauled into the relative safety of Presque Isle Bay before the British ships could stop them. Perry noted his as "one of the hardest tasks I have ever faced," and he owed part of it to fate. At one point, a fog surrounded the ships when British crafts coming to intercept the incoming ships were only a half mile way, the natural shroud hid the newly captured fleet and the British sailed harmlessly past. By July of 1813, five short months after Perry arrived, he had his fleet. Noah Brown, the shipbuilder sent by the Navy, along with 200 men, had finished the 100-foot schooners Niagra and Lawrence, each with twenty guns, along with three other gunboats and a pilot boat. All this in a time without power tools and during the harsh winter months makes this an incredible feat. After adding cannons to the five re-purposed merchant ships, Perry now outgunned the British fleet, but lacked the 740-750 men to operate his vessels.

It was two short months prior, on June 1, 1813, that Perry's dear friend Captain James Lawrence was killed in battle when his ship the USS Chesapeake was captured by the HMS Shannon. It was his death that inspired Perry to name his flagship the USS Lawrence, and to commission a flag emblazoned with the late captain's dying words, "Don't give up the ship."

He had the motivation, he had the guns, he had the opportunities, but Perry did not have the men no matter how many impassioned letters he sent to Chauncey. Even with General William Henry Harrison imploring Perry to fight, he could only humbly reply that he would had he the men. Quotes of frequent letters from Perry to Chauncey show Perry's desperation to fight and win over the outgunned and outnumbered British fleet.

Jul 20: ‘The enemy’s fleet of six sail are now off the bar of this harbor. What a golden opportunity should we have men.’

July 23: "For God's sake and yours and mine, send me men and officers...send me officers and men and honour is within our grasp.’"

He even offered to let Chauncey take command so the Commodore might claim the victory as his own. The letters had some effect, but not as powerfully as Perry might have hoped. Several days later 70 men arrived on a ship commanded by his cousin. Comprised mostly of African-Americans and militia members, hardly any had any maritime experience. By the end of the month another 60 arrived, but many were too sick to fight. The men had come from Black Rock, home to his rival Elliot, who had been skimming the best men from the troop detachments and sending the rest on to Perry, if he sent any at all. Even the Pennsylvania militiamen who had come to guard the harbor now refused to do so, meaning Perry couldn't fight and he couldn't protect his ships while he waited. It was in this helplessness that Perry experienced a bit of luck.

The British fleet that had been taunting Perry just outside the sandbar of the Presque Isle, and simultaneously serving as a blockade, had vanished. It was July 31 when Perry was roused from slumber, received the word, and flew on deck to verify the news for himself. Only upon seeing it with his own eyes did Perry remember someone mentioning that his British counterpart, Captain Barclay, had been invited to a dinner in his honor at Port Dover, Canada. Normally, Barclay never would have given up the advantage of his blockade, but all of Perry's ships were safely behind a large sand bar that guarded Presque Isle. Barclay figured that it would be impossible for Perry to lift his 500-ton ships over the bar and into the main body of the lake. He is even quoted at his dinner as saying, "...the Yankee brigs [will be] hard and fast on the bar when I return, in which predicament it will be but a small job to destroy them." Barclay was familiar with those waters, knew the height of the bar, and assumed that Perry would never be able to raise his boats, or the water, high enough to permit escape.

What Barclay did not count on were devices called "camels." These were large, 90-foot long, rectangular pontoons that could be fastened to a ship. Much like ballast tanks on a submarine, when they are filled they descend, and when pumped empty they float, taking the ship they are attached to with it. Perry quickly positioned his fleet at the mouth of the harbor, but began work on getting his two massive brigs into the lake. It was only a difference of a few feet, the sand bar was shallowest at four and a half feet and deepest at six, but the mighty brigs needed nine.  The camels would need to lift the ships five feet at a minimum.

They frantically got to work, first attempting to lift the Lawrence with no success. Perry ordered the cannons and supplies off of the ship, but to no avail. Men in boats and on shore struggled greatly to pull the ship free, but the ship had only risen three feet. The next day, more camels were used and even the Pennsylvania militiamen came to assist, but again the Lawrence remained stuck. It would be the next morning that the flagship of the Erie fleet would finally lurch free of the mud and sand and into the Great Lake. Guns and supplies were hurriedly returned to the flagship.

The men were exhausted from the past three days' effort, but they knew Barclay could return at any moment to destroy their poorly positioned fleet. The Niagra had to be freed as well or the Americans would be outgunned. With the bad luck that could only belong to Perry, the sails of Barclay's fleet were seen on the horizon! The Lawrence had virtually no crew on it, the Niagra was lodged in the bar about to be fitted with camels, and the rest of the fleet was no match for the mighty ship. All Barclay had to do was begin their attack and the Americans were doomed. However, in the string of unbelievable miracles that also followed Perry, a wind rose in the West and turned the bow of the Lawrence and the Niagra toward Barclay's fleet, leading him to believe the Americans were attacking. To further this naval feint, Perry ordered his ships the Ariel (1/5 the size of the Lawrence) and a schooner known as the Scorpion to fire long range shots at the British, and formed the rest of the ships into a battle line, while the signal drummer aboard the Lawrence was ordered to beat the cadence to bring the men to their quarters. To the British, it certainly would have appeared and sounded as if the Americans had been lying in wait for their return. Barclay, knowing that he too was short on men, and expecting another superior warship, wisely retreated. How an experienced seaman like Barclay did not see the Niagra still stuck in the sandbar is unknown.

Imagine Perry's surprise when he suddenly received 130 sailors from Chauncey, some of them even were even experienced sailors! He was elated enough to ignore the fact that the men were under the command of rival Elliot, that the inexperienced men were "wretched," and that Elliot was taking all the best men for himself aboard the Niagra. Soon Perry would have his fight! He sailed his newly freed fleet of nine ships to Sandusky and received further manpower from Major General William Henry Harrison's Army of the Northwest before finally anchoring at Put-in-Bay, Ohio. Barclay's fleet was essentially blockaded, but he was largely OK with this as his new warship HMS Detroit still needed to be fit with cannons, sails, and rigging. The delay worked in the favor of Perry as well, whose men were racked with illness apparently brought by the new recruits.

However, the blockaded British were quickly running out of supplies, for both themselves and their 14,000 native American allies. After receiving several dozen reinforcements, Barclay's hand was forced and he sailed out into Lake Erie in search of the American fleet. Just the night before, September 9, Perry called together his officers to ensure that the tactics for the battle was well-known to all, a strategy he adopted from Admiral Horatio Nelson. It is often said that the British had superior long range guns than the American fleet, however in sheer numbers, that is not a historical fact. In terms of sheer poundage for long-guns, the British had a total broadside weight of 196 pounds compared to the American 264 pounds. However, the experienced British gunmen and the thin hulls of the American ships meant that Perry's ships would be at a distinct disadvantage in a long range fight. It was when the short range cannonades came into play that the American fleet could truly do some damage. The short range poundage of the British was a total broadside weight of 459 pounds, compared to the Americans' 936 pounds, 600 of which was in their two new ships. Perry's plan was easy to guess: get in close and let the large guns of his brigs do their deadly work. He assigned each ship its own British vessel to attack and went to bed with his ships prepped for battle.

Perry was awoken the next day to pounding on his door. Barclay's fleet had been spotted! At 0700 the fleet was ordered to hoist anchor and sail into open water, but the winds would not cooperate. Two boats were ordered to tow the Lawrence out while final preparations were made: cannon balls and canisters were prepared, wetted sand was scattered on deck to help absorb blood, while swords and guns were stationed around each of the nine ships. What breeze that did exist favored the British, but Perry was determined to fight. By 1000 the breeze now favored the Americans, though his five formerly merchant ships were a good two miles behind him. At 1100, with the British close, Perry fed his men, served a double ration of grog (a rum-based drink), raised his battle flag, and continued toward the British fleet.

The first shots were fired by Barclay at 1145 and the experienced gunners of the British fleet soon showed their prowess. The Americans, unable to close the distance with the lackluster wind, were at their mercy. The Brits picked away at the Americans for nearly an hour before the Lawrence closed the distance by 1220 and the fighting could truly begin. It started as a slugfest as the Lawrence engaged 3 British ships, but before long it did not look good for the American ship. It was soaking up enormous amounts of damage and the rapidity with which it was built soon began to play a factor. The walls were thin and the wood was green, giving little resistance to the British shot that was penetrating the hull, tearing men apart and throwing shrapnel inwards.

As the Lawrence was being torn to shreds, it was frantically throwing up every sail she had in order to close the distance so her cannonades could be brought to bare. Several desperate shots fell short of the British fleet.  Meanwhile, the Niagra, piloted by Elliot, was adhering strictly to her battle plan, engaging her designated British ship, the Queen Charlotte, with his long-range 12 pound guns. Out ranged by the Niagra, it wouldn't take long for the Charlotte to break away from the Niagra and to join the Detroit's assault on the Lawrence.

Those two ships wreaked havoc on the Lawrence for over two hours, killing dozens of American sailors. While the superior American guns aboard the flagship devastated the Detroit, the Kentucky rifleman acquired from Harrison perched in the rigging rained down terrible and accurate fire on the men aboard Barclay's vessels. Men died all around Perry while he miraculously remained unharmed and directing fire. Men who remained alive asked, "Where is the Niagra?!"  It was a question that Perry had thought to himself more than once, and that historians debate to this day. Elliot had held back the Niagra leaving it virtually untouched. Was he adhering to Perry's strict battle plan? Was he so inexperienced he could not take initiative to assist the clearly endangered ship? Or was he sacrificing the Lawrence and all her hands to settle a personal score?

The men aboard the doomed ship fought their losing battle valiantly. After three hours Sailing Master William Taylor reported that, "22 men and officers lay dead on decks and 66 wounded, every gun dismounted, carriages knocked to pieces, every strand of rigging cut off, mast and spars shot and tottering overhead in just an unimaginable wreck." Surgeons worked frantically in the belly of the ship helping men the best they could. Dr. (some sources say Surgeon's Mate) Usher Parsons wrote in his diary, "Cut off 6 legs in the cockpit, which were nearly divided by cannon balls.” Men begged to die, and others complained aloud, "Why does she (the Niagra) hang back so, out of the battle?" A midshipman had just had a tourniquet placed on a badly damaged arm when a cannonball punched through his chest. Out of  approximately 103 able bodied men, only 18 remained. By 1430 hours, Perry himself fired the final shot from the wreck that was formerly the Lawrence. After that gun was destroyed, defeat loomed large for the flagship. The British thought so too, and ceased firing to allow the ship to strike its colors.  Perry had other ideas.

He was likely filled with rage and staring at the Niagra when the brig came near the Lawrence, but did not sail between it and the British fleet. The smaller Caledonia instead made the gesture, with Elliot later ordering it out of the way so he could pass behind to fight - a futile effort that reeks of Elliot's guilty conscience. Perry placed two lieutenants and his Sailing Master in charge of the ship with full authority to do whatever it takes to save the dying and wounded. He then lowered his battle flag, but not the colors of surrender, and headed to a miraculously undamaged gig. Even with a deck littered with corpses and drenched in blood, his men cried out when they saw the flag lowered, vocalizing their opposition to what they thought was surrender. Barclay too must have breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the battle flag lowered, but the relief was to be short lived. Soon he saw Perry, flag wrapped around his shoulders, with a small number of crew men headed in the direction of the Niagra.

Had the hesitant Niagra turned and ran, the British would easily have won the battle, but with Perry showing no desire to cease the fight, Barclay had to stop him from reaching that ship. The British opened up every cannon not smashed by the Lawrence and her support ships. Shot, canister, and ball whistled past Perry's boat and splashed menacingly around her. It must have seemed like an eon to the men in that boat, but finally they reached the Niagra. Two things had finally given out: the accuracy of the British long-guns, and Perry's bad luck. Exhausted and certainly covered in gunpowder and gore, Perry climbed aboard the ship and was greeted by Elliot saying, "How is the day going?"

Perry showed great restraint in not killing the man, after watching his men slaughtered and his flagship splintered. He instead likely snarled the order to bring up the gunboats, and Elliot, all to happy to remove himself from Perry's presence, readily obliged the command that could have easily been performed by a junior officer. Elliot was likely surprised to even see Perry alive after the pounding taken by the Lawrence. The command given by Perry was more about conveying a message to Elliot: "Your ship now belongs to me." Elliot vanished for the rest of the battle by pretending to be ill in bed.

The British certainly expected Perry to surrender aboard the functional ship, but instead soon saw the gunboats moving into position around the Niagra, now headed directly at their fleet. Nearly all of the British first line of command had been injured or killed in the fighting, including Barclay, who having received two injuries, was finally taken down below on the Detroit after a long range shot from one of the American schooners sent shrapnel into his back. When the lesser-experienced 2LT George Inglis, who had assumed command from Barclay, saw the Niagra inbound nearly perpendicular to their line, he thought it best to present his broadside to the incoming ship. However, the remaining rigging did not cooperate and instead sent the Detroit into a collision with the Queen Charlotte where the remaining rigging bound the ships together. They were sitting ducks as the Niagra's bow crossed their own, and spewed death from each broadside into the hulls of the British ships from less than 100-yards. The 32-pounders loaded with ball and grapeshot mercilessly punched ragged holes in ship and man alike, as the Niagra slowed down to increase its time spent in optimum range. Kentucky sharpshooters again riddled British sailors with musketfire. After passing through the British line, Niagra turned its attention to the other ships, her broadsides still blazing and pouring hellfire from her gunports. The cannon fire was so devestating that the crew aboard the HMS Lady Prevost deserted her deck, leaving only commanding officer Lt. Edward Buchan to face the American ship.

"Wounded and driven temporarily insane, Buchan leaned over the rail, screaming. Seeing that, Perry ordered his gunners to avoid Lady Prevost."

Running low on ammunition, Perry decided to go for the knockout blow. Intending to board the Queen Charlotte, he decided to take advantage of its entanglement with the Detroit, which could not fire at the Niagra without first hitting the Charlotte that lay between them. Instead of boarding, he poured shots into the sides of the Charlotte, which had the added benefit of passing through that ship and carrying their destruction into the gravely wounded Detroit.  The Queen Charlotte soon lowered her flag in surrender, and the Detroit, already impaired by the Lawrence, was all but adrift after the subsequent punishment from Niagra.

Greatly outgunned, other ships surrendered in turn or fled. Those that ran, were soon captured by the American schooners. The battle had taken just shy of four hours, but in roughly fifteen minutes Perry had claimed victory out of almost certain defeat at the hands of the greatest navy on the planet. In a famously brief message to General Harrison, Perry wrote the following on the back of a torn envelope:

"We have met the enemy and they are ours. Two ships, two brigs, one schooner, & one sloop. Yours, with very great respect and esteem O.H. Perry."

The battle was intense and hard fought on each side. The condition of each participant's ships was met with horror by those who saw them the next morning, but Perry became a national hero. Without their fleet on the Great Lakes, the British presence in Michigan was able to be pushed out by Harrison's army into Canada. Songs were written of Perry, towns named after him, a memorial eventually raised, and Perry even received his own quarter in 2013.

The items offered in the lot by Rock Island Auction Company are the tailcoat, waistcoat, trousers, bicorn hat, dirk, and sword attributed to Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. They are accompanied by documentation stating that they were procured from direct descendants of the Perry family, who possessed them until 1989. Our official description states that at that time they were "sold to Revolutionary War documents collector Stuart Goldman who immediately sold and delivered the items to Charles Sanderson who has retained the items since March 3, 1989. They were stored for many years in the Newport Public Library." As with all items, we encourage collectors to do their own research and come to their own conclusions, but this incredible set of  artifacts has a history tied to one of the most important names in American naval history and arguably the top hero of the War of 1812.

- Written by Joel R. Kolander

SOURCES:

http://www.ancestrypaths.com/military-records/1813-battle-of-lake-erie/story-of-the-battle-of-lake-erie/

http://www.historynet.com/war-of-1812-battle-of-lake-erie-oliver-perrys-miraculous-victory.htm

http://www.historynet.com/war-of-1812-battle-of-lake-erie-oliver-perry-prevails.htm

http://www.tallshipsportland.com/commodoreoliverhazardperry/

http://ss.sites.mtu.edu/mhugl/2015/10/13/commodore-oliver-hazard-perry/

http://www.ohpri.org/history-details/battle-of-lake-erie

Top Guns: 2015 December Premiere

Time to review the top guns of our 2015 December Premiere Firearms Auction, and the event was HUGE. In case you hadn't heard, the event resulted in nearly $15 million in sales and pushed our annual total to $51 MILLION! That is another record in the firearms industry set by Rock Island Auction Company and we couldn't be more proud. Since no one else has breached even $40 million, these phenomenal numbers cement our place as the world's #1 firearms auction house for a twelfth consecutive year. Of course, we couldn't have done it without the trust of our consignors, the loyalty of our buyers, and a super active internet community like you that likes our posts, shares our photos, watches our videos, and reads our blogs.

Click here to read the full write-up of the 

2015 December Premiere Firearms Auction

Numbers like this should be extremely encouraging for the entire firearms community! It's no secret that the number of new guns being sold seems to reach a new high every other month and by our own numbers the overall market for collectible firearms is also at new and exciting heights. We had bidders from 21 countries bidding via the RIAC website alone! Let's take a look at some of the high dollar, popular, and over-achieving guns in this sale.

Most Popular

Lot 3665: U.S. Winchester Arms M1 Garand Semi-Automatic Rifle with Case

Estimate: $700 - $1,000
Realized Price: $1,725
Number of Sealed Bidders: >30

The popularity of M1 Garands does not appear to be waning anytime soon, especially high condition examples.  This has been especially apparent in 2015 when we sold M1 serial number 7, prototype models from the SALVO project, and more famously a National Match refinished by the CPRPFS (now the CMP) that belonged to President John F. Kennedy. The Winchester M1 shown above was manufactured in 1944 and wonderfully restored by Miltech of California.  Original or restored, people want a good looking Garand; this rifle simply allowed them to do it with a significant reduction in price but still with high attention to detail and authenticity.

Top Dollar

Lot 1262: Important, Fresh and Extremely Significant Middle Eastern Treasure: 15th Century Shirt of Mail and Plate with Elaborate Gold Koftgari Decorated Plate Reinforcement with the Property Stamp from the Janissary Arsenal at the Hagia Irene Church in Istanbul with Inscription that Appears to Bear the name of the Recipient: Qaytbay Mamluk Sultan of Egypt 1468-1496

Estimate: $200,000 - $500,000

Realized Price: $2.3 Million

If you receive our emails or look at our social media pages, then you already knew about this one. A 15th century shirt of armor belonging to an Egyptian sultan sold for $2.3 million dollars! This is far and away the highest amount achieved by any item at Rock Island Auction Company, and what an exciting moment it was to watch it sell. It is simply an incredible piece that was covered in more depth by our "More Museum Worthy Pieces" article last month. For a blow-by-blow account of the sale of the shirt, read our full auction write-up.

Highest Performing Item Overall

Lot 1132: Finely Carved Powder Horn with French-Indian War Themed Decoration

Estimate: $1,800 - $2,750
Realized Price: $25,875

With the wonderfully high sale price of the armor, you'd think it would be a no-brainer for the highest performing item in the auction. However, this unassuming powder horn takes that prize by hammering for 1,150% over its low estimate, while the armor hammered over its mark by 900%. The engraving on the horn is sharp and, at its base, depicts armed Native Americans bearing a flag of Great Britain.  The rest shows an unnamed river with tributaries that wraps around the horn almost two complete times. The horn may have doubled as a map for someone who frequently traveled that waterway.

Highest Performing Genre: The Royal Hunt Collection

Lot 1329: Massive and Magnificent European Red Stag Wall Mount From King Frederick William III Accompanied by Mid-19th Century Military Themed Items

Average Percentage Above Low Estimate: 260%

OK, so the true top performing genre was the "Antique European Military Item," but that stat is definitely going to be skewed by the sale of the armor. The next genre in the list is the items from the Royal Hunt Collection.  An incredible collection of hunting trophies taken by top men in the Imperial German military and assembled over 40 years through the support of Kaiser Wilhelm II's descendants. The moment these began to be offered, you could hear the buzz in the room and it was reflected in the bids. It was nearly dumbfounding to see mount after mount pass their estimates by thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of dollars. Selling a mere 60 lots after the Egyptian armor, it was a very exciting afternoon at Rock Island Auction Co.



Obviously, the non-firearm items in this auction had a spectacular day, but let's look at some of the top sellers in some of the most popular areas of collecting.

Highest Selling Colt

Lot 1687: Super Ultra-Rare Early Production Colt Model 1909 Serial Number "22" 45 ACP Semi-Automatic Test Trial Pistol with Factory Letter

Realized Price: $161,000

The headline for this weapon says it all.  It's a ridiculously high condition example of an important developmental stage of an iconic weapon.  There were 23 ever made, serialed 0-22 making this the final one ever produced! It was easily the top dollar Colt in the auction with its $161,000 realized price.  In second was a San Francisco shipped, Glahn engraved Single Action Army in .44 S&W with an R.L. Wilson letter in lot 1220 that realized $103,500. Each one a beauty!

Highest Selling Winchester

Lot 1014: Magnificent John Ulrich Masterpiece Factory Engraved, Signed, Gold Inlaid, and Elaborately Ornamented Winchester Model 1894 Lever Action Rifle From the Legendary Mac McCroskie Collection

Realized Price: $207,000

This was the highest estimated Winchester in the auction, so there's no big surprise here.  Though guns that were not the highest estimate have come through before! It's another outstanding piece from the Mac McCroskie Collection, so you know it is of the highest quality and condition. As Director of Auction Services Kevin Hogan says, "If there was a Mount Rushmore of gun collecting, he'd be on it." This gun is a fine representation of the caliber of guns in his collection (no pun intended).  Expertly master engraved, gorgeous wood, gold inlaid, high condition, and featured in several books, it is everything a collector could want from a top of the line Winchester.

Highest Selling Civil War Arm

Lot 3174: Rare U.S. Civil War Era Ames Foundry Model 1841 6 Pounder Cannon Dated 1855 with Provenance

Realized Price: $109,250

It's true, this isn't a small arm, but it is definitely the highest selling Civil War Era item in the sale. Many cannons come through our doors, but few are original models like this one. This cannon is one of very few 6-pounders in private hands, especially when accompanied by its large quantities of documentation. The highest selling small arm of the sale was sold only two lots earlier and was the Sharps Model 1853 in lot 3172 that was captured during John Brown's raid on the Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. That historical carbine sold for $28,750.

Highest Selling Non-Firearm

This was easily the Egyptian armor.  Since we've covered it already, we'll be moving right along.

Highest Selling German Arm

Lot 1584: Rare Historic Factory Engraved Walther PP Gold Plated Nazi Presentation Semi Automatic Pistol with Leather Holster and Spare Magazine

Realized Price: $37,375

We have seen some absolutely incredible European arms collections come through our doors this year. This was especially apparent in The Iconic Ralph Shattuck Collection filled with amazing Lugers and German military pieces. Pistols like this gold plated, presentation Walther PP show that the collections are still rolling in and going strong. It's beautiful, pre-WWII, fresh to the market, and according to the inscription, was a Christmas present in 1934. The collector that secured this fine firearm has some fascinating research ahead of them. Following the Royal Hunt Collection, German Military Lugers were the 2nd highest performing genre in the entire auction - a good sign of a continuing solid market for those collectors.

---

What a sale and what a year! It was an exciting weekend that put an exclamation point on an already successful season. Newcomer collections were top performers and led the way via the Legendary Mac McCroskie Collection and the Royal Hunt Collection, but traditional genres such as the German Military pieces were not far behind.  Again, a hearty and sincere thank you to everyone who helped make this year, and the previous 11 a reality. We'll continue to work as hard as we can to keep your interest, your trust, and your loyalty.

Our next auction will be an Online Only Auction held on Friday, January 29, 2016 beginning at 9:00 a.m. CT. The first batch of lots in that auction has posted today!  Head on over to gunauctiononline.com search today to browse and bid on these items. It'll be a great way to start the new year.


-Written by Joel R. Kolander

Technology of the Revolutionary War

As we celebrate this Independence Day weekend, let's examine one of the weapons used on the battlefields that forged this nation that was as popular as it was innovative.  Having some small mobile cannons to aid your cause was not a new idea in the Revolutionary War.  It extends nearly as far back as the cannon itself, even predating the first handheld firearms, and the success of such guns can be traced to the 17th century.  The less powerful nature of small artillery made them ideal as anti-personnel weapons and they would often accompany infantry as a maneuverable addition of firepower and psychological edge. Periods of time would come where large artillery was the preference, but the mobility and speed of smaller field guns always would seem to win out.

For centuries, field artillery largely relied on iron barrels because they were strong, cheap, and easy to make.  What was then viewed as a critical component, iron, would stagnate fighting tactics in Europe for centuries thanks to its weight.  If you wanted more powerful guns, by necessity they had to be larger.  However, as it has been proven over and over, it would only be a matter of time before modern technology would change the battlefield.

Lot 2100: Revolutionary War Style Verbruggen Three Pound "Grasshopper" Cannon with Carriage

Technology of the Grasshopper

What was the leading battlefield technology by the 1700s?  Bronze.  This is a funny coincidence since people had been using bronze for centuries, nay millennia, before iron was used, and because using bronze for cannons was not a new idea at all.  The Chinese had done so almost four centuries earlier.  That precious mixture of 90% copper and 10% tin was not only more expensive than iron, as most "new technologies" are, but also heavier.  Thankfully, due to its flexibility and increased strength, less of it was needed to construct barrels, thus resulting in an overall lighter weapon.  By the mid 1700s big, heavy artillery pieces were quite popular.  The line of heavy guns would set up as a line and fire throughout the battle.  They were powerful, stationary, and intimidating.  However, smaller cannons could be maneuvered more easily for a number of purposes.  Want to attack a certain point in the enemy lines?  Soften it up with cannon fire first.  Need to reinforce a weak spot in your own lines?  Move some cannons over there.  Wish to conceal some troop movements?  Fire your cannons and let the smoke hide them.  Smaller guns could adapt to the changing needs of a battle, giving them more uses, and making them much more valuable.

Not only was bronze lighter than iron, but it had many other desirable metallurgic qualities.  Its flexibility meant that even in a catastrophic failure, it may rupture, but it wouldn't explode sending dangerous fragments into its own ranks.  Lighter weapons also meant less animals to transport them, less care of said animals, and as the British found in the Revolutionary War, they were much easier to transport on America's dismal roads.  The fact that bronze cannons could be melted and reused, while iron cannons had to be scrapped, was another side benefit.

Speaking of the British, they officially had been using more 3-pound guns ("grasshoppers") as far back as 1686, but other innovations had also improved their performance, namely that of the boring mechanism via what is now known as the Martiz method.  Instead of a casting the guns vertically around a core to create a barrel, solid cannons would be bored using what was essentially a large lathe.  This resulted in higher accuracy, more precisely fitting projectiles (less windage), faster production, less gun powder required for each shot, and the ability of armies to field many more cannons.  Another new technology utilized in the Grasshopper was that of the spherical powder chamber, which allowed for a more rapid combustion that in turn resulted in more power and less powder being used.

All that considered, you're looking at what is almost the pinnacle of battle field technology in the 1700s.  With its newly utilized materials, rethought powder chamber, increased safety, and ease of transportation, it was certainly the envy of armies still relegated to using heavy, less accurate, iron artillery.  These new 3-pounders were nicknamed "Grasshoppers" for two reasons.  The first was their appearance on the battlefield.  Moved via handspikes (a.k.a. "big levers for moving stuff") they would flit forward and backward on the battlefield like a grasshopper.  It is also said that, when fired, they jumped back like a grasshopper.  It's not certain how their recoil would have been different that any other cannon, but the story remains.

Moving a Grasshopper via the "Irish Method"

Details of the Grasshopper

First things first, this particular cannon, to be sold in Rock Island Auction Company's July 2014 Regional Firearms Auction is an excellent reproduction made in the 1960s.  This type of cannon is known more generally as a "3-pounder" because it fires a 3-pound ball (give or take several ounces) of solid lead.  With such a round, troops could typically expect between a 800 - 1,000 yard range, but with grapeshot the range dropped to 600 - 700 yards maximum, and to 200 - 350 maximum for canister shot.

The three numbers shown in the picture below indicate the Grasshopper's weight.  The first digit tells the "hundred weight" (112 lbs), the second tells "quarter hundred weight," and the last digit is for pounds.  That in mind, a reading of 1:3:10 tells us that this barrel weighs 206 pounds (112 + (28 x 3) + 10).  This is a significant reduction in weight from previous barrels (sometimes more than half) and must have been a surprising sight to a likely skeptical artillery man seeing it for the first time.

This gun also shows the "broad arrow" (a.k.a. "crow's foot") which was placed to indicate ownership by the British military and was used between 1717 - 1800.  The cannon's measurements are:

Length: 40 1/2"
Width: 11"
Trunnions: 2 1/4"
Bore: 3"

Upon investigation of the markings on the cannon, one will also notice the words "I. & P. VERBRUGGEN."  These are the makers Jan Verbruggen (indicated by the "I") and his son Pieter.  He was born in 1712 and is alleged to have quite a knack for drawing at an early age.  No one knows how that talent was harnessed for manufacturing artillery, but by 1746 Jan was the master founder of the Dutch Admiralty's bell and cannon foundry in Enkhuizen and soon after that he was also made the master gunfounder.  His eldest child and only son, Pieter, was born in 1735 and shared his father's knack for art and foundry.

The year after Jan was made the master gunfounder, the Dutch Government finally adopted the aforementioned Martiz system (the lathe-like creation technique) of creating cannons and by 1755 Jan's hard work and abilities were again recognized as he was named the master founder at the National Heavy Ordnance Foundry at The Hague.  Jan & Pieter remained there until 1770 when the story takes an interesting turn.  Some sources say that Britain, in an effort to improve their ailing manufacturing abilities, turned to Jan and obtained the services of the father/son duo.  The two would eventually all but rebuild the entire Royal Brass Foundry at Woolwich and turn it into one of the top producers in the British Empire.

The other story of the Verbruggens leaving The Netherlands and their string of successes there is that the pair was virtually run out of the country for concealing flaws in their cannons.  It all started when Verbruggen destroyed the imperfect furnace of his predecessor and replaced it with one of his own design.  This created an instant grudge with the Inspector General of Artillery, away on business at the time, who thereafter resolved to pay back Verbruggen for the offense.  It didn't take long for accusations to fly that the two Verbruggens would alter and repair their cannons between the boring and proofing stages to hide errors in the casting process.  Granted, these corrections were more common than people at the time liked to admit, and the accusations were made by two men whom Verbruggen had previously fired, at least one of which had an excellent reputation as a founder.  Verbruggen was successfully defeating the accusations as more and more cannons were found NOT to have the claimed defects and repairs, but numerous dangerous repairs were found in a third investigation.  Numerous screws were found used to fill in imperfections along with many other plugs, repairs, uneven metal composition, and various unsafe defects which would make the guns unreliable and even dangerous to use.  Despite Verbruggen's claims that the barrels were sound and that the repairs were only made to keep a high trust in his product (not true), he knew he would not keep the position.  As legal procedures were being formulated for his removal, he took the post in Woolwich and resigned that in the Netherlands.

Whether one wishes to focus on the Machiavellian drama that was certainly unfolding in the foundry at that time or rather on the fact that Verbruggen was making unsafe repairs, the end results are the same: he left the Netherlands, took over for Britain, and revitalized Woolwich - a facility long overdue for a cleaning, new equipment, and new methods.  This finished revamping of the Woolwich facility in 1773 was so effective that the British Government allegedly classified it as "secret," despite the fact that several other nations had already been actively using the Martitz Method for over a decade.  It then promptly cancelled all of its contracts to private foundries for brass and bronze cannons feeling that their new methods would be adequate to meet their manufacturing needs.  Their production prowess would soon be put to the test thanks to a group of unruly Colonials.

Sources

http://www.americanrevolution.org/artillery.html

http://www.napoleon-series.org/military/OrdnanceJournal/Issue6/SOJ-6-6_C18th_Gunfounding.pdf

Strach, Stephen G. "A History of the Three Pound Verbruggen Gun and Its Use in North America: 1775 - 1783." Thesis. 1986. Print.

Beware of Dog

Here's a confession for you: today's article isn't even about a weapon that Rock Island Auction Company is putting up for bid.  However, it is an item that is being put up for bid by the NRA-ILA.  For any of you that have attended a recent auction at RIAC, you've heard Pat Hogan, the owner, talk about donating to NRA-ILA.  The "ILA" after the NRA stands for Institute for Legislative Action.  It is this branch of the NRA that is largely responsible for defending "the right of individuals to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."

Friday May 3, 2013 will mark the seventh time that the NRA-ILA has hosted their Dinner Auction.  They will receive donated items from Remington/Dakota Arms, Midway USA, FNH, Smith & Wesson, Frontera Wingshooting, Shikar Safaris, Barrett, our neighbors ArmaLite & Les Baer, numerous other firearms related companies, and of course, the Rock Island Auction Company.  Having seen the list of assembled items, it can be safely said that they are some of the most beautiful, high-end, and luxurious firearms, knives, and trips that any hunter could dare to fantasize about in their blind, lodge, or stand.

One that I want to focus on today is the Factory Engraved, Serial #1, Colt "Second Generation" Model 1877 "Bulldog" Gatling battery gun.

Look at all that 19th Century American goodness!  Colt has outdone themselves yet again with another firearm that is truly a work of art.  This blending of wood and metal would be just as at home in a museum as it would an art gallery.  In fact, Colt grades this Gatling gun as "museum quality" and includes the beautiful brass & iron tripod, walnut stained hard wood carriage, striking brass barrel cover, and deluxe transit chests, tools, & accessories.  It is said that you could take any part out of the reproduction and put it in a functioning original, though I could not find a place where Colt verifies that claim.

Interchangeability aside, the reproduction is the original size, fully operational, and can throw pound after pound of 45-70 government caliber lead down range with its five fully brass enclosed, direct drive barrels.  In fact, it does just that at a rate of 800-1,000 rounds per minute.  A huge advantage of the Gatling gun during its hey day, is that even inexperienced operators could lay down that massive amount of firepower with minimal training.  Only seventeen of the original machines were made bearing the serial numbers 190 and 203 - 218, making it one of the rarest and most sought after of all the Gatling guns.  It features V-notch rear sights graduated out to an ambitious 1,000 yards and has a bolt for each barrel, which are numbered to match.

Original plaque on 1877 Bulldog

Plaque on the Reproduction Colt Bulldog

This particular model of Gatling gun already has a grocery list of characteristics that make it supremely collectable:  its aesthetics, its scarce production numbers, its innovations, its noble beginnings, and its appearance between large American wars.  What you haven't heard yet are some of the features of this specific reproduction model that set it apart and is sure to have bidders' paddles waving frantically.

First and foremost, this gun will have the Second Amendment factory engraved on its brass casing by none other than Colt Master Engraver George B. Spring III.  Mr. Spring has a career with Colt spanning back to 1975.  With numerous commissions to his name and a style all his own, Spring's masterpieces have been published many times and featured at dozens of events.  To have an item residing in your collection created by this Master craftsman is quite an honor.

George Spring III hard at work.

The second aspect that makes this gun even more special and collectable is that only 50 of the limited edition "second generation" were made.  Colt decided to reproduce this particular model because it had the lowest manufactured number of any of their Gatling guns.  Not only are the originals limited, but even the reproductions are far and few between!  The engraving alone makes it truly a one-of-a-kind item, but this is the first of the second generation models.  That's right, folks.  That means it's Serial No. 1!  This gun exemplifies a list of "What to Collect" all on its own.  What more could you ask for?

Weapon History
Of the 17 of these machines that were purchased by the U.S. Government, all were sent out west for various assignments mostly accompanying Army garrisons.  Gatling guns, by and large, saw extremely limited use at the end of the Civil War and were not decisive in any engagements against Native Americans.  By 1911, the U.S. Army had declared them obsolete after 45 years of service, thus eliminating them from participating in The Great War.  This leaves the Gatling gun virtually unheralded in history, despite the grand ambitions of its inventor, Dr. Richard Gatling, which are widely quoted from an 1877 letter to the widow of Samuel Colt,

“It may be interesting to you to know how I came to invent the gun which bears my name. I will tell you: In 1861, during the opening events of the war…I witnessed almost daily the departure of troops to the front and the return of the wounded, sick, and dead. The most of the latter lost their lives not in battle but by sickness and exposure incident to the service. It occurred to me if I could invent a machine—a gun—which could by its rapidity of fire, enable one man to do as much battle as a hundred, that it would, to a great extent, supersede the necessity of large armies, and consequently, exposure to battle and disease be greatly diminished.”

This obsolescence was made even further insulting when many Gatling guns were melted down for scrap during The Great War.  By then true machine guns had been developed and the M1895 "Potato Digger" machine gun had been adopted by the U.S. Military.

Thankfully for Gatling, his marketing efforts overseas proved more fruitful than those conducted stateside.  Most notably was Gatling's presentation of the machine at the 1867 Paris Universal Exhibition.  He brought both a 1 inch and .50 caliber model, which caught the attention of Napoleon III.  The Emperor was himself a former artillery officer and had a natural fascination with the device, returning several times to inspect it.  Though it was perhaps at the urging of the beautiful Empress Eugenie, who enjoyed turning the crank to produce its trademark clatter, that Napoleon requested a demonstration of the device.  Gatling must have felt that the Bulldog performed admirably enough to have earned the following notes in Gatling's January 10, 1868 note to General William B. Franklin, even if history does not remember it quite so kindly due to the lack of reliable, uniform cartridges.

"...All trials here, have been a success so far & after a few private trials are mate - at which the Emperor has promised to be present - I hope a respectable order for the guns will be given... All Europe is arming & if France gives an order (as I feel confident she will) they will... want the guns in as short a time as possible.  - I have had an interview... with the Chirg of Ordnance 7 the Secretary of War & Genl Fave, & prospects seems to bid fair for getting an order soon..."

The original 1877 Bulldog as appearing in the book
The Art of the Gun:  Selections from the Robert M. Lee Collction

The Bulldog broke a lot of ground regarding Gatling gun design.  It was the first Gatling gun to have 5 barrels, whereas both earlier and later models would feature more.  It was also the first model to allow the operator to crank in an opposite direction of firing in order to clear a jam; previous guns would need their rear portions disassembled to accomplish the same task.  In a battlefield scenario, this benefit would be immeasurable.  It was the first to feature the barrels enclosed in a receiver.  Finally, it was the first to move the crank firing mechanism from the side to the rear; this eliminated the gear train and increased the rate of fire by about 30%.

Thankfully, even though Gatling's gun never truly enjoyed military success, it is unlikely to be forgotten from the annals of American history.  It has seen several reincarnations in numerous combat scenarios.  The earliest is arguably the M61 Vulcan cannon that saw development ironically, just after World War II.  It was a notable improvement, capable of firing up to 6,000 rounds per minute.  Decades later in North Vietnam the Vietnamese nicknamed the AC-47 airplanes "dragons" due to the fire and smoke they spit out courtesy of the 7.62mm M134 miniguns that were mounted to it.  These were capable of firing 2,000-4,000 rounds per minute; not bad considering that they weren't the primary weapon of a fighter jet like the Vulcan.  Though the M134 minigun can stake its claim to fame as being wielded by Arnold Schwarzenegger in his role as the T-101 in Terminator 2: Judgement Day.  The AC-47's current day variant is the AC-130 - an even meaner version than its predecessor.  The most modern of Gatling-style guns are some of the military's most impressive weapons.  The first such example is mounted on the A-10 Thunderbolt II or "Warthog."  It is officially known as the GAU-8/A Avenger cannon. It is a seven-barrel, 30mm behemoth with a ammunition cache larger than a Volkswagon Beetle.  It is commonly used against ground targets and has earned the Warthog the additional, self-explanatory nickname of "Tankbuster".  The second of its modern uses, is that of the Phalanx Close in Weapons System (CIWS).  Mounted on all classes of  modern U.S. combat ships, this automated Gatling-style gun detects missiles and other threats and then destroys them with a thundering volley of tungsten or depleted uranium rounds fired at a rate of 4,500 rpm.  A land-based system is also available to detect and destroy incoming mortar or rocket fire.  It would have been impossible for Gatling to see how powerful and how recognizable his device has become in the 150+ years since its inception.

This angle makes it easy to see the Bruce-style feed system for loading ammunition
via the vertical magazines.

This phenomenal Colt Gatling gun is just one of the dozens of gorgeous, luxurious, and collectable items being auctioned off by the NRA-ILA on Friday May 3, 2013 at the 2013 NRA National Convention.  This revolutionary weapon (pun not intended), is immaculate in appearance, rare, engraved by a Master, is Serial No. 1, and is the second generation of the "white whale" of Gatling gun collectors.  If you're a bidder, best of luck to you on this fabulous machine!

If you have any questions on the items or absentee bidding, please email Mike Benecke at mbenecke1@aol.com or write to the email listed below by the NRA-ILA.


The NRA Convention website has this to say about the auction:
"The Seventh Annual NRA-ILA Dinner and Auction will be held on Friday, May 3, 2013. This year's venue is The Bell Tower on 34th located at 901 W. 34th Street in Houston, TX. The Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) plays a critical role in determining the future of our Second Amendment freedoms and hunting heritage. As you know, we face great challenges in 2013. NRA-ILA's ability to fight successfully for the rights of America's law-abiding gun owners directly reflects your support. All auction items are provided by generous industry partners and supporters, and proceeds from the auction support NRA-ILA's legislative, legal and political efforts. Please email auction@nrahq.org with questions."

Picture courtesy of the NRA Auction Items Catalog.

SOURCES:

Lee, Robert M., and R. L. Wilson. The Art of the Gun: Selections from the Robert M. Lee Collection. Special First ed. Sparks, NV: Yellowstone Press, 2011. Print.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanx_CIWS

http://www.coltsmfg.com/Catalog/SpecialEditions/1877BulldogGatlingGun.aspx

http://www.nraila.org/about-nra-ila.aspx