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

72216

The Sword of Confederate General Albert Sidney J

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:15,000.00 USD Estimated At:60,000.00 - 65,000.00 USD
The Sword of Confederate General Albert Sidney J
<B>The Sword of Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston - Accompanied by an Oil Painting of Johnston</B></I> This 1840 Model Ames Cavalry Saber was carried by Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston at the beginning of the Civil War. With a very nice gilt guard, this is a superb high-grade officer's sword made by the Ames Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts. Albert Sidney Johnston, an 1826 graduate of the United States Military academy at West Point, was already an accomplished and famous soldier by the time of the Civil War. A veteran of the Black Hawk War, a general in the Army of the Republic of Texas and a Colonel in the Mexican War, he was a Brigadier General at the outbreak of the Civil War. Offered a position in the United States Army as second in command to General Winfield Scott, he instead accepted a commission as a General in the Confederate Army. He was killed at the Battle of Shiloh with the entire Confederacy mourning his loss. Indeed Confederate President Jefferson Davis said he was, "the greatest soldier, the ablest man, civil or military, Confederate or Federal, then living."<BR> This 36" saber is in magnificent condition, the 1 1/4" wide blade with the 26" fuller, it is stamped 'US/H.D.K.' at the ricasso with 'Ames Mfg/Chicopee Mass/1853 on the reverse ricasso above the intact leather washer. The hilt is highly gilded with a 4" leather grip having 18 turns of gilt twisted 20 gauge brass wire with 13 twists per inch. The pommel cap has the inspectors' marks of 'A.D.K.' and 'J.W.R.'. The three-branch knuckle-bow adds weight to the sword which helped it earn the nickname "Old Wristbreaker".<BR> The scabbard is made of sheet steel and has two mounts at 3" and 11" down the scabbard with 1" rings. The 4" drag is stamped with the inspector's mark of 'J.W.R.' with the overall patina of the scabbard being a rich medium gray.<BR> The sword and scabbard are accompanied by a beautiful oil on canvas painting by T. R. Goldsworthy and David Heslep that commemorates Johnston's military career. Measuring 42" x 42", the central figure of Albert Sidney Johnston in his Confederate General's uniform is surrounded by vignettes of his actions during the Texas War for Independence, The Mexican War, as a Colonel in the United States Cavalry in the West and finally a scene depicting his death at the Battle of Shiloh during the Civil War. This sword is featured in the painting just below the image of Johnston and above the title of the picture 'Albert Sidney Johnston, 1803-1862'. The painting is nicely framed in a 2" oak frame.<BR> This is an historical sword and scabbard owned and used by an illustrious American military hero who was killed at the Battle of Shiloh, truly one of a kind in every way.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Requires 3rd Party Shipping (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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