November 15 & 16, 2022 Extraordinary Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2022
Measuring 24 - 3/4” overall, with an 18 – 7/8” blade, this short sword exhibits a hilt with a thick beaded grip, consisting of 6 thickly cast globules, not including the ferrule and pommel, which leads to the crossguard, deeply recessed, and terminating with circular quillons. The crossguard is stamped “W.J. McELROY & CO / MACON GA.” A thick, globular pommel with spherical pommel cap tops the grip. Hilt is secured at the center of the grip with a rivet on each side. The blade is constructed of steel, and features a double edge with single center fuller. The sword is complete with its leather scabbard that features sheet brass mounts. William McElroy was a tinsmith and merchant in business in Macon, Georgia, since the 1840s. When the war broke out, he partnered with Cornelius Wall and Alexander Reynolds as “W.J. McElroy & Co.” as early as September 1861. With these partners and others, he produced a wide variety of military goods, including swords, knives, and cutlasses. This is 1 of just 2 or 3 known examples of this pattern, often classified as a naval cutlass, though use by other branches of service can’t be excluded: in 1862 the Macon Telegraph referred to “Foot Artillery Cutlasses” among the firm’s products. This comes with a 2003 letter of provenance to Hartzler from a resident of Middletown, Maryland, stating it was acquired by his wife’s family from a neighbor some time prior to 1973. The find location was at “The Gap above my home as a souvenir after the battle of South Mountain.”. From the writer’s address on Reno Monument Road, we can infer this was Fox’s Gap, which research in property records may confirm. The battle was a hard-fought affair between Reno’s 9th Corps and Hill’s Confederate division on September 14, 1862 as it struggled to delay McClellan’s advance against Lee’s scattered forces just before Antietam. Short swords occasionally show up in the context of light artillery and would have been useful in clearing firing positions and lines of sight. This is a scarce pattern of sword by a prolific and well-respected maker of edged weapons. CONDITION: The blade exhibits a heavy gray patina with evident delamination. Hilt exhibits a light patina with scattered spotting and handling wear. Blade and hilt both exhibit evidence of an older cleaning and the hilt has started to regain a mellow patina. Stamp in crossguard is mostly faint but legible. The scabbard exhibits cracking throughout its length with a 3” crack toward the upper mount and a smaller crack at the lower mount which measures approximately 1”. The seam exhibits scattered holes. Mounts exhibit a dark patina with scattered blemishes including warps and dents. The upper mount retains its 2 securing pins but is not secured to the scabbard. The lower mount does not retain its pins but is secured to the scabbard. There is a hole on the upper mount where a stud was once accommodated. A nice recovered example of a rare Confederate blade.
Paperwork
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