Sacred and Holy Relics — George Washington’s Set of PistolsMade in France in the middle

Sacred and Holy Relics — George Washington’s Set of PistolsMade in France in the middle 1700’s these flintlock pistols were a gift from the Marquis de Lafeyette to George Washington during the American Revolution.  The Marquis de Lafeyette was a young French nobleman and army officer who volunteered for service in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, with the rank of major general.  The Marquis presented these pistols as well as a letter of recommendation from Benjamin Franklin before receiving his officer’s commision.  Washington would carry them in his saddle throughout the war and later during the Whiskey Rebellion.The pistols remained a possession of the Washington family until in 1824 they were presented to Andrew Jackson. 7th President of the United States, who called them “sacred and holy relics”.  Later Jackson would return them to the Lafeyette Family, where they remained in private hands for two centuries.In 2002 the pistols were sold by Christies for the sum of $1.9 million, setting a sales record for weapons.  The buyer, The Richard King Mellon Foundation, donated them to the Fort Ligonier Association, a historical society celebrating the colonial history of Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Currently George Wasington’s pistols are on display at the Fort Ligonier Museum, Lingonier, PA   -- source link

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