Arms, Armor and Militaria

32" single edged, slightly curved spear point blade with a 22" stopped median fuller. 37.25" in overall length with a 5.75" hilt. Gilt brass guard with foliate motifs, grooved wooden grip covered in shagreen with 13 wraps of twisted wire. Blade etched with flowing foliate scrolls, patriotic and martial themes. The sword is a replacement in the 1850 Staff & Field Scabbard which is a browned steel scabbard with gilt brass mounts. The upper mount is engraved Presented to/Lieut. Col. Henry C. Merwin/27th Regt. C.V./by his friends.

The sword and scabbard were acquired from Norm Flayderman in 1966 by the late Wiley Sword who did significant research regarding its owner. He determined that the original sword was likely surrendered at Chancellorsville when the regiment was captured, but that Merwin retained his scabbard, later replacing the lost sword with the one now present. This sword, along with the one of the regiment's colonel were acquired together by Flayderman from another dealer who presumably acquired them a Connecticut historical society or possibly an old GAR post. Wiley Sword wrote an article about the two swords in Issue #12 of The Gettysburg Magazine, a copy of which is included. Here Sword postulates that the 10th GA, which captured the 27th CT at Chancellorsville took the swords of the officers and the Confederate officers potentially retained them and were carrying them when the two regiments fought each other again in the Wheatfield at Gettysburg. Copies of Flayderman's correspondence with Sword, Sword's comments which are noted in 1999 auction description of the sword from when his collection was sold, and a substantial amount of research about the sword and scabbard and Merwin are included in a large binder.

Henry C. Merwin (1839-1863) was active in the local New Haven Grays militia unit before the war. He initially enlisted in the 2nd Connecticut Volunteer Infantry on April 22, 1861 and on May 7 he was made a sergeant in Company G. He saw action with the regiment at First Manassas in July of 1861 and returned to Connecticut with the regiment when their 90-day service was over. In the fall of 1862 he helped to raise a company for the newly forming 27th Connecticut Infantry and while initially believing he would be a company commander he was elected lieutenant colonel by the balance of the officers. At Chancellorsville most of the regiment was surrounded and captured and Merwin spent some time at Libby Prison before being exchanged in late May 1863. He returned to the small portion of the regiment that was not captured during the battle and was leading them in a charge in the Wheatfield on July 2, 1863 at Gettysburg when he was killed in action.