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German Made 1850 Staff Officers Sword


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Just picked this up. It's in great shape as shown. I just wondered if anyone has information on who used them . Thanks .

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wartimecollectables.com

I have always liked these! Commonly referred to as the Peterson #75, from his noted sword reference number. Imported in large numbers from Germany and apparently made by several German makers. I have only seen them attributed to Yankees but certainly plausible some were carried by Confederate officers. 

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illinigander

Private purchase for US foot officers & cavalry.  A quick look through both of Thillmann's sword books, and I could not find the makers mark listed.

illinigander

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So what you're saying is there's no way to tie them to a certain outfit . I don't have enough pictures of soldiers with swords to reference. Thanks.

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I know they are non-regulation but I'm guessing they were popular. They are a favorite of mine. At least one Union general, maybe Sheridan, is photographed with a Peterson 75.

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USMC_COLLECTOR

I don't know why they said it was made in Germany for a Civil war officer's sword... This probably would have come out of Prussia, or maybe a smaller state. Just a little detail since Germany wasn't a country yet.

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Gunbb, I have yet to find a picture but it was General Sheridan who had a German made non-regulation British pattern 1827 sword which I believe is AKA the Peterson 75. If you have a copy of Thillmann's "Civil War Army Swords" it is mentioned on page 399.

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No I don't have that book. Where I live, you see so little of this kind of stuff. All the gun shows are black plastic crap or 3 tables of new leather, jewelry, coins , ammo and just about everything but Militaria from ANY period. I came across this along with a bunch of good leather stuff . The original finder got all the swords and sold me this one and the 1833 Staff Officers. typical story, guy died, wife had kids come over, they took the modern guns and left the "smelly old junk".  I paid $300 for this one . They have an 1850 Staff officers  but I can never tell CW from IW . The maker is D Klein& Bros. , Phiadelphia, PA and Richard J. Gerity on the blade . Here are some pictures I took with my phone.  Any ideas??

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If you purchased the Peterson 75 for $300. with a scabbard I'd say you did really well. I've paid over $200. just for an original scabbard to go with a sword missing a scabbard. Have you posted the 1833 sword? I'd love to see that one. I'm no expert on prices which seem to vary greatly in different parts of the country. ... but I know what I like and that's what I find most important, I can't swing the pristine examples but I'm partial to the "been there, done that" look, perhaps by necessity. The other pictured sword (I believe an 1860 model) appears to be post Civil War. I believe that model was used right up to the introduction of the 1902(?) "sword for all officers". You can probably look up that maker and zero in on some dates.

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I posted the 1833 in the first category before the CW . I thought it was post CW also. So many are.  I need a pommel nut for the 1833 . I may have to make one. 

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I just saw a note in the Ridgeway Civil War Research Center site that said all D. Klein & Bros. model 1860 swords were made post Cicil War.

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That's great info, sundance. I tried to look up "D Klein & Bros, " and all I got was some gut who's a lawyer named something else Klein. Frustrating. Thanks again. I just posted some cabinet photos of CW Generals in a new post . Take a look if you want.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here is my sword.  I didn't know it was referred to as a Peterson 75.

 

Just for the record, I took pictures of the blade engraving for future reference.   It was tricky taking the photos since the engraving is hard to see unless you look for it and hold  and light it just right. 

 

If I remember, I paid about $250 for it about 20 years ago.  I don't have the scabbard for it.  

 

Mikie

Peterson Sword MFG Mark .jpg

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Peterson Sword Eagle Engraving.jpg

Peterson Sword US engraving.jpg

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1 hour ago, mikie said:

Here is my sword.  I didn't know it was referred to as a Peterson 75.

 

Just for the record, I took pictures of the blade engraving for future reference.   It was tricky taking the photos since the engraving is hard to see unless you look for it and hold  and light it just right. 

 

If I remember, I paid about $250 for it about 20 years ago.  I don't have the scabbard for it.  

 

Mikie

Peterson Sword MFG Mark .jpg

Peterson Sword.jpg

Peterson Sword Eagle Engraving.jpg

Peterson Sword US engraving.jpg

Very Nice. You can still see the maker and the engraving. Mine looks like it went through a rough life.

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Something that always confused me about these swords is that some people describe them as a Foot Officer's sword, and others as a Staff Officer's sword. I know it is non-regulation, so it probably doesn't matter much.  But anyone have any idea if it was actually used more by one or the other?  Or how the sellers described it back then?

Mikie

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Woodymyster
3 hours ago, mikie said:

Something that always confused me about these swords is that some people describe them as a Foot Officer's sword, and others as a Staff Officer's sword. I know it is non-regulation, so it probably doesn't matter much.  But anyone have any idea if it was actually used more by one or the other?  Or how the sellers described it back then?

Mikie

The regulation 1850 Infantry Officer sword was officially known as the M1850 Staff and Field Officer Sword.  Although this was the official name, there are plenty of swords engraved as presentation pieces to Lieutenants and Captains.  So it usually covers all officers during the war.

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  • 8 months later...

I'm resurrecting this 9 month old post to check something out. The 5th picture in the initial post shows a maker's mark with Solingen written below it. I'm trying to figure out who that maker is. I have one book about German sword makers but that maker's mark is not shown. USMC Collector mentioned in a post above that Germany was not yet a country at the time of the Civil War so maybe referring to it as a German made sword is incorrect. Perhaps looking for a Prussian sword maker would be more precise.

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The sword pictured was made by Clauburg, a major swordmaker in Solingen, which at the time of the US CW was part of Prussia.  The April 23, 2022 post is correct as far as it goes, however overlooked is the US m/1850 Foot Officers sword, that was intended for Lt's & Capts.  The US m/1850 Staff & Field Officers sword was correct for Major and above.

illinigander 

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