LOT #44266 |
Sold on Jun 10, 2012 for: Not Sold
Spanish Lance Blade: Recovered in the West by General Oscar Long, Circa 1870. ...
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Description
Spanish Lance Blade: Recovered in the West by General Oscar Long, Circa 1870. This type of deadly lance tip was introduced by the Spaniards much earlier, and this was undoubtedly traded north to the Plains tribes, possibly generations before it was recovered. Attached is a very archaic typed tag with reads "About the year 1870, Gen'l Oscar Long who was serving with the regular army on the Western plains presented the Corps with a head which had been taken from a bison he killed, and this Sioux Indian lance, the so-called Spanish lance the type used so cruelly by the Sioux and their allies against our troops".While confirming documentation is lacking, it seems likely that this tag was affixed at the museum at West Point, which at one time had a tremendous number of artifacts sent back from the West, many of which were ultimately deaccessioned. As a second lieutenant in the 5th U.S. Infantry, 1876 West Point graduate Oscar Long was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism at the Battle of Bear Paw Mountain, Montana on September 30, 1877. He was appointed 1st Aide de Camp to Gen. Nelson Miles in 1881. Later he would serve as the Adjutant General of the D.C. Militia, in which capacity he introduced the bicycle as a means of locomotion, writing bicycle drill tactics that he worked out mathematically.
Given the old corroded patina it seems likely that this lance blade had lain where Long found it for many years before its collection. Complete and in excellent condition, length 19". Included is an extensive dossier about Long and the more recent provenance of the piece.
Auction Info
2012 June 10 Legends of the Wild West Signature Auction - Dallas #6079 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2012
10th
Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 0
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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Buyer's Premium per Lot:
19.5% of the successful bid per lot.
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