Original Item. Only One Available. This is a very interesting handmade Civil War-era leather frog intended for a saber bayonet scabbard. Its simple construction, irregular handwork, and period repair are consistent with wartime manufacture, and the piece may have been made for one of the numerous Confederate-produced saber bayonets patterned generally after the U.S. Model 1855 style.

The frog is made from a single broad strip of leather that has been folded, cut, and stitched to form the body and two rear belt loops. The front incorporates a large horizontal slit through which the upper portion of a saber-bayonet scabbard would pass, together with a smaller opening intended to accommodate the scabbard stud or frog button. This basic arrangement is consistent with Civil War saber-bayonet frogs designed to suspend a leather scabbard securely from the soldier’s waist belt. Known Model 1855-style frogs likewise used leather pockets or slots to engage the scabbard’s upper mounting hardware.

The frog measures 4 ⅛ x 6 ¾” and has some wear and creasing to the leather, with some tears in the slit from wear of age and maybe from someone trying to force the scabbard into the slit. We have not attempted to insert one.

The U.S. Model 1855 saber bayonet influenced a number of Civil War-era sword-bayonet designs, and Confederate makers likewise produced their own saber bayonets in a variety of forms. Surviving Confederate examples from manufacturers such as Froelich were fitted with leather scabbards using external bars, staples, or studs intended to engage a belt frog, illustrating the broad range of suspension systems encountered on Confederate equipment.

This frog is particularly interesting for its straightforward handmade construction, surviving pair of belt loops, period-style repair, and clear evidence of long use. The tears at the scabbard slit and general creasing should be treated carefully, but the piece remains substantially intact and represents the type of simple leather accoutrement used to suspend a saber bayonet during the Civil War period.