What is this? Knife Made From Bayonet

[shecrab]

This Civil War knife I recently acquired looks to be a shortened bayonet from an Enfield mounted into a handle. My questions: was this a type of handle for the time, or was it hand carved? It's a very comfortable handle to hold and shows what may be marks on it from a ring on middle finger. And what is that substance/conglomerate etc holding the metal into the handle? I cannot find anything like it. Looks like small rock, or sand, there are a few gold and silver colored flecks in it. Was this some common practice for reworking swords/knives? TIA

 

[johan_steele]

Can you post an overall picture? Close ups like this are only useful in context. Mine is below, a broken 1842 bayonet repurposed at some point as a man opener.

 

[shecrab]

4 more photos. Total length 18". It belonged to a soldier or officer of the 2nd NC Union Vols. I'm wondering if it's from an Enfield, and what is the substance holding it into handle. Is that handle, curved like that, a common thing of the period, or does it look handmade by whoever owned it?

 

[johan_steele]

I really like the handle on that but am somewhat confused. I had believed from the earlier pics that it was from a standard Enfield triangular bayonet. Looking at the additional pictures if it is from a bayonet it's from a sabre bayonet. I'm using my phone so I can't zoom in as much as these old eyes would like, are there any stampings or makers marks that would identify the steel?

The handle is almost certainly user instead of commercial made. The substance holding the blade to the handle in addition to the pins could be either hide glue or lead with hide glue the more likely.

 

[shecrab]

Thanks! No, there are absolutely no markings on the metal anywhere, if there were any they are inside the handle now. We looked at it with a magnifying glass and nothing on metal except for scratches.

 

[johan_steele]

I'm going to add some pics of period sabre bayonets. I suspect this may have come from a broken sword more than a bayonet but honestly don't know. If it came from a bayonet I'm inclined to lean towards the US M1855 or something that came after the ACW. An interesting piece regardless or where it came from.

French or Belgian from M1840 through M1866.

US Sabre bayonet for the Colt Alteration of the M1841.

Brit P56 series Sabre bayonet

US M1855 Sabre bayonet