Beyond a Cincinnati Legacy: The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fleischmann III, Part I

32.25" unfullered double-edged spear point blade. 38" in overall length overall. 5.75" gilt cast brass hilt with deep relief chased patterns. Grip ribbed on top and bottom with detailed raised mermaid motif on either side. Hilt and knuckle bow chased with nautical, patriotic, and classical themes. The down-turned exterior of the clamshell counterguard shows a Spread-Winged American Eagle surmounting anchors and a cannon and surrounded by a wreath. The interior of guard is decorated with a raised laurel wreath flanked by U and S. The diminutive oval reverse guard opposite the counterguard is chased with simple foliate boarder motifs while the interior shows an oval of 18 stars, arranged as a line of 13 on top with two groups of three underneath. Bottom half of knuckle bow is broken and missing as is the Roman soldier pommel cap. The blade is acid etched for 23" of its length with four rectangular panels on both sides showing various designs separated by Grecian meander frets. The reverse blade is etched with fine floral grape vines, text reading Altius ibunt qui ad/summa nituntur (He who aims highest, rises highest), a naval battle scene, panoplies of arms and geometric floral work. The obverse of the blade shows oak leaf scrolls, followed by the text DANIEL RICARD SAILING MASTER/Lake Champlain 11 September 1814, a panoply of arms with trident and more geometric floral work. The ricassos are marked MEER/Philadel on the obverse and W. ROSE on the reverse. Included is a partial leather scabbard with gilt fittings showing nautical motifs and a single hanger. The center mount is missing from the scabbard. Item comes with a 44.5" x 11.75" case frame, and has been removed from case for inspection.

The War of 1812 was the only time that Congress ever presented swords to junior and warrant officers of the US Navy in appreciation for their service in specific actions. Congress authorized swords for presentation to sailing masters and midshipmen for a total of four actions during the war, The Battle of Lake Erie (September 10, 1813), The Battle of Lake Champlain (September 11, 1814), the action of the sloop USS Peacock against the brig HMS Epervier (April 29, 1814) and the action of the sloop USS Wasp against the HMS Reindeer (June 28, 1814). Some 80 or so swords were authorized by Congress for presentation to the sailing masters and midshipmen of those battles. Most of the swords featured gilt brass hilts and guards, but the swords from the Wasp-Reindeer action were of gilt silver. The blades were produced by William Rose and etched by John Meer of Philadelphia. They cost the somewhat astronomical sum of $250 at the time (circa 1817), which would exceed $200,000 today. A total of thirty-three swords are listed in Peter Tuite's US Naval Officers - Their Swords and Dirks as having been presented for the action on Lake Champlain. Of those, eleven went to sailing masters and twenty-two went to midshipmen. Of those swords, Tuite notes that nine were extant at the time of writing (2004), four of the sailing master swords and five of the midshipman swords. Of the extant swords, that of Sailing Master William Robins has a misspelled name on the blade, where it is etched as "Robbins". It is worth noting that Sailing Master Daniel Ricard is not listed as one of the recipients of these swords and an extensive search of period newspapers and military records do not reveal his name. It is quite possible that the name was horribly botched when it was etched, a not so uncommon event at time when spelling was often phonetic at best. Despite the need for significant restoration, this is a legitimate and apparently previously unknown example of a rare and desirable Congressional Presentation Sword from the War of 1812.