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THB[MILITARIA, INDIAN WARS] m1875 Hotchkiss 2-Pounder Mountain Gun
![[MILITARIA, INDIAN WARS] m1875 Hotchkiss 2-Pounder Mountain Gun](https://s1.img.bidsquare.com/item/xl/3368/33682402.jpeg?t=1Vh7A8)
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About Auction
LiveNov 22, 2025
This exclusive catalog presents a select offering from the personal collection of Alejandro "Alex" de Quesada Jr., renowned historian, author, and collector. The catalog features exceptionally rare swords, historically significant belt buckles and military insignia, original Civil War flags, and a wide range of ephemera representing pivotal moments in military history. Fleischer's Auctions info@fleischersauctions.com
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- Lot Description
M1875 HOTCHKISS TWO‑POUNDER MOUNTAIN GUN
THE U.S. ARMY'S SIGNATURE CANNON USED DURING THE INDIAN WAR ERA
Hotchkiss & Cie (Hotchkiss & Co.), Paris, ca. 1875. Marked "1884."
Note: Oral tradition holds that this gun saw service at the Battle of Wounded Knee (1890); however, no primary documentation or unit-level provenance has been located to confirm that association. Further research is encouraged.
A classic example of the United States Army’s first purpose‑designed breech‑loading mountain gun, of 1.65‑inch (42 mm) “two‑pounder” caliber. Rifled steel tube with quick‑action breech (for fixed, metallic‑cased ammunition); (likely replaced) iron/wood pack‑carriage with large dished wheels, iron tires and bronze hubs; elevating screw and traverse gear. Marked at the breech with a U.S. acceptance roundel and number, and retaining to the trail the oval brass maker’s plate “HOTCHKISS’ PATENT / No. 78 / PARIS 1884.” Re-finished presently with deep arsenal‑style black to the tube and original‑type olive drab to the carriage.
Condition: As with many surviving examples, restoration has resulted in a composite of original and replacement components, including the carriage and wheels. Such later assemblies are typical for artillery of this period and are not uncommon for display. Prospective bidders are encouraged to request a full condition report.
American engineer Benjamin B. Hotchkiss (1826–1885), trained in Connecticut’s premier arms industry and celebrated for his rifled‑artillery projectiles in the U.S. Civil War, removed to France after 1865 and founded Hotchkiss & Cie. There he developed the compact mountain gun adopted by the U.S. in 1875, a landmark as the Army’s first original breech‑loading field piece. Designed for frontier service, the Hotchkiss could be broken down into two pack loads(with a third mule for ammunition), giving cavalry columns a reliable, portable gun that replaced the aging M1841 mountain howitzer. The piece saw extensive use in the Late Indian Wars, famously with the 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee (1890), and lingered in service into the Spanish‑American War and Philippine‑American War, bridging the gap between muzzle‑loading mountain howitzers and modern quick‑firing light artillery.
Surviving M1875s in any condition are scarce. This example, combining U.S. ordnance acceptance to the tube with a Paris‑dated carriage plate, illustrates the international manufacture and procurement that characterized Hotchkiss production and makes it a particularly desirable museum‑grade artifact of late‑19th‑century American artillery.Mechanics untested. Offered as an antique artillery piece; federal regulations in the United States (18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(16)) exempt such artifacts from FFL transfer requirements. Buyers are responsible for compliance with all applicable state/local laws and any export/import controls.
BUYER RESPONSIBLE FOR PICK-UP/SHIPPING ARRANGEMENTS
[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Relics, Militaria, Accouterment, Equipment, Uniforms] [Cannon, Ordnance, Artillery]
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