LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 June Civil War Grand Format Auction #663  / 

72040

Mosby's Sergeant Babcock Boyle & Gamble Knife

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:5,000.00 USD Estimated At:20,000.00 - 25,000.00 USD
Mosby's Sergeant Babcock Boyle & Gamble Knife
<B>Mosby's First Sergeant Alexander G. Babcock's Boyle & Gamble Side Knife,</B></I> 13.75” overall length with 9.5” blade, bone grips secured by brass pins, iron guard, etched foliate design on one side of the blade with crossed flags etched on the opposing side, leather sheath with brass throat and scabbard tip. Top mount engraved "<I>A. Babcock 43 batt'l</B></I>". The highly polished bone handle has minor age cracks and is pleasantly toned. The blade, although fresh and bright, is quite worn with the etching being largely reduced to an outline of the original. A split runs along the top seam of the sheath, otherwise it is intact and quite presentable. Overall fine condition.<BR><BR>Crafted by Richmond's premier edged weapon maker during the Civil War, this fine side knife was carried by First Sergeant Alexander G. Babcock of Mosby's 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion. Babcock, a New Yorker born in 1835, changed sides during the war and faithfully discharged his duties once becoming a Confederate partisan. He was attached to Mosby's artillery company as of 1864. Being a real bear of a man, the former Yankee features prominently in many of the late war photographs of Mosby and his men. Babcock, in spite of his Northern origins and unconventional enlistment, is buried in the hallowed ground of Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery.<BR><BR> <B>Provenance:</B></I> <I>The Tharpe Collection of American Military History</B></I><BR> <BR><B>Exhibited:</B></I> <I>The Liberty Heritage Society Museum</B></I><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Miscellaneous Collectibles, Smal (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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