mmerc20 Posted July 24, 2016 Share #1 Posted July 24, 2016 We received a nice donation of an officer who was a 1917 West Point graduate that included an M1902 saber. Unlike a lot that I've seen, the blade is completely bare with not even a makers mark. What is most confusing is an engraving on the back of the grip I'm looking for help with and trying to find a tie in to the officer's former duty stations. When first seeing it, I thought it could have been something he got following graduation but with the engraving, that doesn't make sense. All that is on it is "FA 156". I suppose it could be a capital "I" but that doesn't help either. His initials were CW (so that is quickly ruled out) and his service is as follows: 1917- Assigned to the 14th Infantry in Washington. 1918- Assigned to 19th Infantry in Iowa and then with the 19th in Illinois until mid-1919. Sept 1919- sailed to the Philippines where he was at Camp Wm McKinley with the Philippine Scouts Upon returning in 1922, he was attached to the 30th Infantry in the 9th Corps area as assistant ROTC officer until 1924 and was then sent to West Point again where this time he was an instructor for three years. Upon completion of his tour, he went to Tank School and the Company Officer's Course and then became an infantry instructor in Durham NC for six years. In 1935 he was detailed to the QM Corps and saw time in Philadelphia, Atlanta and then finally Charlotte during WWII. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragoon Posted July 24, 2016 Share #2 Posted July 24, 2016 The marking is discussed in chapter 6 of "Swords & Sabers of the United States Army 1867-1918", by Farrington. The book is well worth having as it is a great reference. There is no firm evidence of what the marking is but there may be a possible Iowa NG officer link due to another example being inscribed to an Iowa NG officer and presented in 1910, looking through the service of your officer he served with a Iowa unit in 1918 so this may well reinforce the Iowa link theory. I would add all those observed are Springfield made sabres. Nice to see another example to add to the list of known examples,I have number 37. Do you have the scabbard and if so does it have a small steel insert in the drag? Kurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundance Posted July 24, 2016 Share #3 Posted July 24, 2016 That's interesting. Could you show some pics of the whole M-1902? I've never seen one without at least some embellishment. Could it be from a military school he may have attended before West Point? Although that would not explain the lack of markings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmerc20 Posted July 24, 2016 Author Share #4 Posted July 24, 2016 These are the best pics I have right now. I can get more later. I will also check the drag on the scabbard. As far as I know he never attended any military schools before the academy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmerc20 Posted July 24, 2016 Author Share #5 Posted July 24, 2016 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundance Posted July 24, 2016 Share #6 Posted July 24, 2016 In any case it's a really nice sword. It looks like one of the more well made ones. I've seen some M-1902's that are clearly of lesser quality than others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SARGE Posted July 24, 2016 Share #7 Posted July 24, 2016 These particular M1902 Army Officer swords are very interesting and quite scarce. I agree with Dragoon that these Springfield Armory made swords are most probably Iowa Militia (NG) issue. All are hand engraved with "Ia#" on the backstrap and the engraving appears to all be done by the same hand or armorer. These swords all had soft German Silver alloy white metal fittings that tend to dent and bend. The scabbard, if original to the sword, should have a steel re-enforcement in the drag as mentioned. Lack of the insert probably indicates a replacement scabbard. It is possible that the blade is also a replacement since it is not etched nor does it have a Springfield Armory maker marking. Here is an uncleaned example of this sword showing some details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spathologist Posted July 24, 2016 Share #8 Posted July 24, 2016 Given the officer's dates of service, a german silver scabbard would be a large temporal mismatch. I have two of these, #s 59 and 164. 164 came with a GS scabbard, 59 did not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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