~33 inch wood cane with silver band affixed with an early 20th c. tag inscribed in ink: "Wood from USS Brandywine, begun, 1821, Washington, Ironclad(?), 1825. From Jas. H. and Wm. H. Sands, Annapolis, 25th Dec 1931. Stick belonged to their grandfather Holland."

Wood cane fashioned from the hull or other remnants of the USS Brandywine, a three-masted frigate that was built in 1821 and commissioned in 1825. It is best remembered for conveying the Marquis de Lafayette back to Europe after his triumphant tour of the United States.

For decades, the USS Brandywine served as a role player in American "gunboat diplomacy," patrolling various European and foreign ports to demonstrate superior naval power.

More research is needed to definitively identify them, but "Jas. H. and Wm. H. Sands" referenced on the cane's tag were likely members of the prominent Sands naval family.

[Revolutionary War, Colonial America, War of 1812, Marquis de Lafayette, Gilbert du Motier, Naval History, Ephemera, Militaria]