Title:
Dueling pistols, Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar
Description:
Dueling pistols, two pieces. The pistols are each constructed of the same materials, wood and two types of metal possibly silver and an iron-based metal though no further analysis has been done. The pistols have a single barrel with a percussion cap firing system. The base of the pistol is made out of wood with designs carved into the wood of the handle. The barrel of the gun is made out of an iron-based metal. The trigger is made out of silver with engraved designs. There is also a silver cap underneath the handle. Etched in gold on the barrel and side of both: C. Schilling in Mehlis.
Description:
Historical Note: This pair of dueling pistols was once the property of General (and subsequently President of the Republic of Texas), Mirabeau B. Lamar. They are believed to have been used in the battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836. The pistols were made by hand as an identical pair. The battle of San Jacinto was the concluding military event of the Texas Revolution in 1836. Mexico would never regain the lost territory, in spite of sporadic incursions during the 1840s. The United States would go on to acquire not only the Republic of Texas in 1845 but Mexican lands to the west after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican War in 1848. Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, son of John and Rebecca Lamar, was born near Louisville, Georgia, on August 16, 1798. He moved to Texas in 1835. When confronted by the news of the battle of the Alamo and the Goliad Massacre, Lamar joined the revolutionary army at Groce's Point as a private. When the Mexican and Texan forces faced each other at San Jacinto on April 20, 1836, Thomas J. Rusk and Walter Paye Lane were surrounded by the enemy. Lamar's quick action the next day saved their lives and brought him a salute from the Mexican lines. As the battle of San Jacinto was about to start, he was verbally commissioned a colonel and assigned to command the cavalry. In September 1836, in the first national election, Lamar was elected vice president. He was inaugurated the second President of Texas in December 1838. He died on December 19, 1859, and was buried in the Masonic Cemetery at Richmond.
Description:
Related Collection: Lamar family papers [Series II] at the Texas State Archives.
Identifier:
ATF0269
Item identifier:
ATF0269
Collection:
Artifacts collection
Date range of creation:
1800 to 1830
Container information:
Artifact Box 0137
Geographic coverage:
Texas
Subject:
Lamar, Mirabeau B. (Mirabeau Buonaparte), 1798-1859
Subject:
History
Subject:
Texas, Republic, 1836-1846
Type:
Image
Type:
Firearms
Type:
Pistol
Medium:
Metal
Citation information:
ATF0269, Artifacts collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Copyright information:
This image is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States. The Item and its design depicted in this image may be protected by copyright, patents, trademarks, or other related rights. You are free to use this image in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Texas State Library and Archives Commission makes no warranties about the Item and cannot guarantee the accuracy of this Rights Statement. You are responsible for your own use. Please contact the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for more information. You may need to obtain other permissions for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy or moral rights may limit how you may use the material.
Size or duration:
13.5 in x 6 in x 1.5 in
Language:
English