Offered here is a Charter Oak presentation walking stick that was presented to the Connecticut Governor’s Horse Guard Major-Commander and adversary of Colonel Samuel Colt, Henry Boardman. Measuring 35 inches in overall length, the walking stick features a brass tip ferrule, smooth tapered hardwood shaft (roughly 3/4 inch in diameter at the collar), inscribed gold collar and smooth round head constructed from fancy grade burl hardwood. The collar bears the inscription "Charter/Oak" and "Grd. May 10th 1662, Depd. Oct 31 1687, Fell Aug 21st 1856/Presd to Maj. H. Boardman Comr. Of Govs. Horse Guard/by Hon. I. W. Stuart, Hartford, Ct. May 4th 1858." The Charter Oak predated the arrival of European colonists to the region. It was planted by natives in the 12th or 13th century and used both as a symbol of peace and as a yardstick for when to plant corn during the season. The tree was preserved by the settlers, and earned its name in late October of 1687 when the British government attempted to strip the Connecticut colony of its charter (granted in 1662) as part of a plan to reassert their authority over the Americas by establishing a Dominion of New England. The governor of the Dominion personally traveled to Connecticut to physically seize the charter documents, but they were spirited away from the governor and concealed in the Charter Oak, an early act of American rebellion. The tree itself was lost in a severe windstorm on August 21, 1856. To mourn the death of the tree, the community held a large funeral service where people gave speeches, church bells tolled and Colonel Samuel Colt’s band played dirges in honor of the fallen tree. The owner of the property, American author Isaac W. Stuart (who among other credits was a professor of Greek and Latin, performing an early translation of the famous tragedy "Oedipus Rex" and writing a biography of patriot/spy Nathan Hale), had several items prepared from the wood, including a desk for the governor and chairs for the speaker and president of the State Senate. Firearms manufacturer Colt used Charter Oak grips on deluxe engraved presentation Model 1855 revolvers. Only a few Charter Oak guns were presented, mostly to friends of Colt, and as Colt historian R.L. Wilson notes, “They form one of the most interesting and desirable groups in the field of presentation percussion Colt firearms.” In addition to the various items, the Oak lives on today through several scions in the Hartford area as a symbol of American liberty and on the back of Connecticut's "50 States" quarter minted in 1999. As stated, the walking stick was presented to Henry Boardman. Connecticut militia officer Major Henry Boardman was appointed commander of the First Company, Governor's Horse Guards in 1845. The Governor's Guards, in particular the First Company of Foot Guards, holds the distinction of being the American military formation with the longest period of unbroken and unaltered service, being formed shortly before the American Revolution and active to the modern day. The First Horse Guard, assembled in 1778, was originally intended to provide defense and mounted escort for the governor before evolving into a general purpose honor guard, which included performing security for multiple American presidents traveling through Connecticut. During its tenure, the 1st was called to federal duty on multiple occasions, acting as a cavalry unit on the Southern border during the unpleasantness with Pancho Villa, a machine gun unit with the 26th "Yankee Division" in France for World War I, (seeing action at Meuse-Argonne and Saint-Mihel), and as a coastal artillery unit for World War II, all while veteran elements of the unit continued to perform home guard duty. While not directly federalized for the Civil War, the 1st (during Boardman's tenure as commander) provided a number of men for what was supposed to be the 1st Connecticut Cavalry Squadron but ended up being a consolidated cavalry unit designated the 2nd New York Cavalry, aka the Harris Light Cavalry, aka the 7th Volunteer Cavalry, in addition to contributing men to the 1st Connecticut Volunteer Cavalry Regiment; this scrambling of men, units, enlistment times and states (which was counted entirely as a New York unit for quota purposes, with no records sent to the Connecticut adjutant) has left something of a mess, and few firm records of the 1st Guard's actions in the Civil War survive. In addition to their national service, the First under Boardman was involved in a humorous incident with one Colonel Samuel Colt. As an inventor and marketer of arms Colonel Colt requires no introduction; his name is virtually synonymous with American firearms, but less known is his brief tenure as commander of the "First Company of the Governor's Horse Guard" in 1853. Boardman's First Horse Guard, which had not had cause to parade or ride for a number of years, was inadvertently forgotten, and when a call was put out for a cavalry unit Colt was tapped to form up a whole new unit instead of sending word to Boardman. Eager to maintain his position (and no doubt feeling some outrage at the indignity of the whole situation), Boardman mustered, reorganized and expanded his own First Company of the Governor's Horse Guard as fast as he could manage and marched them opposite Colt's First Company of the Governor's Horse Guard in the streets of Hartford. Called before the Governor to settle the matter, accounts of the meeting suggest that Boardman and Colt nearly came to blows over the incident, but the matter was settled without a physical struggle. Boardman's unit retained their title, and Colt's formation became Cavalry Company A, First Regiment, First Brigade.

Fine as repaired, with a mended break 14 1/2 inches up from the tip and some stabilized cracks, in addition to a protective coat of varnish and some mild handling marks. A few traces of white residue are present on the head, and the ferrule shows a few small dings. An American presentation item inscribed to an interesting figure in the history of Connecticut, this walking stick represents a historical treasure of such singular nature to make the words "rare" or "scarce" insufficient. "Unique" may be the only appropriate word. Examples of Charter Oak artifacts are typically only found in the halls of government or the collections of museums; miss out on this one and the chance may not come again any time soon.