The lot features a U.S. Springfield Model 1873 trapdoor .45-70 barrel and socket bayonet recovered from the Fort Lincoln Mandan, North Dakota area. In June 1872, near the Mandan Indian population, a military post named Fort McKeen was built by two companies of the 6th US Infantry under Lt. Col. Daniel Huston, Jr. (1824-1884). The three-company infantry post’s name was changed to Fort Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1872, expanded to include a cavalry post accommodating six companies. In 1873 the 7th U.S. Cavalry moved into the fort and the first post commander was Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. In 1876, the Army departed from Fort Lincoln as part of the Great Sioux War of 1876 and the Battle of the Little Bighorn which resulted in Custer’s defeat. The fort housed Custer’s home and his offers. The Fort was abandoned by 1891 and later in 1895 a new Fort Lincoln was built across the river near Bismark. This piece was recovered on private property adjacent to the original Fort Lincoln site where Custer’s Cavalry and the 6th Infantry resided. This is a section of .45-70 U.S. Springfield Model 1873 trapdoor rifle barrel with socket bayonet permanently attached. Overall the piece measures 19-inches long.