NPS has a rinky-dink searchable Civil War name database (not as good as FOLD3 and/or Ancestry, but it's free).
Running Hedian, we get three hits - all for Robert Hedian.
Looks like he was a 2nd Lieut in Co I 58th PA Infantry when he mustered out.
BATTLE UNIT NAME:
58th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry
SIDE:Union
COMPANY:E,I
SOLDIER'S RANK IN:Sergeant
SOLDIER'S RANK OUT:Second Lieutenant
https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search...oldierId=25913CA7-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A
Being a 2nd Lieutenant, he'd rate the privelged of lugging around a sword - but an 1860 Cavalry saber? Meh.
Note that Robert Hedian who served in the 5th NY HA has a note to see the 58th PA Inf records (probably his earliest service as a PVT, which is why he could enter the 58th PA INF as a SGT).
https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search...oldierId=24913CA7-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A
...cause he mustered out of the 5th NY HA as a CPL
https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search...oldierId=0CA43CA7-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A
For PA units, your best bet for one stop information shopping is Bates.
The right wing of the Fifty-eighth Regiment, consisting of companies A, B, C, D, and K, was recruited in the city of Philadelphia and vicinity, under the direction of J. tichter Jones, who had received the requisite authority from the Governor, and rendezvoused at Roxboro' near Philadelphia. The left wing, companies E, F, G, H, and I, were recruited in the counties of Warren, M'Kean, Cameron, Clinton, Northumberland,
Luzerne, and Potter, under Carlton B. Curtis, who had likewise received authority to raise a regiment, and rendezvoused at a camp near Huntingdon, subsequently at Camp Curtin, and finally at Camp Curtis, near Philadelphia, and was designated the One Hundred and Fourteenth. Failing to secure a sufficient number of men for two full regiments, by mutual agreement, the two were consolidated, and the combined force received for its designation the lowest number of the line.
https://webcache.googleusercontent....y/58th/58thorg.html+&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
You'll see that I bolded LUZERNE above, as that's the county where your Wilkes-Barre Historical folks can be found. Note that Robert served in Companies E & I, both of wich were of the Regiment's Left Wing.
If you can place Robert Hedian being buried in the area somewheres, then I would suggest that 2nd Lieut Robert Hedian donating a war trophy might be the actual story behind this sword.
nb: Stray thought - was the 5th NY HA issued M1860 sabers?