What is this? Edged Wpns Help identifying a sword

Knut

Cadet
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
I have an old sword that I'd learn more about. I've looked through a lot of postings on this site (and elsewhere) looking for a match but haven't had any luck so far. I think the expertise is here though. The family story goes that it belonged to my ggg-grandfather (43rd Mississippi Infantry) or maybe his brother (11th Alabama Cavalry). It ended up in north Alabama where it has been in my family as long as anyone can remember.

There are no identifying marks anywhere I can find. The blade is 35 inches long. Some of the distinguishing features are the langets on the hilt and the top strap that runs from the ferrule to the pommel. As you can see in the photos, one of the bars on the hilt has snapped. The scabbard also doesn't seem to be a great fit since the langets block it from being fully sheathed.

Any help identifying this sword and info about its manufacture is very much appreciated.

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Nice piece. At first glance I thought it might be an early US dragoon sword but with the langets, it has me leaning British as there were no Southern sword makers that made a sword with a langet. Paging @Richard E. Schenk
 
I would argue a German/Prussian origin and as old as the 1820s/30s. There are variants of these that are flat on the wear side and have langet. Somewhat simiiar to the traits of the Bavarian 1826 (which had no langet). It will be impossible to know exactly where or when it was purchased without some form of retailer markings or manufacture markings.

Here is a fancy umarked sword
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This sword may be a later marriage but follows a trend.

While the langet are different, I find these in infinite variations that are quite alike, with both straight and curved blades found/surfacing in the US and Mexico. A bottom line would be a private purchase or pre-ACW militia contract. While it is possible it was imported during the war, without clear provenance we are looking at the sword before the family history. As mentioned, a plentiful type of German/Prussian origin and an earlier style but also lasting throughout the 19th century back to the 1820s-1830s.

Cheers
GC
 
Thank you, GC! There is remarkable similarity between the two. The most significant differences I see are the shape of the langet and the button on the pommel. I've looked again for some kind of marking but still haven't found any. Not to say there isn't any (sometimes I can't find something that is right in front of me - ask my wife!).

I took a couple more photos trying to match of the orientation in the above post and you can see the similarities even better. One thing that didn't show up well in my original set was the tab just below the pommel that is very similar to the above. Another thing I noticed on looking again was leafy scrollwork on the upper half of the blade. I can't tell if it is etched or molded in. There are some fine lines in it that appear engraved. I think there is some texture to it that I can feel.

I don't think we'll ever know for certain the family history of the sword. I know it came out of a house that was in the family since the early 1800s. The house is gone now but the farm it was on remains in the family. I grew up with it in my house, going back some 50 years.

Many, many thanks to everyone!

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