Abraham Henry De Witt was a Columbus, Georgia jeweler when the War began.

A.H. De Witt was born in 1817 in New York. By 1850 he was residing in Columbus, Georgia. He was a die-hard Rebel for the remainder of his life, even naming his son Robert Lee De Witt

When Lincoln’s unholy war of subjection was inaugurated, like all Southerners, De Witt’s thoughts turned to defense of his adopted homeland. So, he opened an arms manufactory in Columbus. His company shared an eight story building with arms makers Greenwood and Grey and Louis Haiman. Though it was known that De Witt enjoyed such success in the early War that he built a two story factory to expand his sword production, very few of his swords are recognized.

William Albaugh wrote in 1963 that, "Only one particular type of DeWitt’s products has surfaced.” Mr. Albaugh was referring to the rare De Witt made "Snake” pattern guard sword that has long been recognized as having been a De Witt product.

Others have certainly had various patterns of DeWitt’s work, but simply have not recognized them as such. The sword below was sold as being from an unidentified maker. However, it is clearly an A.H. DeWitt product by its scabbard and pommel.

The leather covered, wooden scabbard, which is original to the sword, is clearly a DeWitt product, and the pommel on the sword was clearly made by De Witt’s factory.

After the War, De Witt moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he was residing and working as a salesman in 1870. He passed away in Baltimore on December 19, 1874.

The sword he made remains in excellent, unaltered condition. The sword is still sheathed in its original wood covered leather scabbard whose only flaw is the flaking of the surface leather. The sword’s blade is almost as bright as when it was made and the grip wrap and wire are virtually 100% as made.

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