Description
This is an exceptional example of a VERY rare pattern of Confederate manufactured sword. The general form is attributed both to Louis Haiman and Abraham Dewitt, both of Columbus, Georgia, circa 1862. This sword has traces of old gilt paint on the guard and grip which is often found in United Confederate Veteran and Grand Army of the Republic veteran hall collections. The original grip covering, possibly pigskin, is 90% complete (shows actual honest field wear, not damage) and the original thin twisted wire wrap is still intact. The unstopped fuller blade is in exceptional condition and would clean to about excellent. There are no known marked examples of this particular pattern, but there is little doubt it is a product of one firm or the other based on known marked examples which share characteristics of the unique pommel cap and quillion.
This sword surfaced at an estate sale in southern Ohio with no family documentation. It is very likely a trophy of War brought home by a soldier and the capture history has been lost over the many years.
Both makers are classified as RARE regarding the infantry officer patterns, which are 100% Southern manufactured copies of the US Model 1850. The hilt and guard is clearly sand cast and far more crude than the Union counterpart. If you want the REAL thing and rare to boot, look no further—you have found a unicorn! It is, in my professional opinion, more likely an early 1862 product of Louis Haiman.
Abraham Henry DeWitt was a Columbus, Georgia jeweler when the War began. He possibly purchased swords or sword blades from Louis Haiman. With roots in Prussia as a tinsmith, Louis Haiman founded one of the largest sword-making companies in the Confederacy. His factory manufactured swords, bayonets, and pistols for the South during the Civil War.
