Mathew Marcellus McKennie was born in Charlottsville, Virginia to Clement Pynes and Hetty Rodes McKennie. Mathew was a distinguished graduate from V.M.I. in 1844, and thence studied medicine at the University of Virginia and Jefferson Medical College. He practiced medicine in Clarkesville, Virginia[i] He married Mary Shields Cummings on December 10^th, 1846[ii] Residing in Charlottesville, helping his father in his Book and Stationary store afterward.[iii]

Colonel McKennie was an officer in the 88^thVirginia Militia. Early in the War, the officers of the 88^th submitted a petition entitled "Memorial of the officers of the 88^th Virginia Militia to the General Assembly of Virginia” in order to change their stated loyalty from the Union to the "Dominion of Virginia” [iv] He was commissioned as a Colonel and served as a surgeon. On March 4^th, 1861, McKennie was assigned to the Confederate hospital in Charlottesville. Colonel McKennie survived the War and died in Charlottesville on October 26^th, 1890, and is buried in the McKennie family plot in the University of Virginia Cemetery.

In June/July of 1861 he oversaw the conversion of a blacksmith shop and brass foundry, which was attached to the Charlottesville Woolen Mills, into a small sword manufactory. The swords produced there were modeled "to look like the sword he had received as a gift upon graduation from V.M.I.”[v] This was a French pattern foot officer’s sword, consequently it was one of the finest blades made in the Confederacy, having a secondary fuller; the only purely Confederate made sword to have such. According to the Richmond paper,[vi]"The shape of the blade, which is tempered as fine as a watch spring, is very fine, and the fit and poise of the weapon are perfect”

McKennie’s Sword Factory was located at the foot of Market Street. It was situated just NW of the mouth of Moore’s Creek where it enters into the Rivanna River.[vii] In July of the 1861 he began making swords on a small scale and by the spring of 1862 he was employing four workman and producing six swords per week.[viii] Less than 200 swords were manufactured before McKennie became Confederate Acting Assistant Surgeon assigned to Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond, which required the closing of his sword factory in June 1862[ix]. but the total must have been very small; when Wm. Albaugh wrote his books on Confederate swords circa 1960, he wrote that he only knew of three survivors.

This survivor is accompanied by an advertisement by Dave Taylor’s Civil War Antiques that states:

"I purchased directly from the family in Tennessee in August 2009 this incredibly rare signed Confederate McKennie & Co. Charlottesville, Virginia foot officer’s sword and a Colt army revolver” (the revolver was separated, ugh!) The family had a photograph of the owner, Gr. Grandpa Steele, in Uniform with the sword, but Gr. Grandpa was not in the Confederate Army, he was in the U.S. Army several decades after the War. However, Great, Great Grandpa was Lieutenant Abner Newton Steele, of the 11^thAlabama Infantry.

Lt. Steele was killed when the 11^thAlabama charged Randol’s six gun battery at Frayser’s Farm, June 30^th, 1862. The 11^th lost seven of their ten company commanders in the bloody hand to hand fighting. One company was reduced from twenty eight men to three.

At the time Albaugh wrote, he was aware of three survivors, I think it safe to say at least two have turned up since that time so there are at least five of these swords extant as of 2024. There is also one relic McKennie sword known to exist.[x]

This signed example is as pristine as a 160 year old sword can be. Nothing but perfection; deep clear signature, perfect grip, perfect hilt, perfect blade, perfect original scabbard…Flawless!

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