Presented to Lieutenant Colonel Henry W. Lawton by the Officers and Men of his Regiment [30th Indiana Volunteer Infantry] on March 4, 1865
Description
Henry W. Lawton began the Civil War as an enlisted 90-day volunteer. By the war’s end he was a brevet Colonel. Lawton received a Medal of Honor for service in Sherman’s Atlanta campaign.
This sword was presented to Lieutenant Colonel Henry W. Lawton by the officers and men of the 30th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. The blade is Damascus steel; it is long, slightly curved, and single edged. The fuller is wide and shallow, and extends about two thirds of the way to the tip of the blade. Both sides are decorated in silver and gold chasing. The obverse bears a silver eagle surrounded by a scroll pattern, wearing a US shield and holding an "E PLURIBUS / UNUM" banner in the middle of a large sunburst, all backed in gold chasing. The reverse of the blade features the same design with a "U.S." monogram surrounded by the inscription "For Union / and Liberty." The grip features a silver figure of Nike holding a laurel wreath; she is resting against a piece of gold metal in the shape of a large palm leaf. The knuckle-bow is a brass strip that branches off about half way down the hilt. The strip and branch are adorned in oak leaves and acorns. The branch widens into a large half basket shaped counterguard which is covered in openwork scroll design. This terminates in a quillon in the shape of a dragon's head.
The scabbard is gilded and bears three silvered mounts. The first mount features a medieval trophy design surrounded by laurel wreath and scroll designs. The reverse bears a "US" monogram with similar surroundings. The middle mount features a US shield held by an eagle standing on a globe with an identical laurel and scroll pattern. The bottom mount, which acts as the drag, features another eagle/ US shield design, as well as an ornate engraving of laurel leaves and scrolls. Between the first and second mount a plate with an engraved inscription to Lawton reads “LIEUT. COL. HENRY W. LAWTON / 30th Ind. Vet. Vol Infty. / Presented by the Officers and Men of his Regiment / as a token of confidence and respect. / March 4th 1865” The plate is surrounded by names of the battles he fought: Shiloh / Corinth / Stone River / Chickamauga / Atlanta / Franklin / Nashville. Between the second and first mount is a plate with castings of oak sprays and acorns. The carrying rings to the scabbard with an acorn shaped ring.
French silver-hilted officer's small sword with silvered guard and knuckle bow.
Specific History
This artifact is part of the large collection of firearms and militaria from the Charles Bremner Hogg Jackson collection.
Brem Jackson (1910-1979) was by all accounts a modest and intensely private individual. He was unknown as a collector to neighbors and other military connoisseurs. Born in New York, he was raised with a French governess who told him stories of the Napoleonic Era and instilled in him an early fascination for the French emperor.
His family moved to Florence, Italy, for 14 years. While there he studied and became fluent in French, German, and Italian. While traveling Europe, touring battlefields and military cemeteries, he began collecting and making miniature model soldiers. After World War II, he moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where his collection further grew with the addition of original uniforms. He collected enough antique gear and uniforms to field a small army. He began but never completed cataloging his collection of items ranging in date from Classical Greece through World War I and housed in a large barn known locally as "Brem's Place." The barn, wagon shed, and ship studio contained not only the collection but also a master craftsman's studio and forge and an outstanding military reference library. From here Jackson gathered, restored, and researched his world-class holdings of militaria. He had an underground firing range on the property and occasionally even fired off cannons outside the barn. Although he occasionally corresponded with the Smithsonian's curators of military history, he never met with them and gave no notice of his intended bequest to the nation.
Much of his collection was part of a large bequest to the Smithsonian at his death in 1979.
General History
This type of sword was used by both French and American officers during the American Revolution.
Strong Vincent used this sword at Gettysburg. The Model 1850 Staff and Field Officers sword was made by W.H. Horstmann & Sons of Philadelphia. Vincent's widow had brass plagues placed on the scabbard to commemorate her husband's service and sacrifice.
General History
Strong Vincent was a young lawyer when he volunteered for the war. He married on the day he enlisted and as he served, he wrote to his wife, “If I fall, remember you have given your husband to the most righteous cause that ever widowed a woman.” Vincent went into battle carrying her riding crop as a keepsake. At the Battle of Gettysburg, the Union saw the value of securing a rocky outcropping called Little Round Top. Vincent seized the opportunity, taking the boulder and brandishing his wife’s riding crop as he yelled to his men, “Don’t give an inch.” As he uttered the words a bullet tore through his thigh and lodged in his body. The line held, but Vincent was mortally wounded. He lingered for five days before succumbing to his wound. Major General George Sykes wrote, “Night closed the fight. The key of the battlefield was in our possession intact. Vincent, Weed and Hazlett ... sealed with their lives the spot entrusted to their keeping, and on which so much depended."
This sword was presented to William T. Sherman for his service in the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, or Shiloh, by Major General H.W. Halleck. The straight double edged blade is engraved with ornate floral and scroll patterns. It is very pitted in places, but the obverse features the figure of a knight in armor. Only part of the inscription on the reverse of the blade is legible. It shows General Halleck’s letter of recommendation to the Secretary of War and reads:
“...Stanton, Secretary of War- / ...the unanimous opinion here that Brigadier General W.T. Sherman saved the fortune of the day of the 6th and contributed largely to the / ....victory of the 7th. He was in the thickest of the fight on both days having three horses killed under him, & being wounded twice. I respectfully request / that he be made a Major General of Volunteers to date from the 6th instant. - Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H.W. Halleck, Major General / Commanding.”
Inside a hollowed grip, the figure of Athena slays a dragon. On the pommel an eagle rests atop a globe covered with stars. The knuckle-bow is decorated with laurel leaves and a banner which wraps around the top and reads, "PITTSBURGH . LANDING. / April / 6TH& 7TH 1862". Set within an enamel counterguard is Sherman’s monogram "WTS", which is covered in approximately 90 tiny diamonds. On the reverse of the counterguard there are two laurel leaves. The quillon extends away from the counterguard and is in the shape of the head of Ares.
The scabbard is gilded and has three gold mounts. The first bears the head of Ares and two American flags on the obverse. On the reverse of the mount there is a snake. The second and third mounts are decorated with oak leaves. The scabbard has three carrying rings, one on each side of the top mount, and one on the right side of the middle mount.
General William T. Sherman wore this Model 1850 staff and field officer's sword during the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee, April 6–8, 1862.
General History
One of the greatest battles of the War between the States erupted near the banks of the Tennessee River at Shiloh, Tennessee. On April 6, 1862, General Sidney Johnston launched his attack. The Union forces were quickly driven back; they found themselves rapidly approaching the Tennessee River to the east and Owl Creek to the north. However, the Union troops finally established a line at an area known as "the sunken road." Confederate forces launched eleven attacks against the position, but the line would not break. The area became known as the "Hornets Nest" because of the intensity of gunfire and grazing of bullets. Finally the Southern troops brought sixty-two artillery pieces to bear on the Hornets Nest, many at point-blank range. After holding the position for six hours, the Union forces surrendered. The next morning, the fresh Union forces attacked the tired and surprised Confederates, who believed they had won a great victory. By sheer weight of numbers the federals pushed them back. Resistance stiffened; as the day wore on, the Confederates pulled back and the next day withdrew to Corinth.
