This lot includes US Army artifacts from the former Fort Ellis site east of Bozeman, Montana. Fort Ellis was a United States Army fort established in 1867 east of present day Bozeman, Montana. The fort was established to protect and suport settlers moving into the Gallatin Valley. Fort Ellis was an imprtant post during the prominent Indian conflicts of the 19th century as well as a base of operations for exploring the region now kown as Yellowstone National Park. Five companies of the 2nd Calvalry and infantry companies from the 7th Infiantry Regiment provided the fort's garrison. The fort was decommissioned in 1886, and later sold to local farmers. Included in the artifacts are spent 1873 Springfield Trapdoor rifle copper cartridges. Many have speculated that this version of the Springfield Trapdoor rifle lead to the downfall of Custer's defeat at the Battle of Little Bighorn. It had a reputation for being inaccurate and malfunctioning often. The problem was most likely the copper cartridges that famously expanded with the heat of the gun firing. This meant that guns could be rendered unusable unless one knew how to wedge out a cartridge and fire again. A number of the cartridges exhibit expansion consistent with the rifle's malfunction issues. Also included are the letters "U" and "S", and the numbers "4" & "5", presumably from Army units. Also included are a map of the Fort at that time and provenance in the form of a handwritten account of the discovery of the spent cartridges. The copper cartridges exhibit oxidation and crushing consistent with farm equipment weight.