November 15 & 16, 2022 Extraordinary Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2022
Charles Edward Grogan was born in 1841 and was a clerk in Baltimore when the war started, but was described by Maryland soldier McHenry Howard as “having as little sense of fear and danger as any man he had ever seen.”. He certainly proved it with very active wartime service. Crossing back into his native Virginia, he enlisted in Company H, 1st Maryland Infantry, for 12 months service at Piedmont on July 20, 1861, just before Bull Run, where the regiment played a key role in defeating Union forces, earning its commander a battlefield promotion to general. After that service he gained an appointment as Aide-de-Camp to Generals R.E. Colston and Isaac Trimble. He was wounded at Chancellorsville and again at Gettysburg, along with Trimble, in Pickett’s Charge on July 3. Captured and imprisoned at Fort McHenry and Johnson’s Island, he managed to escape, return to Maryland and again head south, this time joining Mosby’s command and being chosen Second Lieutenant of Company D, organized in March 1864 and composed largely of Marylanders. Mosby’s exploits will be familiar. Grogan was in position to take part in their continual small unit actions, raids, and disruption of Union supply lines and communications. After Appomattox Mosby simply disbanded his command, but Grogan was among those who formally surrendered and were paroled April 22. He returned to Baltimore to become a merchant, dealing in groceries and later in fertilizer, and held civic office as a court bailiff before his death in 1922. An unnotarized note attributes this saber to Grogan as it states the saber was obtained from the Grogan family in the 1840’s (typo, 1940s) and was later sold to Dan Hartzler. Since in the Hartzler Collection, the saber was featured on pgs. 289-290 in “Confederate Presentation and Inscribed Swords and Revolvers” and pg. 184 in “A Band of Brothers Photographic Epilogue to Marylanders in the Confederacy”. According to Hartzler’s notes, this unmarked brass hilted cavalry saber has been attributed to Confederate arms manufacturer Louis Froelich’s sword factory at his CSA arms factory in North Carolina by style and construction. It is known that Froelich produced 2700 officer sabers, 600 naval cutlasses, and 800 cavalry sabers before production was interrupted by Federal raiders. The saber features a knob shaped brass pommel that is knob shaped. The knucklebow originates from the end of the pommel and forms into a 3-band cavalry guard. The numerals “XVII” are noticed right as the bands connect to the guard which is eye shaped and features raised borders and center. The hilt does not feature any ferrules to help secure the reverse cone shaped grip that is wrapped with thick black leather and grooved in order to accommodate a thick band of iron wire. The blade is curved and features a single, stopped fuller, and no ricasso. An iron scabbard that is complimented by brass mounts completes the saber. The upper and middle mount are each a single brass band that accommodates a carry ring. Brass throat is also marked “XVIII”. The scabbard body exhibits traces of reddish-brown paint. The saber is accompanied by a folder of research regarding Grogan’s service, as well as page scans of the books it is featured in, and Hartzler’s notes. CONDITION: The blade exhibits a gray patina with scattered freckling throughout its length. There are obvious forging flaws that are typical of Confederate blades. Hilt exhibits a pleasing patina with typical reddish-brown tint and exhibits scattered casting flaws. The grip exhibits areas of leather loss and handling wear with tight iron wire. The scabbard exhibits a dark, heavy patina with firmly secured mounts. There are scattered dents throughout its length. Crude seam with obvious wear from age, but the scabbard remains sturdy.
Paperwork
Folder of Information