Original U.S. Grand Army of the Republic M1860 Officer Sword by H.A. Winship of Boston with Scabbard
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Original Item: Only One Available. This is the standard U.S. Army Officer's Dress or Parade Sword Model 1860, as first issued during the Civil War. The design was popular, and retained for decades afterwards as the standard officer's dress sword. This is definitely an upmarket customized example, with an ornate hilt and brass scabbard with highly adorned fittings. Intended for presentation, it was definitely meant to impress.
This sword was made for a member of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), a veteran's organization made up of Union Soldiers from the civil war. It has a GAR superimposed monogram on the shell guard, with three pole arms bearing banners on either side. The other side of the guard, which folds down, has a U.S. Shield over crossed rifles, cannons, and lances.
The 30" blade is etched on both sides, with G.A.R. on one side, and C.F.C.W. 6th Reg't M.V.M. in gothic script on the other. There are also numerous stands of arms and other military motifs. We were not able to identify this unit, which could be a G.A.R. unit or maybe a Civil War unit. The ricasso of the blade is marked by the maker / retailer of the sword:
H. A.
WINSHIP
BOSTON
MASS.
Henry A. Winship was a Boston hat and trunk store owner who opened his firm in 1846. The company supplied military regalia to organizations such as the G.A.R. during the post Civil War war years.
The sword measures 36 1/4" overall, and the hilt and very ornate "shell" Guard are of bronze/brass alloy and the grip is wire bound sharkskin covered wood. The blade has a bit of wobble in the hilt, but is still firmly attached to the pommel cap. The brass mounted nickel plated steel scabbard is very nice, and still retains some of the original plate, with the balance showing a lightly oxidized patina. The brass fittings have simple foliate designs, and all three hanger rings are still intact.
Condition overall is very good, with a lovely worn patina. This would definitely make a great wall-hanger for any Civil War Enthusiast or descendant of Union Soldiers.
Dimensions:
Blade length: 30”
Overall length: 36 1/4”
Handguard: 5”W x 5”L
Scabbard length: 31"
The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), Marines and the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Springfield, Illinois, and grew to include hundreds of "posts" (local community units) across the nation (predominantly in the North, but also a few in the South and West). It was dissolved in 1956 at the death of its last member, Albert Woolson (1850–1956) of Duluth, Minnesota.
Linking men through their experience of the war, the G.A.R. became among the first organized advocacy groups in American politics, supporting voting rights for black veterans, promoting patriotic education, helping to make Memorial Day a national holiday, lobbying the United States Congress to establish regular veterans' pensions, and supporting Republican political candidates. Its peak membership, at 410,000, was in 1890, a high point of various Civil War commemorative and monument dedication ceremonies. It was succeeded by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), composed of male descendants of Union Army and Union Navy veterans.
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