GEN. GEO. ARMSTRONG CUSTER’S FIELD GLASSES FROM THE MASSACRE AT LITTLE BIGHORN WITH DOCUMENTED PROVENANCE.

GEN. GEO. ARMSTRONG CUSTER’S FIELD GLASSES FROM THE MASSACRE AT LITTLE BIGHORN WITH DOCUMENTED PROVENANCE. Field glasses have brass bodies (once leather covered) made by “Lemaire Paris France” and closed stand 6-1/2” tall complete with sunshields. CONDITION: Good. Leather covering of the binocular bodies has been lost. Brass bodies are oxidized. Left eyepiece lens is fractured and the right viewing lens is scratched and discolored. There is a scratch nearly across the center of the entire lens. Accompanying provenance goes backwards thusly: Consignor from Franklin David Wilson Jr. (1970’s) from Elsie Louise Wilson nee Edmunds (c. 1915) from Alfred Edmunds purchased from William Sharp (Sergeant Troop G 7th Cav. USA) (1897) from G. H Rathgeber (Sergeant Troop G 7th Cav. USA) from E. Morton (Saddler, Troop G 7th Cav. USA) from C.H. Smith (Pvt. 7th Cav. USA) (who recovered these field glasses from a dead Indian after the battle of Wounded Knee December 29, 1890). Copies of the last will and testament for Elsie Wilson nee Edmunds, her marriage certificate to Franklin David Wilson, a 6-pg handwritten letter from Edward Edmunds (Cook, Troop G 7th Cav. USA) to his brother Charles Edmunds dated Fort Riley, Kansas, September 22, 1889, along with a bill of sale for the field glasses from William Sharp to Alfred Edmunds dated March 6, 1897 with a long handwritten 1-pg description of the field glasses including a physical description, which matches those presented here, the bill of sale states in part “What is positively known concerning these glasses is as follows: After the battle at Wounded Knee Creek, S.D., Dec 29, 1890, between Big Foot’s band of the hostile Sioux Indians and two Battalions of the 7th Cav., U.S.A., several of the enlisted men that participated in the fight went over the battlefield in search of relics. Pvt. C. A. Smith, Troop “G”, 7th Cav., U.S.A., found these glasses on the dead body of an Indian that was killed in the fight and afterwards burned to a crisp at the place he fell by the Tepee which the Indian had used as shelter being set on fire by a shell.

While we remained on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, considerable inquiry was made concerning these glasses. The friendly Indians claimed that Big Foot’s band, whom we exterminated at Wounded Knee, was one of the hostile tribes that participated in the Custer Massacre and that the Indian spoken of as being burned obtained possession of these glasses on the battlefield where the massacre occurred. Nearly all of the officers of the 7th U.S. Cav. have inspected these glasses and expressed themselves as being convinced that they were the actual glasses used by Gen. Custer in the campaign in which he and his gallant troopers were massacred.

Pvt. C. Smith sold these glasses to E. Morton, Saddles Troop “G”. Saddles Morton then sold them to Sgt (?) Rathgebar, Sergeant Troop “G”, and Rathgebar afterwards sold them to wm. Sharp, Sergeant, Troop “G”, 7th Cav. Any of the above persons can identify these glasses and will vouch for the above statement”.

A wonderful opportunity to acquire a pr of battlefield recovered field glasses with unmistakable provenance to the Battle of Wounded Knee and extremely strong attribution to the Custer Massacre and Gen. George A. Custer, all documented in testimony and writing within a decade or so, following the 1876 massacre. 4-55300 CW106 (45,000-55,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2005

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
	4070	$56,062.00	GEN. GEO. ARMSTRONG CUSTER’S FIELD GLASSES FROM THE MASSACRE AT LITTLE BIGHORN WITH DOCUMENTED PROVENANCE. Field glasses have brass bodies (once leather covered) made by “Lemaire Paris France” and closed stand 6-1/2” tall complete with sunshields. CONDITION: Good. Leather covering of the binocular bodies has been lost. Brass bodies are oxidized. Left eyepiece lens is fractured and the right viewing lens is scratched and discolored. There is a scratch nearly across the center of the entire lens. Accompanying provenance goes backwards thusly: Consignor from Franklin David Wilson Jr. (1970’s) from Elsie Louise Wilson nee Edmunds (c. 1915) from Alfred Edmunds purchased from William Sharp (Sergeant Troop G 7th Cav. USA) (1897) from G. H Rathgeber (Sergeant Troop G 7th Cav. USA) from E. Morton (Saddler, Troop G 7th Cav. USA) from C.H. Smith (Pvt. 7th Cav. USA) (who recovered these field glasses from a dead Indian after the battle of Wounded Knee December 29, 1890). Copies of the last will and testament for Elsie Wilson nee Edmunds, her marriage certificate to Franklin David Wilson, a 6-pg handwritten letter from Edward Edmunds (Cook, Troop G 7th Cav. USA) to his brother Charles Edmunds dated Fort Riley, Kansas, September 22, 1889, along with a bill of sale for the field glasses from William Sharp to Alfred Edmunds dated March 6, 1897 with a long handwritten 1-pg description of the field glasses including a physical description, which matches those presented here, the bill of sale states in part “What is positively known concerning these glasses is as follows: After the battle at Wounded Knee Creek, S.D., Dec 29, 1890, between Big Foot’s band of the hostile Sioux Indians and two Battalions of the 7th Cav., U.S.A., several of the enlisted men that participated in the fight went over the battlefield in search of relics. Pvt. C. A. Smith, Troop “G”, 7th Cav., U.S.A., found these glasses on the dead body of an Indian that was killed in the fight and afterwards burned to a crisp at the place he fell by the Tepee which the Indian had used as shelter being set on fire by a shell. While we remained on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, considerable inquiry was made concerning these glasses. The friendly Indians claimed that Big Foot’s band, whom we exterminated at Wounded Knee, was one of the hostile tribes that participated in the Custer Massacre and that the Indian spoken of as being burned obtained possession of these glasses on the battlefield where the massacre occurred. Nearly all of the officers of the 7th U.S. Cav. have inspected these glasses and expressed themselves as being convinced that they were the actual glasses used by Gen. Custer in the campaign in which he and his gallant troopers were massacred. Pvt. C. Smith sold these glasses to E. Morton, Saddles Troop “G”. Saddles Morton then sold them to Sgt (?) Rathgebar, Sergeant Troop “G”, and Rathgebar afterwards sold them to wm. Sharp, Sergeant, Troop “G”, 7th Cav. Any of the above persons can identify these glasses and will vouch for the above statement”. A wonderful opportunity to acquire a pr of battlefield recovered field glasses with unmistakable provenance to the Battle of Wounded Knee and extremely strong attribution to the Custer Massacre and Gen. George A. Custer, all documented in testimony and writing within a decade or so, following the 1876 massacre. 4-55300 CW106 (45,000-55,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2005 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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