Manchu Warrior Posted October 25, 2008 Share #1 Posted October 25, 2008 An old friend of mine gave me this sword last week, and he also gave me the bayonet. The sword had been hanging in his parents shed since we were kids and there is s story to it. My friends family is originally from Hagerstown, Maryland. His family had been farmers in the Hagerstown area dating back to before the Civil War. Hagerstown is not far from the town of Sharpsburg and this sword, along with the bayonet, was supposedly found shortly after the Battle of Antietam in September 1862. I am not sure how true this story is but I do remember my friend's dad telling us that one of his great uncles found these items after the battle and brought them home. Since this was never a sales pitch and the fact that my friend's dad always seemed to be an honest man I have no doubt that he believed the story to be true. Now about the sword itself. If you want to talk bayonets I have some knowledge but I know nothing about swords. This particular sword has no markings that I can see and I am hoping one of the forum experts can help to identify it for me. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manchu Warrior Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share #2 Posted October 25, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmerc20 Posted October 25, 2008 Share #3 Posted October 25, 2008 It is definately not US. It is a Model 1873 Italian Cavalry/Dragoon sword. It was used by the enlisted men of the Italian Army and although adopted in 1873 it was worn up until WWI. Hope this helps, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADMIN Posted October 25, 2008 Share #4 Posted October 25, 2008 Well, mmerc20 beat me to it! It looks like a late 19th century Italian sword. It is very common to see these types of foreign swords misidentified as M1902 Army swords. And I've even seen several like it being sold to people that didn't know better. So, I can see why there would be some confusion. Do you have any closeups of the bayonet? Also, does it have any markings at the base of the blade part near bend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manchu Warrior Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share #5 Posted October 25, 2008 All these years and we thought that this was a Civil War sword, oh well. And there are no markings on the bayonet and I appreciate the information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmerc20 Posted October 25, 2008 Share #6 Posted October 25, 2008 From what I've read, the blades for these Italian sabers were imported from Germany. It's not uncommon to see WKC on some of them as well as S&K I believe. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still-A-Marine Posted October 26, 2008 Share #7 Posted October 26, 2008 There are web sites that advertise identifying swords. Since this was a gift I think I would spend the $10-$25 and get a detailed report. (IMHO) Just a thought. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manchu Warrior Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share #8 Posted October 28, 2008 I appreciate the information. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted October 28, 2008 Share #9 Posted October 28, 2008 ...this sword, along with the bayonet, was supposedly found shortly after the Battle of Antietam in September 1862. I am not sure how true this story is but I do remember my friend's dad telling us that one of his great uncles found these items after the battle and brought them home. Since this was never a sales pitch and the fact that my friend's dad always seemed to be an honest man I have no doubt that he believed the story to be true... Some uncle probably pulled his leg with that story and no one ever let him in on the secret. It's always interesting to watch family stories get debunked on Antiques Roadshow as someone tells the appraiser something like "My ancestor bought this piece of furniture from George Washington," only to be informed it was actually made in Michigan in 1925. So what about the bayonet? To my untrained eye that does look like Civil War era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SARGE Posted October 28, 2008 Share #10 Posted October 28, 2008 The socket bayonet looks to be post US Civil War British from what I can see of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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