Lot 1009

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Description:

One of the most impressive battlefield relics we've encountered, a large diameter tree trunk which grew about the barrel of a Civil War muzzle-loaded carbine! The tree trunk measures 23" tall and 11" in diameter. Approx. midway in the trunk, a bent iron musket barrel protrudes from either side, bent from having struck the ground when the tree fell. The percussion cap nipple and base for the front sight remain attached to the approx. 21 3/4" barrel which appears to have originated from a Pattern 1861 Enfield musketoon. The trunk, cut long ago, also bears a partial saw cut at center. We speculate that the barrel lay partly buried in leaves or dirt and the trunk was being cut when the barrel was discovered. According to a descriptive note which accompanies this relic, the trunk was recovered near Union City, in the northwestern corner of Tennessee. In early 1861 Camp Brown, which housed up to 10,000 Confederate soldiers, was established one mile north of the city in preparation for Leonidas Polk's anticipated invasion of Kentucky and the occupation of Columbus in September, 1861. March 31, 1862 saw the first of four battles or skirmishes at Union City. The last important engagement pitted the U.S. 7th Tennessee Cavalry under the command of Colonel Isaac Hawkins against Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Seventh Cavalry under the command of Colonel Duckworth. Unable to take the Federal stronghold at Union City by storm, the Confederates devised a “Quaker cannon” from a black painted log and wagon wheels and successfully demanded unconditional surrender in Forrest’s name. This weapon was used by both North and South during the Civil War.

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July 31, 2019 10:00 AM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000