Catalog Auction info Auction #133 - Two-Day Sale, March 26th & 27th (#133) 03/26/2022 9:00 AM EDT Closed Starts Ending 03/26/2022 9:00 AM EDT Auction Info Lot #302Unique Confederate Breechloading Boat Gun Captured by Lieutenant Commander George Hamilton Perkins in Action on the Mississippi River Click image to enlarge PreviousNextSimilar Items Lot closed - unsold Estimate: $50,000 - $100,000 Description Description: 2” bore, 43” overall length barrel. This is one of two cannon captured in action on the Mississippi River in April 1863 by then Lieutenant Commander George Hamilton Perkins, which were sent north to his family in Concord New Hampshire. Fast-forward to Webster New Hampshire. In the cellar of an antique Yankee barn, sits a forgotten cannon languishing on an iron carriage with wooden wheels, slowly succumbing to the ravages of time and the whims of the Connecticut Valley Yankee farmer. The consignor of this cannon knew of its existence for years and tried in vain, until recently, to purchase it from the family. Commodore George Hamilton Perkins of New Hampshire, spent his post-war years largely in Webster, where he owned several farms and bred fine cattle and race horses. A native of Contoocook, N.H. he graduated the U.S. Naval Academy and was an executive officer in the Western blocking squadron, later taking the USS Cayuga up river during Adm. Farragut’s assault on New Orleans, he himself at the helm “….through the storm of shot and shell….” and was the first U.S. warship to pass forts Jackson and St. Phillip. He found himself alone upstream outnumbered, being pursued by 11 Confederate gunboats yet he persevered the onslaught. His later service in 1863-65 was on the Mississippi River and in the Gulf of Mexico, it was during action on the Mississippi in April 1863 when then Lieutenant Commander Perkins captured two guns. A detailed perusal of his papers and correspondence in Letters of Capt. George Hamilton Perkins U.S. Navy Edited and Arranged © 1901 Rumford Press, we find a letter dated April 21, 1863 which reads: “I have sent to Frank by the last steamer two guns. The six pounder is a fine gun, and was captured after a desperate fight. The other is a rifle gun, and is quite a curiosity; it will throw a ball a long way.” Frank was the youngest of Perkins’ brothers and he thought quite a bit of him. While master of the union monitor Chickasaw, Perkins’ aggressive and effective tactics during the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864, was a major factor in the capture of the Confederate ironclad Tennessee. Indeed Admiral Farragut said of him: “…… No braver man ever trod a ship’s deck; his work in the Chickasaw did more to capture the Tennessee than all the guns of the fleet put together”. The gun itself has a black iron tube with a transverse-sliding breechblock, secured by a small key, attached by short chains so they do not become lost during action. The iron carriage has a flaking battleship gray paint and is constructed very much like the carriages of boat guns with a very S-shaped trail as-is seen on Naval Gatlings as well. The wooden wheels are no doubt original and still functional, rotating along their axle, however a number of the spokes and fellos have deteriorated with the years and will need restoration, they only add to the honest-character of this interesting and unique cannon. The trail has two iron rods which support it against the axle itself, a 29” section of one of those rods has gone missing from the years, no doubt becoming a piece of farm implement at some point. Both of the wheel retaining washer-pintles are no longer present, no doubt being needed elsewhere on the farm, two simple oxidized bolts now retaining the wheels to the axle itself. The breechblock is frozen in place however no doubt could be freed up by an intelligent individual who knew their business and methodically worked to free it, the bore itself is moderately and heavily oxidized its full length. The best part of the cannon is the silver plate affixed to it, doubtless when it returned to Concord via rail and affixed by the family. The plaque reads “Captured by the Union Forces April 1863/in a skirmish up the/Mississippi River In Louisiana/and Presented to Lieutenant Commander/George Hamilton Perkins USN/in gratitude for assistance rendered/by his Gunboat the New London”, Perkins indeed being Lieutenant Commander at the time of the action as master of New London. Two of the screws or rivets which have attached the plate are no longer present, two remain, one is slightly damaged, the plaque showing minor scratches and dings from the years, it is however still fully readable. The overall length muzzle to end of the trace is 94”, the wheels are 38” high and the maximum width axle-tip-to-axle -tip is 58 1/2”. While they rotate and do convey the cannon, the wheels are very tender and in need of restoration, the pivoting pin upon-which the cannon’s mounting flange fastens to the carriage has been lost to the years and a common iron replacement pin is in place, again no doubt the original pin was needed someplace on the farm for some implement, after the gun was relegated to the cellar of the barn. There is a U-shaped elevation screw midway down the trace which elevates or lowers the gun as necessary, it is functional. An absolutely wonderful find, with fabulous provenance, actually mentioned in his letters, by the man who liberated it from the Confederacy, definitely worthy of a full-bore competent and comprehensive restoration. [Extra Shipping and Packing Will Apply] (3G10101) {ANTIQUE} (50,000/100,000) Categories: firearm Terms and conditions TERMS & CONDITIONS OF SALE The following paragraphs represent the terms under which all sales by Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. are conducted. Bidding on any item in the sale indicates the bidder’s full acceptance and understanding of all terms and conditions of sale. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. has taken great care in the preparation of the descriptions in this catalog. Although we believe everything in the descriptions to be true, we do not guarantee any part of any description. We recommend that the bidders view the items in person and form their own opinions as to condition, originality, origin, etc. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will consider all requests for refunds. If a customer is unhappy with a purchase, we will be happy to discuss a remedy with them. All requests for refunds must be made within 30 days of the sale date. 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