Slave-Carved Beautiful Wooden Cane, Gifted to Brig Gen Beekman DuBarry

A simple wooden walking cane, measuring 33.5" in length with a 3.75" handle, No place, Ca. 1890s. This sturdy wooden cane was carved by an elderly slave, who worked as a servant for Commander William Lewis Herndon, who later gifted it to U.S. Brigadier General Beekman DuBarry. A letter of provenance accompanies the cane, written by DuBarry's daughter, Elise DuBarry Wilson. Measures 6" x 4", No place, undated, addressed to Colonel Keyes, it reads in part: "…I am sending a cain [sic] carved by a very old slave once owned by [illegible] body servant of Commander Herndon, President Arthur's father in law. The Negro was once shipwrecked with the Commander. The Negro lived to be 90 years old & would come by to call on Genl DuBarry to talk about 'Ole Times.' 1890 - He gave this cain [sic] to my father he carved." The cane has expected wear from use, with some minor scratching at the bottom, but is in very fine condition with a handsome grain and smooth handle. The letter of provenance is unevenly toned with a tear through the middle. Soiling and creasing throughout.

William Lewis Herndon (1813-1857) was a Commander in the United States Navy who served in the Mexican-American War and headed an exploration of the Amazon in 1851. He is most noted for his heroic actions during the sinking of the mail steamer SS "Central America", during which he lost his life, and for being the father-in-law of future president Chester A. Arthur. In September 1857, the SS "Central America" was trapped in a three-day hurricane off the coast of North Carolina and lost power. Herndon ensured that a 152 of the 575 people on board were rescued before choosing to stay with the remaining passengers and crew members as the ship sank off Cape Hatteras. It is entirely possible that it is this shipwreck that is referenced in the cane's letter of provenance, which the cane's carver survived. The sinking of the SS "Central America" lost not only the majority of its passengers and crew (the largest loss of life in a commercial ship disaster in U.S. history), but also 15 tons of gold, which was valued at approximately $8 million (a value of $765 million in 2021). While a significant amount of gold was recovered, the sinking was a contributing factor in the Panic of 1857, with the US banks being unable to recover until after the Civil War.

Beekman Du Barry, Sr. (1828-1901) was a U.S. Army brigadier general who served with distinction in the Commissary of Subsistence of the Union Army. He graduated from West Point in 1849 as seventh in his class and was posted to several stations in Florida, Washington, and the frontier. During the Civil War, he acted as Quartermaster for Major General Robert Patterson and later for Ulysses S. Grant. After the war, Du Barry briefly left active duty but returned in 1882. He was promoted to brigadier general on July 10, 1890, and perhaps this beautiful carved cane was a gift in recognition of this success. Could this cane also have been captured in this portrait of the elderly Du Barry?

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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