This is an incredibly scarce and very fine regulation field gun used by the Royal Army and was discovered in North America. The "Light 6-Pounder Battalion Gun of 1776" was among the main cannons of the American Revolution and was the most common field gun used by the British in the War of 1812. Light 6 Pounder Field Guns from this period were used in the battles in Canada such as Lundy's Lane and on the U.S. East Coast, including the infamous Burning of Washington, D.C. This model was also heavily used in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Regulation cannons are incredibly scarce both in public and private collections since most were scrapped after they were pulled from service, and they are very rarely publicly traded or found in this very fine condition. In fact, we could find no record of another British regulation 6 Pounder being sold publicly at auction. Surviving artillery pieces are more commonly commercial or East India Company ordnance rather than from the Royal Army or Navy. Their lighter weight made them much easier to move around a battlefield and get into position, and they fired solid shot, grapeshot, and canister shot primarily against enemy formations and proved devastating against massed troops. A single 6-pounder solid shot ball would cut through nineteen men. This piece dates from the era of the French Revolutionary Wars and may have been brought to North America specifically for the War of 1812. Lord Cornwallis is most famous for being defeated by General George Washington and his French allies at Yorktown during the American Revolution after which he surrendered 244 pieces of artillery, most of which were light field guns like this. Despite his humiliating defeat, he continued on in his military career and continued to be among the most prestigious British officers. He was master-general of ordnance from 1795 to 1801. He died in India in 1805 while serving as governor-general. One of the other very few surviving examples with Cornwallis's marking is in the Royal Armories Collection and is dated 1798. The smoothbore barrel has the cipher of then Master-General of Ordnance Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess and 2nd Earl Cornwallis which consist of a coronet of a marquess over "C" crest with "HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE" motto on the garter on the chase. The motto, meaning "May he be shamed who thinks badly of it," is used by the United Kingdom and British Order of the Garter. On the reinforcing ring further down it has "CCCXXI," and the ring next has "I & H KING 1797" for John & Henry King. Below that on the reinforce is the Georgian cipher with St. Edward's crown over "GR" surrounded by the same motto as above on the garter. The base of the breech below the cascabel it has "6~[?]~?J." It has a copper lined touch hole, sight base, and scarce original trunnion caps and latches. The Kings produced cannons at the Royal Brass Foundry at Woolwich for the Royal Army and Navy. John King was appointed foreman of the foundry in 1789 and became master founder in 1797 when this cannon was produced, and his brother Henry served as assistant foreman and then assistant founder. Henry became the master founder after John's death in 1813. Cornelius King, John's son, may have been responsible for the finer details of this piece; he became foreman in 1805 and appears to have previously been employed as assistant molder. With his father's death, he became assistant founder under his uncle.

Very fine overall with both a pleasing and attractive well-aged patina and wear appropriate for a field piece over 200 years old. To our knowledge, this is the first time one of these regulation British 6-Pounder Field Gun has been publicly sold in the U.S.!