Description
Honest as they come example of a standard Louis Froelich Confederate States Armory, Kenansville, North Carolina D-guard bowie knife with partial scabbard and crisp and clear name carved in the grip! Fresh from an estate sale in central Tennessee, this is one of the very few known positively IDENTIFIED Confederate D-guards out there. The grip is neatly and clearly carved J.M. Kee N.O. on the left side grip. There is only one soldier by that name:
J. M. Kee, Pvt. Stanford’s Mississippi Battery ; Rolls of Prisoners of War, Paroled Citronelle, Alabama,
May 14,1865. Residence- Franklin Par., La.
Enlisted on 5/1/1861 as a Private. On 5/1/1861 he mustered into "Stanford's" Co. Mississippi Light Artillery |
The N.O. carved in likely indicates he was in New Orleans when he mustered into service, a common practice for many Mississippi troops raised in Louisiana.
Stanford’s Mississippi Battery was organized during the fall of 1861 and soon moved to Tennessee. After fighting at Shiloh, the unit was involved in the Kentucky Campaign then joined the Army of Tennessee. It was assigned to M. Smith’s and Eldridge’s Battalion of Artillery, fought with the army from Murfreesboro to Atlanta, and was part of Hood’s operations in Tennessee. However, the company was captured in the Battle of Nashville. Captain Thomas J. Sanford was in command.
The knife is in pure attic condition overall and unmolested in any manner. There is light evidence of charring where perhaps it was near a fire and the tin mounts to the scabbard are long gone. If you ever wanted a POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED Confederate fighting knife, this one is for YOU!
