Shenandoah Valley Bowie

I picked this knife up at a local auction last November. It was advertised as a Staunton VA barn find Confederate bowie.
Without provenance, there is no way to prove it is Confederate or exactly when it was made, but I believe the possibility remains.
I suspect it was made from an old farrier's file--the tang and overall length is the right dimension for a farrier's file as is the blade width.
The handle appears is some sort of cloth tape--possibly friction tape or surgeons tape. The handle was split along the bottom edge, for what reason I haven't a clue. Possibly, the grip was working loose and it was split so it could be spread apart and glued? Since the split was already there, I carefully pried it apart to see if there were any file teeth or if it has been drilled for an earlier handle--I found no teeth nor holes. So, I will glue it back together.

The guard is brass and is brazed to the blade. The blade is in very good condition and is uniformly shaped with an abbreviated clip point.
Whether or not the tape that currently serves as a handle is original or not I do not know. The tape appears to be very old, but it seems to me the builder would have opted for something better.

Any thoughts?

 

[Borderruffian]

Think that is properly called an "Arkansas Toothpick"

 

[Kurtlg]

The Arkansas toothpick has a dagger like blade.

 

[Kurtlg]

About the only other thing I can add is it's not a Bowie. The blade is too narrow and it lacks the clip point. I think your conclusion is likely .

 

[CHIP MOORE]

Thank you for the replies. From what I've seen, Bowie knives come in all shapes and sizes, and, if you look closely at the tip of the blade, you will see an abbreviated clip point. I suspect the width of the blade was determined by the width of the file it was likely made from. Perhaps whomever made it did not have the skill to do much more than grind out the shape, hence the wide tang and primitive grip. It does have one hell of a handguard!