Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Can You Identify This Sword

I see something on the blade, don't y'all. OK I'll have another beer and look again.
One of the websites I was looking thru would ID a sword for ten bucks. Arms and armour I think.

BCR,

It is true that a lot of swords in that period had all metal scabbards, particularly for the mounted arms. I am sure that there is a reason for using leather in some cases and metal in others. Danged if I know what it is though. Perhaps one of our reenactor members knows more.

I do remember reading of people whose sword, after heavy rainfalls in the field, ends up rusting into the scabbard. Lt Kincaid of the 95th Rifles wrote of that happening to him at Waterloo. I assumed that he picked up one of the broken tipped swords described by Peter E. above.

Chuck

There is definately something there. I seem to make out what appears to be a stand of arms.

BCR

BCR,
Sorry to disagree and although I am no expert, I do have both a calvary officer's sword and an artillery officer's sword in my family that still exist and that we played with as children. As a consequence I believe that it is definitely an Artillery Commander's dress sword. If you look at the hilt of the sword and the guard, it is much too ornate to be just a plain Artillery man's sword or even that of a line officer. To my mind this sword definitely belonged to some one of importance above the rank of captain (probably a Colonel or a Brigadier General). Also, it is too ornate, with an obviously unsharpened blade and wrapped leather hilt, to be of much use on the battlefield for anything other than posturing and giving commands. This is demonstrated by the actual fighting swords of the period such as the very serious cavalry sword in my family's possession which has a much much longer sharpened blade and a brass wrapped pommel,hilt,and which is damned near indestructable. Also there is almost no doubt in my mind to be of Civil War vintage 1840's-1880's. Please do not think me the definitive expert on this subject but also remember that my family is old Virginia military and I grew up with just about every kind of Revolutionary and Civil War artifact, curio, and relic that you can imagine, to include live shells and loaded revolvers, and rifles as well as swords which we were permitted to handle, shoot, and in general, use for daily play like most of you played with He-Man, Great Garloo, or O gauge Lionel trains. HORRIBLY SHOCKING AIN'T IT? Especially the loaded Mortar and Cannon shells! Ha! Ha! Ha! I'll just bet some Liberal Pinko Commie is just throwing a [bleep] Fit right about now Huh ???! And they wonder where us Southern boys git all our military training from? It's in our blood stupid! QUITE LITERALLY. Later folks.

Flower Child

I agree that there appears to be something there. Hopefully either the beer or Bea175 can provide more information.



Chuck

US Model 1852 Navy Officer's Sword

http://arms2armor.com/Swords/1852navy.htm

This is just my two cents. Here goes, a sword historian remarked that the civil war cavalry were common issued to infantry officers and in reverse were in demand by the cavalry officer because of the longer length. I thought about that bit of information a good deal and could the legitimacy of the argument.

I also had the vision to think of all the short infantry officers dragging the sword tip in the dirt. Scabbed are just about never found with the sword, or are in vary poor condition.

I'm not so sure..If you look at the pick in your link, the decorative part of the quillion appears to form a dragons or lions head, where as in bea175's sword, its a plain scroll...

Going off the various information on that arms2armor site, I'd tend to agree with Chuck Trees and guess its a
US Model 1850 Foot Officer's Sword, especially after reading the description:
"This sword very closely resembles the 1850 "Mounted" Field and Staff Officer's Sword; they were approved on the same day. The most notable difference is the absence of the US on the guard (absent on the Foot Officer's Sword, present on the Staff & Field).
Another notable difference is the smaller guard.
It also closely resembles the Model 1852 Navy Officer's Sword, the major difference being the absence of distinct naval motif, (most notably the absence of the "dolphin's-head" on the quillon finial at the tip of the upper guard).
This pattern was used by North and South during the Civil War, with obvious associated lettering changes."

We took in a sword at work last year and did quite a bit of research to ascertain what it was....it was similar in design (I know...broad statement...)
Anyway the era was about the same (1860) and I think you guys are getting real warm with this 1852 Navy Officers Sword...
What we found FWIW is the subtle differences in design such as the one just mentioned by Pete E. had more to do with who, when, and where it was manufactured than by who it was issued to...
Apparently mil specs were a bit vague for swords back in the day.... We founds LOTS of tiny variations on the same "model" sword...
Ingwe