A Basic Guide to Original Civil War Swords

A Tiffany sword presented in New Bern, NC, 1862

by Will Gorges

The American Civil War years saw scores of types of swords used by both Union and Confederate forces.  The best basic illustrated reference guides would be "The American Sword" by Harold Peterson for US and pre-War patterns and "Confederate Edged Weapons" by William Albaugh for Southern blades.  Both of these books are in print as of 2008 and remain the best references for overall quality and value.  There are many other books published by many other people, but most are just echoes of these two basic books--you really don't need them at all, unless you just like looking at picture books.

By far, there are many more Union swords available than authentic Confederate swords for a basic reason--MORE SOLDIERS.  The North had massive manufacturing capabilities, too, compared with those in the South.  That fact alone, QUANTITY, explains why a typical Confederate sword is far more valuable than a typical Union sword.

Due to the extreme shortage of arms in the South, many soldiers went to War using their ancestors swords, many dating back to the Revolutionary War patterns.  Contrary to popular belief, in fact more swords were imported from Europe by the NORTH than the South--again, MORE SOLDIERS and MORE AVAILABLE MONEY for arms. 

The Northern factories cranked out tens of thousands of swords of all regulation patterns--Model 1840 and 1860 Light Cavalry swords, Non-Commissioned Officer swords, Musician swords, Field and Staff and Infantry Officer swords, Light Artillery swords, Medical Staff Officer swords, Paymaster Swords, Topographical Engineer patterns, US Navy cutlasses, US Navy Officer swords, Marine Corps NCO swords (note: the sword for the wartime Marine officer was the US Infantry Officer pattern of 1850, not the "Marmaluke" of today) and a spattering of oddball pieces like military cadet swords, militia patterns and non-regulation patterns of many types--plus custom made items made specifically by special order.  Commonly used swords in the North also included many pre-War types which were still in Northern arsenals ranging from the M1832 Heavy Artillery pattern, the M1841 Navy Cutlass, and the M1833 Dragoon (Cavalry) patterns and variants.

In the South, many of the primary patterns noted above were duplicated, though often in a cruder form--but not always.  Some makers, like Thomas Griswold of New Orleans, created masterful and graceful weapons.  The "crude" nature of many of the Confederate swords often reflected the scarcity of raw materials, advanced machinery, skilled labor and craftsmen found predominently in the industrial North.  They worked just fine as a rule in combat, though....

Unlike the Northern counterparts, the vast majority of Southern weapons were totally unmarked and virtually none are dated.  If you see that combination on what is being represented as a Confederate sword, there is about a 99% chance it is a FAKE.

Books alone will not protect you since many fraudulent examples are patterns of real swords--only experience and contact with those with advanced knowledge can protect the novice.  But they surely won't hurt most of the time, and could save you from making a costly mistake.

Many imported swords were used as well, mostly those produced in Solingen, Germany--and most of those went to the North.  There were examples imported from England and France as well, and even a few from Toledo, Spain.  Both sides bought obsolete pattern weapons early in the War, so it would not be uncommon to see something like a British M1822 Cavalry sword or even an M1796 used in the field--but not often.  The Pattern P1853 Enfield cavalry sword was for sure purchased by the South, but in very limited quantity.  French swords used in the South are generally early war examples, many of which originated from New Orleans because of the "French Connection."  After 1863, very few imported items survived the Blockade to go to the Southern Cause, and the industrial might of the North produced more than enough weapons for Yankee troops--importations dropped tremendously by 1864.

Custom jewelers became military outfitters and firms like Tiffany of New York purchased weapons made elsewhere and stamped them with their company name--but Tiffany produced no swords in the technical sense--they embellished the work of others.