ORNATE BRONZE MOUNTAIN GUN ENGRAVED WITH PRESENTATION MEMORIAL TO ROYAL ARTILLERIST LT. WILLIAM ROBE KILLED AT THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO.

SN 203. Lt. William Livingston Robe was the son of Col. William Robe of the Royal Artillery a life long British Military Officer. His oldest son William Livingston who followed in his steps graduating from the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich in 1807. He had a heralded though short military career seeing service just out of school at the Battle of Vimeiro, Portugal in 1807; he was promoted to Lt. June 8, 1808 and took part in Sir John Moores retreat to Coruna, was engaged at the Battles of Pombal, Sabugal, Fuentes d’Onore, El Boden, Badajos, Tarifa, Salamanca Forts & Battle, Madrid, Burgos, Nivelle, Nive, Adour and Bayonne. He was in no fewer than 33 actions and was cited by Wellington for his distinguished conduct at the Battles of Nivelle and Nive. At La Haye Sainte farm during the opening fighting at Waterloo he was one of four officers in Ramsey’s horse artillery to be killed against an overwhelming French attack. Capt. William Ramsey was killed outright with a bullet passing through a snuff box which he carried entered his heart. William Livingston would die of his wounds the following day and would have time to write his father a letter stating “he had died like a soldier”. The gold medal he received with clasps for the Battles of Nivelle & Nive was sent home after his death to his family. A monument in his memory is fount at The Royal Chapel & St. Joseph Church of Waterloo. The inscription on the large marble plaque reads, “ERECTED BY HIS BROTHER OFFICERS THIS STONE IS IN LIVING MEMORY OF LIEU. WILLIAM. LIVINGSTON. ROBE. OF THE BRITISH ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY. SON OF COL. SIR Wm ROBE. K.C.B.&K.T.S. HE FELL NOBLE AT WATERLOO 18TH JUNE 1815. AGED 24 YEARS. THIS WAS THE 33RD TIME HE HAD MET HIS COUNTRYS FOE AMONG WHICH WERE FUENTES DE ONOR SALAMANCA THE NIVELLE AND THE NIVE 1812 & 1813. HE WAS KNOWN TO AND DISTINGUISHED BY FIELD MARSHALL THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.” This cannon was donated by Gen. Sir Henry Phipps to William Livingston’s father. Presentation cannon was one originally used at the November 10, 1813 Battle of Nivelle where William Livingston Robe received his gold medal for meritorious service. The inscription reads “CUM TOGA HONORIS” below the Robe family crest, a saber erect between two branches of laurel crossing at the point in hilt of the saber. The first reinforce has early 19th century inscription enclosed by edges of foliage springing from a scallop shell reading “BROUGHT OUT OF THE FIELD AT THE BATTLE OF NIVELLE 10TH NOVR. 1813 BY LIEUT. WM. L. ROBE OF THE RL HORSE ARTILLERY GIVEN TO HIS FATHER BY THE EARL OF MULGRAVE MASTER AND GENL OF THE ORDNANCE” From Francis Duncan’s History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery a bit of background on this mountain cannon is found on pgs. 376 & 379, “Marshal Beresford brought a few 3-pounders from Lisbon; but it was found almost impossible to procure mules for them. Three guns of the same calibre, which had been taken from the French, had been temporarily equipped for single draught, and placed under the command of Lieutenant Robe, the son of the gallant officer who commanded at Roliça and Vimiera…A medley equipment was found for the guns brought from Lisbon, – the Artillery-men being Portuguese, but the drivers and mules being British. These guns were carried on the backs of the mules, and three of them were added to Lieutenant Robe’s command. Robe’s effective use of his mountain guns at the Battle of Nivelle, 10th November 1813, was such that his services were commended in dispatches by the Commander Royal Artillery, Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Dickson, by Robe’s divisional commander, Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Clinton KB, and ultimately by the Army commander, the then Marquess of Wellington. Dickson reportedly wrote, ‘the mountain guns under Lieutenant Robe, and the Portuguese guns of similar calibre, were most active and useful, accompanying their respective corps during the day, and supporting the advance of their light troops. In a report to his corps commander, Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland Hill KB, of 11th November 1813 Clinton wrote:’…I must not omit to mention the good conduct of Lieutenant Robe of the Royal Artillery, who had been attached to the 6th division [Clinton’s] in the command of the brigade of mountain guns: this officer by great exertion succeeded in getting his guns up to the height, and rendered himself useful in cannonading the enemy as the 2nd division drove him [the enemy] along his position. Hill sent Clinton’s report to Wellington, who duly mentioned Robe in his dispatch of 13th November 1813 to Lord Bathurst, Secretary of State for War. Wellington’s dispatch was printed in The London Gazette of 25th November 1813 and singled out for mention ‘three mountain guns, under Lieutenant Robe’ as being an effective part of Hill’s corps on the British right flank. Later in the same dispatch, after recording the capture of ‘fifty-one pieces of cannon’, Wellington wrote: ‘The artillery which was in the field was of great use to us; and I cannot sufficiently acknowledge the intelligence and activity with which it was brought to the point of attack, under the direction of Colonel Dickson, over bad roads through the mountains at this season of the year.” This is a wonderful relic commemorating one of the most dramatic moments of the Battle of Waterloo. PROVENANCE: Rode descendents, Thomas del Mar, London. Springfield Arsenal, LLC Artillery Collection. CONDITION: Fine overall, bronze patina with well discerned markings. Bbl measures 30.75″ with a 3″ bore. A number “203” is found on the muzzle face, “379” found on first reinforce and weight “1. 0. 7.” which translates to 135 lbs. Cannon is mounted on a fine and solid stepped wooden carriage with four wood wheels of later vintage. 4-54216 JS317 (20,000-25,000) – Lot 1405

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Auction: Firearms - Fall 2014

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	1405	$23,000.00	ORNATE BRONZE MOUNTAIN GUN ENGRAVED WITH PRESENTATION MEMORIAL TO ROYAL ARTILLERIST LT. WILLIAM ROBE KILLED AT THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO. SN 203. Lt. William Livingston Robe was the son of Col. William Robe of the Royal Artillery a life long British Military Officer. His oldest son William Livingston who followed in his steps graduating from the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich in 1807. He had a heralded though short military career seeing service just out of school at the Battle of Vimeiro, Portugal in 1807; he was promoted to Lt. June 8, 1808 and took part in Sir John Moores retreat to Coruna, was engaged at the Battles of Pombal, Sabugal, Fuentes d’Onore, El Boden, Badajos, Tarifa, Salamanca Forts & Battle, Madrid, Burgos, Nivelle, Nive, Adour and Bayonne. He was in no fewer than 33 actions and was cited by Wellington for his distinguished conduct at the Battles of Nivelle and Nive. At La Haye Sainte farm during the opening fighting at Waterloo he was one of four officers in Ramsey’s horse artillery to be killed against an overwhelming French attack. Capt. William Ramsey was killed outright with a bullet passing through a snuff box which he carried entered his heart. William Livingston would die of his wounds the following day and would have time to write his father a letter stating “he had died like a soldier”. The gold medal he received with clasps for the Battles of Nivelle & Nive was sent home after his death to his family. A monument in his memory is fount at The Royal Chapel & St. Joseph Church of Waterloo. The inscription on the large marble plaque reads, “ERECTED BY HIS BROTHER OFFICERS THIS STONE IS IN LIVING MEMORY OF LIEU. WILLIAM. LIVINGSTON. ROBE. OF THE BRITISH ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY. SON OF COL. SIR Wm ROBE. K.C.B.&K.T.S. HE FELL NOBLE AT WATERLOO 18TH JUNE 1815. AGED 24 YEARS. THIS WAS THE 33RD TIME HE HAD MET HIS COUNTRYS FOE AMONG WHICH WERE FUENTES DE ONOR SALAMANCA THE NIVELLE AND THE NIVE 1812 & 1813. HE WAS KNOWN TO AND DISTINGUISHED BY FIELD MARSHALL THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.” This cannon was donated by Gen. Sir Henry Phipps to William Livingston’s father. Presentation cannon was one originally used at the November 10, 1813 Battle of Nivelle where William Livingston Robe received his gold medal for meritorious service. The inscription reads “CUM TOGA HONORIS” below the Robe family crest, a saber erect between two branches of laurel crossing at the point in hilt of the saber. The first reinforce has early 19th century inscription enclosed by edges of foliage springing from a scallop shell reading “BROUGHT OUT OF THE FIELD AT THE BATTLE OF NIVELLE 10TH NOVR. 1813 BY LIEUT. WM. L. ROBE OF THE RL HORSE ARTILLERY GIVEN TO HIS FATHER BY THE EARL OF MULGRAVE MASTER AND GENL OF THE ORDNANCE” From Francis Duncan’s History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery a bit of background on this mountain cannon is found on pgs. 376 & 379, “Marshal Beresford brought a few 3-pounders from Lisbon; but it was found almost impossible to procure mules for them. Three guns of the same calibre, which had been taken from the French, had been temporarily equipped for single draught, and placed under the command of Lieutenant Robe, the son of the gallant officer who commanded at Roliça and Vimiera…A medley equipment was found for the guns brought from Lisbon, – the Artillery-men being Portuguese, but the drivers and mules being British. These guns were carried on the backs of the mules, and three of them were added to Lieutenant Robe’s command. Robe’s effective use of his mountain guns at the Battle of Nivelle, 10th November 1813, was such that his services were commended in dispatches by the Commander Royal Artillery, Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Dickson, by Robe’s divisional commander, Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Clinton KB, and ultimately by the Army commander, the then Marquess of Wellington. Dickson reportedly wrote, ‘the mountain guns under Lieutenant Robe, and the Portuguese guns of similar calibre, were most active and useful, accompanying their respective corps during the day, and supporting the advance of their light troops. In a report to his corps commander, Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland Hill KB, of 11th November 1813 Clinton wrote:’…I must not omit to mention the good conduct of Lieutenant Robe of the Royal Artillery, who had been attached to the 6th division [Clinton’s] in the command of the brigade of mountain guns: this officer by great exertion succeeded in getting his guns up to the height, and rendered himself useful in cannonading the enemy as the 2nd division drove him [the enemy] along his position. Hill sent Clinton’s report to Wellington, who duly mentioned Robe in his dispatch of 13th November 1813 to Lord Bathurst, Secretary of State for War. Wellington’s dispatch was printed in The London Gazette of 25th November 1813 and singled out for mention ‘three mountain guns, under Lieutenant Robe’ as being an effective part of Hill’s corps on the British right flank. Later in the same dispatch, after recording the capture of ‘fifty-one pieces of cannon’, Wellington wrote: ‘The artillery which was in the field was of great use to us; and I cannot sufficiently acknowledge the intelligence and activity with which it was brought to the point of attack, under the direction of Colonel Dickson, over bad roads through the mountains at this season of the year.” This is a wonderful relic commemorating one of the most dramatic moments of the Battle of Waterloo. PROVENANCE: Rode descendents, Thomas del Mar, London. Springfield Arsenal, LLC Artillery Collection. CONDITION: Fine overall, bronze patina with well discerned markings. Bbl measures 30.75″ with a 3″ bore. A number “203” is found on the muzzle face, “379” found on first reinforce and weight “1. 0. 7.” which translates to 135 lbs. Cannon is mounted on a fine and solid stepped wooden carriage with four wood wheels of later vintage. 4-54216 JS317 (20,000-25,000) – Lot 1405 Click here to view provenance Auction: Firearms - Fall 2014 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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ORNATE BRONZE MOUNTAIN GUN ENGRAVED WITH PRESENTATION MEMORIAL TO ROYAL ARTILLERIST LT. WILLIAM ROBE KILLED AT THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO.