M1832 Artillery Sword Info.

Portia

Cadet
Joined
Apr 12, 2017
Location
Morgantown, WV
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Not taken care of at all, but was hopefully a save. It has "JM" on one side and some lettering on the opposite side I can't really make out 100%. Any info. or opinions are appreciated. I know there's a lot of copies and replicas floating about.
 

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Nice piece. Its not really as bad as some Ive seen. Here is one I have in my personnel collection with scabbard. also here are all the markings of this sword thru the years. Is it JM or JH if JM its John Maggs if JH its John Hannis. If the markings on the blade are faint which is common sprinkle some baby powder on it and then lightly blow it off and it should bring out the stamp. Let us know what you find.
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The other markings on the guard is an additional inspectors mark RKKW. I'll try and look in my Ames book to see who RKKW is.

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I'll try that tip and see! It could possibly by JH. I wish anything on the actual blade was legible, but maybe I'll have some luck. I'll pick up some powder tomorrow and give it a go
 
I'm confident your sword is genuine. The " J.H." could be the mark of Joseph Hannis or John Hawkins, both long-time civilian inspectors of contract arms for Springfield Armory, and both known to have inspected Ames swords. Hannis appears to have been much more involved with Ames, but to me the forward-slanting initials on your sword look more like Hawkins' mark (but don't take that to the bank). The mark on the other side appears to be that of Major Robert H.K. Whiteley. If so, your sword likely dates from the mid-1850s when he is known to have been inspecting M1832s. His initials are frequently paired with "J.H.".
 
I'm confident your sword is genuine. The " J.H." could be the mark of Joseph Hannis or John Hawkins, both long-time civilian inspectors of contract arms for Springfield Armory, and both known to have inspected Ames swords. Hannis appears to have been much more involved with Ames, but to me the forward-slanting initials on your sword look more like Hawkins' mark (but don't take that to the bank). The mark on the other side appears to be that of Major Robert H.K. Whiteley. If so, your sword likely dates from the mid-1850s when he is known to have been inspecting M1832s. His initials are frequently paired with "J.H.".


Thanks for all the great information. Broke out the magnifying glass and it does appear to be a JH, just a bit slanty to the point of appearing like and 'M' almost when you first look at it. I'd love for a date to pop on the blade but doesn't look promising. Hopefully the powder will help reveal something tomorrow.
 
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