Hand made fighting knife question

[moosedog]

Hello. I picked up a knife from a auction house out of Detroit which was listed as unknown origin. The Knife is double edged and quite sharp. I believe the sheath was made much more recently. I have asked around been told everything from folk knife, WWII fighting knife to maybe civil war. I believe the knife was
made in what they refer to as a "D" handle configuration. No markings anywhere on the knife. It appears to have serrations on it like a file would have. I believe that may be what the blade is made out of.
Any thoughts?

 

[johan_steele]

I would say much more recently made than the ACW. Yes the blade started life as a file but from the workmanship I would say it's likely manufactured at home. Quite likely as a corn knife more than a fighting knife.

 

[Patrick H]

I'm going to hazard a guess, and you might not like my theory. I don't think there's any way this is a Civil War knife. The general design of it, with the knuckle guard and the skull-cracker point on the pommel suggest to me that it is patterned after a WWII fighting knife. Now, down to what I see on the blade: I don't see any appropriate shape to the blade. It doesn't match any government model I have ever seen. In addition, the loose fit of the guard, plus the wrap around "D" guard just screams "home made" to me. Finally, the diagonal lines in the blade just in front of the guards prove to me that this blade was ground from an old file.

It's a heck of a fighting knife, and I wouldn't want to go against it in a dark alley. But it's not even WWII vintage. It's much more recent and it's totally home built. That doesn't mean it's worthless. I think it's a very nice example of home engineering from the post war period. It's cool. But it's not Civil War, nor WWI, nor WWII, nor Korean War. However, it might have been home engineered sometime after WWII for actual use by one soldier who took it (without authorization) into a theater of operations. ...or, MUCH MORE LIKELY, it could be the work of someone who just wanted to make a cool, intimidating fighting knife for a personal collection.

 

[johan_steele]

My favored ACW or any era after soldier made "fighting knife, rib tickler, man opener etc."

 

[3rd North Carolina]

if you ask me i would say its from the civil war. the reason is the blade looks like to me is a bayonet that had been forged into that blade. now the sheath i would say is much later just by the design.

 

[Rhea Cole]

As a blacksmith with over 20 years of experience, I am comfortable saying that this is a modern knife. You just don't find period knives made out of files. This clumsy, klunky pattern is typical of a moderately skilled modern blacksmith knife. It is not up to 19th Century standards.
In the early months of the war, large Bowie knives were presented to entire regiments. Very quickly, ditches along the line of march filled with knives, pistols, body armor & all manner of useless items thrown away by weary troops. Big knives quickly became nothing but photographer's props.
If you want to see examples of the actual knives Confederate soldiers did carry, the cargo from the wreck of the blockade runner Modern Greece is on display at The Museum of Coastal Carolina. The cases of British made Bowie knives aboard Modern Greece are a classically practical Green River knife pattern with a clipped point. Unlike the heavy, useless design above, the Green River/Bowie knives would have been a valued addition to any soldier's kit.