Original Item: One-of-a-kind. In the early stages of the civil war, militias fought before standard Armies were formed. This was manufactured for use by Non-Commissioned Officers of the state militias, and was often referred to as a “Sergeants Sword”. As a whole, the sword and scabbard is in quite good condition for being almost two-hundred years old. The only noticeable damage to the sword, besides minor surface rust, is that the pointed tip appears to have been removed and rounded, probably to better fit in the scabbard. The brass crossguard and pommel with the “Knight’s Head” and floral motif show no damage and have been tarnished due to age. There are no solid identification marks on the sword besides a serial(?) number which appears to have been engraved on the ricasso many years later. The numbers engraved are: 108-40-2954. The grip appears to be black painted metal and only has minor nicks in it.

The scabbard is in similar condition as the sword, showing signs of heavy use throughout the years. The brass has tarnished over the years and the black paint on the scabbard body still covers 95% of the scabbard, with the exposed metal in areas now showing discoloration from light rust. The locket and chape (top and bottom) show no signs of damage and are still solid in construction. On the reverse side of the locket, on the sword frog retainer, a patent date can be found, 1858.

Swords like this were used from the Mexican War through the Civil War.

Measurements of Sword:
Length of Blade: 26 inches
Length of Pommel: 7 inches
Width of Blade: ⅞ of an inch
Length of Grip: 3 inches
Width of Grip: 1 ½ inches
Length of Crossguard: 4 ½ inches
Total Length: 32 inches

Measurements of Scabbard:
Length of Locket: 4 ½ inches
Length of Scabbard: 20 ½ inches
Length of Chape: 1 ½ inches
WIdth of Scabbard: 1 inch
Total Length: 26 ½ inches

Total Length of Sword IN Scabbard: 32 ½ inches

At the beginning of the American Civil War, neither the North or the South was nearly well enough prepared for war, and few people imagined the demands and hardships the war would bring. Just prior to the war the total peacetime army consisted of a paltry 16,000 men. Both sides issued an immediate call to forces from the militia, followed by the immediate awareness of an acute shortage of weapons, uniforms, and trained officers. State militia regiments were of uneven quality, and none had anything resembling combat training. The typical militia drilling at the time amounted to, at best, parade-ground marching. The militia units, from local communities, had never drilled together as a larger regiment, and thus lacked the extremely important skill, critically necessary for the war style of the time, of maneuvering from a marching line into a fighting line. Yet both sides were equally unready, and rushed to prepare.