Page 30 - Antiques and Collectibles September 2019 Historic Hudson Valley
P. 30
To drum-beat and heart-beat,
A soldier marches by:
There is color in his cheek,
There is courage in his eye,
Yet to drum-beat and heart-beat
In a moment he must die.
- from Nathan Hale by Francis Miles Finch (1827-1907)
he Hudson River, which spans from northeastern New York State to the southern tip
T of Manhattan, had long been utilized for trade and travel. During the Revolutionary
Hudson Valley Fowler, c. mid-18th century, cherry stock (early replaced War (1775–1783), it also held great strategic importance.
forend), brass fittings, serpent-shaped side plate, British lock, octagonal to If British forces seized the Hudson River Valley, they would not only control a critical
round barrel with 17th century proof mark, barrel lg. 68, overall lg. 84” military supply route from Canada through the Colonies. They would also isolate the Middle
Provenance: The collection of Anthony D. Darling. Colonies from New England, the heart of the Patriot Rebellion.
From 1775 on, American and British forces clashed at Hudson River Valley sites large and
Note: Purportedly used by the Samis family of Long Island, small, including Fort Ticonderoga, Bennington, Fort Montgomery, and Stony Point. The
New York, during the Battle of Long Island in 1776, 1777 Saratoga Campaign, in which 5000 British troops surrendered to 14,000 Continental
realized $8,610 in 2016. photo: Skinner, Inc., skinnerinc.com
troops, however, was most decisive of all. It convinced France to enter the conflict. From that
point on, the influx of French cash, loans, soldiers, and munitions assured an American victory.
Though the country’s fight for independence is long over, Revolutionary Hudson River
Valley encampments, skirmish sites, battlefields, military headquarters, and other historic
spots still dot the Hudson River Valley. Through the years, many have yielded remnants of the
past, assorted arms and militaria artifacts.
“Dug” items, still unearthed from time-to-time, have often cracked, chipped, bent, pitted,
or oxidized underground. “Undug” items, stashed away in barns or attics, generally, survive in
better condition.
Each defines the Revolutionary War in a personal, tangible way. It’s one thing to learn
about a particular battle. It’s another to own an item that actually “touches history,” bringing
that battle to life.
Brass Step-down Bullet and Shot Mold, marked on one side “ISAAC MAYNARD” and on the other
“SUDBURY 1777,” inside of mold has cavities for casting small shot through musket-size ball, edges
of mold marked with the weight of each ball per hundred, with cherry handles, overall lg. 11 3/4 in,
realized $9,225 in 2016. photo: Skinner, Inc., skinnerinc.com
Note: Isaac Maynard was born October 27, 1747, in Sudbury, Massachusetts. He is listed on the
rolls of Captain John Nixon’s company of Minutemen in 1775, as well as Captain Asahel Wheeler’s
company rolls. Maynard, who died on June 25, 1797, is buried in the Old Revolutionary Cemetery
in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
28
A soldier marches by:
There is color in his cheek,
There is courage in his eye,
Yet to drum-beat and heart-beat
In a moment he must die.
- from Nathan Hale by Francis Miles Finch (1827-1907)
he Hudson River, which spans from northeastern New York State to the southern tip
T of Manhattan, had long been utilized for trade and travel. During the Revolutionary
Hudson Valley Fowler, c. mid-18th century, cherry stock (early replaced War (1775–1783), it also held great strategic importance.
forend), brass fittings, serpent-shaped side plate, British lock, octagonal to If British forces seized the Hudson River Valley, they would not only control a critical
round barrel with 17th century proof mark, barrel lg. 68, overall lg. 84” military supply route from Canada through the Colonies. They would also isolate the Middle
Provenance: The collection of Anthony D. Darling. Colonies from New England, the heart of the Patriot Rebellion.
From 1775 on, American and British forces clashed at Hudson River Valley sites large and
Note: Purportedly used by the Samis family of Long Island, small, including Fort Ticonderoga, Bennington, Fort Montgomery, and Stony Point. The
New York, during the Battle of Long Island in 1776, 1777 Saratoga Campaign, in which 5000 British troops surrendered to 14,000 Continental
realized $8,610 in 2016. photo: Skinner, Inc., skinnerinc.com
troops, however, was most decisive of all. It convinced France to enter the conflict. From that
point on, the influx of French cash, loans, soldiers, and munitions assured an American victory.
Though the country’s fight for independence is long over, Revolutionary Hudson River
Valley encampments, skirmish sites, battlefields, military headquarters, and other historic
spots still dot the Hudson River Valley. Through the years, many have yielded remnants of the
past, assorted arms and militaria artifacts.
“Dug” items, still unearthed from time-to-time, have often cracked, chipped, bent, pitted,
or oxidized underground. “Undug” items, stashed away in barns or attics, generally, survive in
better condition.
Each defines the Revolutionary War in a personal, tangible way. It’s one thing to learn
about a particular battle. It’s another to own an item that actually “touches history,” bringing
that battle to life.
Brass Step-down Bullet and Shot Mold, marked on one side “ISAAC MAYNARD” and on the other
“SUDBURY 1777,” inside of mold has cavities for casting small shot through musket-size ball, edges
of mold marked with the weight of each ball per hundred, with cherry handles, overall lg. 11 3/4 in,
realized $9,225 in 2016. photo: Skinner, Inc., skinnerinc.com
Note: Isaac Maynard was born October 27, 1747, in Sudbury, Massachusetts. He is listed on the
rolls of Captain John Nixon’s company of Minutemen in 1775, as well as Captain Asahel Wheeler’s
company rolls. Maynard, who died on June 25, 1797, is buried in the Old Revolutionary Cemetery
in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
28
