HISTORIC CASED SPENCER SPORTING RIFLE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S SECRETARY OF NAVY GIDEON WELLES.

SN 11893. Cal. 56-46. 26″ rnd bbl. This wonderful high condition and historical cased rifle is directly from the estate of Gideon Welles (there is a photocopy of a manuscript inventory listing this rifle in its case). There is also an orig bill of sale on this gun signed by Thomas Welles Brainard the great-great-grandson of Gideon Welles stating “Family tradition says that this rifle was fired by President Lincoln”. The casing also contains an orig note signed by Abraham Lincoln which reads “Respectfully submitted to the Sec of Navy. A. Lincoln”. Lincoln was famous for writing small notes on bits and pieces of pieces of paper and this bit presents beautifully in the fitted rosewood case to this gun. Gideon Welles had several families of heirs and when the greet-great-grandson sold the contents of the ancestral home with wonderful items associated with Gideon Welles and the Lincoln Administration lawsuits started almost immediately which were not finally settled for 30 years until November 2013 in the appellate court of the State of Connecticut. This cased gun is accompanied by a large folio of research materials along with orig bill of sale and orig Lincoln signed note. It remains in wonderful condition retaining much of its orig finish and is pictured in Roy Marcot’s Spencer Repeating Firearms on pgs. 113 & 115. William Edwards in his book Civil War Guns tells the history of the Spencer rifle and carbines during the Civil War he titles chapter 13 of his book, “The Dreaded Horizontal Shot-Tower”. There is little doubt that the Spencer repeater was one of the most important improvements in military long arms that helped the Union win the war more quickly. A Confederate soldier who named it the “horizontal shot tower” because so bewildered by its formidable output of hot lead he did not know what it was, as nothing like it had ever been seen in battle before. Spencers saw us in the field starting in April or May of 1863 and the units used them were enamored by the rapid fire possible and by wars end was the carbine of choice for Union mounted troops. Abraham Lincoln personally was partially responsible for the acceptance of these guns and actually shot one of Spencer’s rifles in either 1862 or 1863 depending on the article that is read. Harold Peterson wrote an article “The Repeater Lincoln Tested” in American Gun Vol I Num I Winter of 1961 which utilized Vesta Spencer Taylors (Spencer’s daughter) “A Personal Reminiscence”, and J. O. Buckeridge wrote “Abe and His Secret Weapon” for The Saturday Evening Post March 31, 1956. One source document quoted as C. M Spencers’s own words describing his visit with Lincoln, published on p. 151 of Edward’s Civil War Guns “‘On the 18th of August, 1863, I arrived at the White House with the rifle in hand, and was immediately ushered into the executive room. I found the President alone. With brief introduction I took the rifle from its case and presented it to him. Looking it over carefully and handling it as one familiar with firearms, he requested me to take it apart to show the “Inwardness of the thing.” It was soon dissected, and laid on the table before him. After a careful examination and his emphatic approval, I was asked if I had any engagement for the following day. When I replied that I was at his command he requested that I “Come over tomorrow at 2 o’clock and we will go out and see the thing shoot.’ Here was no sudden secret interview; Lincoln was expecting Spencer, and had to put aside a few minutes for him to determine if there was any purpose in spending the time of the Government in Spencer’s interest. Convinced, upon superficial examination, there was, he was then willing to arrange time on the morrow to shoot the gun. The report of officers were only confirming what he would himself discover, if it seemed as good as it looked, as a repeating rifle. Spencer continues: ‘Arriving at the appointed time, I found all in readiness to proceed to the shooting place, which was about were now stand the Washington Monument. (Buckeridge also places the site for shooting at the Mall, but states it was 1862. We prefer Spencer’s version). Accompanying us was his son, Robert, and one of the officers of the Navy Department who carried the target and rifle, with the ammunition. Arriving at a point opposite the War Department the President requested Robert to go over and ask Mr. Stanton to come and see this new gun fired. Robert soon returned and reported Mr. Stanton too busy to attend. “Well.” says the President, in his humorous way, “they do pretty much as they have a mind to over there”…Lincoln shot a target which was a roof shingle that measured 6″ wide and 3’ long with a black spot near each end. Mr. Lincoln’s first shot was low, but the next hit bullseye and the other 5 were close around it. Now, says he, ‘We will let the inventor try it’. Being in almost daily practice, I naturally beat the President a little. ‘Well’, he said, ‘you are younger than I, have a better eye and steadier nerve’. The end of the board which the President had shot was cut off by the Navy official…to be placed in the collection of relics”. This board was listed in the collection of the Civil War relics in the state capitol in Lincoln, IL as of 1956. Unfortunately, Bill Edwards when researching his 1961 book was not able to locate it or its whereabouts but we understand it is indeed still there. The initial sporting rifles, according to Marcot, were started in earnest in late 1864 and then 1865 after the war. The earliest of these guns were made from orig military receivers and SNs utilized on the military breech are found throughout the gun as in Gideon Well’s gun here. SN 11893 is found on bbl and frame along with assembly numbers “16” and “18” though number “17” is found on folding rear sight with various other small numbers and letters stamped on various parts internally. Rosewood Casing is identical to other known orig Spencer casing with same compartmentalization. According to our consignor, the front sight of the gun Lincoln shot was removed by President Lincoln and he had a wooden sight he made that caused the gun to shoot more accurately. This may be the reason that the front sight is missing. it was simply never re-applied. PROVENANCE: Gideon Welles. Thomas Welles Brainard. Joe Lynch. George Lower, Gettysburg, PA Private collection 1981. CONDITION: Gun is very fine overall. Bbl retains 95% of its orig blue finish with scattered staining and pin prick pitting. Front sight is missing from its dovetailed slot. Leaves of rear sight were purposefully removed for use of the fitting tang sight typical of Spencer sporting rifles. Frame, lock and hammer retain strong traces of bright case colors with balance muted and gray/silver overall. Markings on breech “SPENCER REPEATING/RIFLE CO BOSTON MASS/PAT’D MARCH 6 1860″ are crisp and well struck. Gun functions well including magazine tube in butt. Extractor is of the earliest type with no stabler device though hammer is beveled in style of 1865. Stocks are sound and solid with 2-1/2″ x 1/2” sliver missing from left forestock end near frame, gun retains 95% of its orig varnish. Rifling in bore is crisp and well defined in the model 1860 six lands and grooves military style. Case is sound but missing lock escutcheons typical wear to exterior with scratches, dents and other blemishes. Lining in top of case is loose but intact. 4-51322 JS73 (40,000-70,000) – Lot 3221

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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
	3221	$33,350.00	HISTORIC CASED SPENCER SPORTING RIFLE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S SECRETARY OF NAVY GIDEON WELLES. SN 11893. Cal. 56-46. 26″ rnd bbl. This wonderful high condition and historical cased rifle is directly from the estate of Gideon Welles (there is a photocopy of a manuscript inventory listing this rifle in its case). There is also an orig bill of sale on this gun signed by Thomas Welles Brainard the great-great-grandson of Gideon Welles stating “Family tradition says that this rifle was fired by President Lincoln”. The casing also contains an orig note signed by Abraham Lincoln which reads “Respectfully submitted to the Sec of Navy. A. Lincoln”. Lincoln was famous for writing small notes on bits and pieces of pieces of paper and this bit presents beautifully in the fitted rosewood case to this gun. Gideon Welles had several families of heirs and when the greet-great-grandson sold the contents of the ancestral home with wonderful items associated with Gideon Welles and the Lincoln Administration lawsuits started almost immediately which were not finally settled for 30 years until November 2013 in the appellate court of the State of Connecticut. This cased gun is accompanied by a large folio of research materials along with orig bill of sale and orig Lincoln signed note. It remains in wonderful condition retaining much of its orig finish and is pictured in Roy Marcot’s Spencer Repeating Firearms on pgs. 113 & 115. William Edwards in his book Civil War Guns tells the history of the Spencer rifle and carbines during the Civil War he titles chapter 13 of his book, “The Dreaded Horizontal Shot-Tower”. There is little doubt that the Spencer repeater was one of the most important improvements in military long arms that helped the Union win the war more quickly. A Confederate soldier who named it the “horizontal shot tower” because so bewildered by its formidable output of hot lead he did not know what it was, as nothing like it had ever been seen in battle before. Spencers saw us in the field starting in April or May of 1863 and the units used them were enamored by the rapid fire possible and by wars end was the carbine of choice for Union mounted troops. Abraham Lincoln personally was partially responsible for the acceptance of these guns and actually shot one of Spencer’s rifles in either 1862 or 1863 depending on the article that is read. Harold Peterson wrote an article “The Repeater Lincoln Tested” in American Gun Vol I Num I Winter of 1961 which utilized Vesta Spencer Taylors (Spencer’s daughter) “A Personal Reminiscence”, and J. O. Buckeridge wrote “Abe and His Secret Weapon” for The Saturday Evening Post March 31, 1956. One source document quoted as C. M Spencers’s own words describing his visit with Lincoln, published on p. 151 of Edward’s Civil War Guns “‘On the 18th of August, 1863, I arrived at the White House with the rifle in hand, and was immediately ushered into the executive room. I found the President alone. With brief introduction I took the rifle from its case and presented it to him. Looking it over carefully and handling it as one familiar with firearms, he requested me to take it apart to show the “Inwardness of the thing.” It was soon dissected, and laid on the table before him. After a careful examination and his emphatic approval, I was asked if I had any engagement for the following day. When I replied that I was at his command he requested that I “Come over tomorrow at 2 o’clock and we will go out and see the thing shoot.’ Here was no sudden secret interview; Lincoln was expecting Spencer, and had to put aside a few minutes for him to determine if there was any purpose in spending the time of the Government in Spencer’s interest. Convinced, upon superficial examination, there was, he was then willing to arrange time on the morrow to shoot the gun. The report of officers were only confirming what he would himself discover, if it seemed as good as it looked, as a repeating rifle. Spencer continues: ‘Arriving at the appointed time, I found all in readiness to proceed to the shooting place, which was about were now stand the Washington Monument. (Buckeridge also places the site for shooting at the Mall, but states it was 1862. We prefer Spencer’s version). Accompanying us was his son, Robert, and one of the officers of the Navy Department who carried the target and rifle, with the ammunition. Arriving at a point opposite the War Department the President requested Robert to go over and ask Mr. Stanton to come and see this new gun fired. Robert soon returned and reported Mr. Stanton too busy to attend. “Well.” says the President, in his humorous way, “they do pretty much as they have a mind to over there”…Lincoln shot a target which was a roof shingle that measured 6″ wide and 3’ long with a black spot near each end. Mr. Lincoln’s first shot was low, but the next hit bullseye and the other 5 were close around it. Now, says he, ‘We will let the inventor try it’. Being in almost daily practice, I naturally beat the President a little. ‘Well’, he said, ‘you are younger than I, have a better eye and steadier nerve’. The end of the board which the President had shot was cut off by the Navy official…to be placed in the collection of relics”. This board was listed in the collection of the Civil War relics in the state capitol in Lincoln, IL as of 1956. Unfortunately, Bill Edwards when researching his 1961 book was not able to locate it or its whereabouts but we understand it is indeed still there. The initial sporting rifles, according to Marcot, were started in earnest in late 1864 and then 1865 after the war. The earliest of these guns were made from orig military receivers and SNs utilized on the military breech are found throughout the gun as in Gideon Well’s gun here. SN 11893 is found on bbl and frame along with assembly numbers “16” and “18” though number “17” is found on folding rear sight with various other small numbers and letters stamped on various parts internally. Rosewood Casing is identical to other known orig Spencer casing with same compartmentalization. According to our consignor, the front sight of the gun Lincoln shot was removed by President Lincoln and he had a wooden sight he made that caused the gun to shoot more accurately. This may be the reason that the front sight is missing. it was simply never re-applied. PROVENANCE: Gideon Welles. Thomas Welles Brainard. Joe Lynch. George Lower, Gettysburg, PA Private collection 1981. CONDITION: Gun is very fine overall. Bbl retains 95% of its orig blue finish with scattered staining and pin prick pitting. Front sight is missing from its dovetailed slot. Leaves of rear sight were purposefully removed for use of the fitting tang sight typical of Spencer sporting rifles. Frame, lock and hammer retain strong traces of bright case colors with balance muted and gray/silver overall. Markings on breech “SPENCER REPEATING/RIFLE CO BOSTON MASS/PAT’D MARCH 6 1860″ are crisp and well struck. Gun functions well including magazine tube in butt. Extractor is of the earliest type with no stabler device though hammer is beveled in style of 1865. Stocks are sound and solid with 2-1/2″ x 1/2” sliver missing from left forestock end near frame, gun retains 95% of its orig varnish. Rifling in bore is crisp and well defined in the model 1860 six lands and grooves military style. Case is sound but missing lock escutcheons typical wear to exterior with scratches, dents and other blemishes. Lining in top of case is loose but intact. 4-51322 JS73 (40,000-70,000) – Lot 3221 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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HISTORIC CASED SPENCER SPORTING RIFLE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S SECRETARY OF NAVY GIDEON WELLES.