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Item: ONJR25MAMD074
Original U.S. Indian Wars NGNY M1872 Cavalry Officer’s Presentation Saber to Dewitt C. Falls - Commandant of 7th Regiment New York National Guard & Designer of Military Uniforms & Insignia
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Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a tremendous M1872 Cavalry officer’s saber presented to then Adjutant Dewitt C. Falls, 7th Regiment, National Guard of New York. The saber would have been presented to Falls around 1895 when he became Adjutant. In civilian life, Falls was an author, artist, expert on military heraldry, and designer of military insignia. After the Spanish-American War, he was charged with the responsibility of designing appropriate uniforms for tropical climates. He was considered an authority on military uniforms and persuaded the United States to change the garb of its soldiers from blue to olive drab shortly after the SAW.Born in New York City, his father, also named DeWitt Clinton Falls, served in the 7th Regiment during the Civil War. Following in the footsteps of his father, he became a private in Company K of the 7th New York State National Guard on January 27, 1886, rose to corporal on January 10, 1889, sergeant major on October 26, 1894, first lieutenant and adjutant on July 5, 1895, and captain on June 2, 1899. In civilian life, Falls was an author, artist, expert on military heraldry, and designer of military insignia. After the Spanish-American War, he was charged with the responsibility of designing appropriate uniforms for tropical climates. Falls’s collection of drawings, military uniforms, and photographs became an important part of his legacy.This sword, unlike its predecessor, the Model 1860 Light Cavalry, was considered a minor improvement, although many were still not satisfied. The weight of the sword was less when compared to the Model of 1840 (Wristbreaker) and Model of 1860 (aka New Model). This sword was plagued with many manufacturing defects and ultimately led to the creation of a replacement, the Model of 1904. The noticeable difference is a smaller, sleek-appearing blade (almost fragile in appearance). The hilt appears to be a cross between the 1840 and 1860.This example is extremely high-quality, with lovely floral & patriotic motifs across both sides of the guard with a lovely ribbed sharkskin grip. The scabbard is still gorgeously engraved:Presented to Adjutant DeWitt C. FallsBy his comrades of the N.C.S. 7th Regt. N.G.N.Y.Sergeant Majors Wm Henry Folsom, C. Otto ForissaintSergeants John T. Fisher, John D. Crouch, Jonathan Dwight Jr.Thomas W. Linton, Walter B. Rogers, John W. Smith, Peter D. Braisted Jr.George F. BatesThis is truly one of the nicest engraved sword scabbards we have seen, not only is the style just gorgeous without any serious wear, but to have the name of every man who contributed to have this presented is just a fantastic detail.The 32¾” nickel-plated blade is in fair shape, although much of the plating is wearing away, and the etchings are difficult to make out. The ricasso bears the maker’s marking of H.V. Allen & Co. of New York. The leather blade buffer is still retained. The grip is solid on the full length tang, however the guard is just a bit loose, even with the leather blade buffer. The grip still has most of the shark skin wrapping intact, but if it originally had a wire wrap, it’s now gone.The scabbard is in very good shape with the engraving entirely intact. It looks to originally have been blued steel, and has the usual brass fittings, which have also been touched up with gold paint. The suspension rings have attached a lovely blue rope which shows heavy fraying, but considering his hobbies, this was likely attached by DeWitt himself to hang in his home.Overall a great chance to pick up a typical late 19th century U.S. Light Cavalry Saber with a lovely named and etched blade. Complete with scabbard this is ready to display!Specifications:Blade length: 32½”Overall length: 38 1/4”Guard dimensions: 4" width x 5” lengthScabbard length: 33 3/4”
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