LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 June Civil War Grand Format Auction #663  / 

72010

A 'John Brown' Sharps Carbine - Used at the Harp

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:17,500.00 USD Estimated At:70,000.00 - 80,000.00 USD
A 'John Brown' Sharps Carbine - Used at the Harp
<B>A 'John Brown' Sharps Carbine - Used at the Harper's Ferry Raid</B></I> One of the rarest firearms with a Civil War connection, a Sharps carbine of the lot used by abolitionist John Brown and his men as they raided the federal armory at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, an event that helped spark the fire of the United States Civil War. This gun has appeared in the literature of noted firearms historian Norm Flayderman and has an excellent provenance and historical background. A Model 1853 in .52 caliber, this gun was part of the shipment sent to Brown; it eventually made its way to the famous raid on the armory. As noted in Frank Sellers' <I>Sharps Carbines</B></I> (Benafield Publishing) at page 97, this particular carbine is in the range of the guns that were used by the men. Brown had moved the weapons to the Kennedy farm in Maryland near Harper's Ferry and used them to execute his raid on the night of October 16, 1859. Armed with his Sharps carbines, including this one, and his 'John Brown pikes', long spear-like weapons, the party took over the U.S.armory. They were soon forced out by a troop of marines led by then-Colonel Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant J. E. B. Stuart, an irony of history that initially shocked Northerners, but eventually led to a sympathetic view of Brown's cause and directly led to the outbreak of the Civil War. Brown was wounded, tried and convicted of treason and hanged in December 1859.<BR> This historical weapon has a 21 1/2" barrel and is stamped 'Sharp's Manufg. Co Hartford, Conn' on the top of the barrel. It has walnut stocks, an even gray patina and bears the serial number 16150. It has an attractive brass buttplate, barrel band and patchbox which is engraved as follows: <I>Used at Harper's Ferry by John Brown's Men.</B></I> On the tang by the serial number 'Sharps Patent 1848' is stamped.<BR> This is an historic Sharps carbine that was used in a singularly important event in American history.<BR><BR> <B>Provenance:</B></I> <I>The Norm Flayderman Collection; The Tharpe Collection of American Military History</B></I><BR> <BR><B>Exhibited:</B></I> <I>The Liberty Heritage Society Museum</B></I><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Requires 3rd Party Shipping (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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