Confederate Kenansville Staff & Field Officers Sword by Louis Froelich

American Civil War

32.325" slightly curved and tapered single-edged spear point blade, .91" wide at the ricasso, with a 24" unstopped median fuller. Overall length 38". 5.5" hilt with a cast brass guard with the letters CSA in the face. Grooved wooden grip covered in leather with twelve wraps of twisted brass wire. Grip with a .85" brass ferrule behind the guard and a 1.4" long pommel cap with a rounded rim and a flat top. Blade secured by a peen of the full-length tang at the pommel cap. Guard shows expected casting flaws and some cracking at the thin areas that are under stress where the letters and the guard meet. Blade with some expected minor flaws as well. Sword is unmarked with the exception of the small Roman numeral V which is cut into the right side of the guard above the grip. No scabbard is present.

These instantly recognizable Confederate Staff & Field Officer swords were produced by Bavarian immigrant Louis Froelich at his "Confederate States Arms Factory" in Kenansville, Dublin County, NC. Despite the factory burning twice during the war, it remained in almost constant service from the spring of 1861 through March of 1865. By some accounts Froelich's manufactory turned out some 12,000 swords during the course of the war, including enlisted and officers swords cavalry sabers, at least three types of staff & field officer swords, short swords, saber bayonets and fighting knives. They also produced cast uniform items like buckles, belt plates and buttons.

From the Collection of George Oldenbourg