In 1861, Henry Kraft, a jeweler, his brother Peter, a gunsmith, and one of their employees, Major Maurice Goldsmith, formed Kraft, Goldsmith & Kraft military outfitters. The Columbia, South Carolina firm was a militaria retailer and manufacturer. All current published works list Lipman Goldsmith as a partner, but recent research has shown that he was merely a clerk for the company at the beginning of the War, and that he was working in Baltimore, Maryland by 1863.

The company is known for producing some of the finest swords in the Confederacy. They are best known for their field and staff officer’s swords. The company is known to have manufactured presentation spurs for Lieutenant General Ambrose Powell Hill, several presentation swords for Lieutenant General Wade Hampton and a presentation cavalry officer’s sword to be presented to Major General James Ewell Brown Stuart.

The sword shown here is the company’s field and staff pattern. This pattern and indeed all models of Kraft, Goldsmith & Kraft swords are rare. The company’s field and staff swords are the largest of the Confederate field officer swords. The grip and basket are so large that it suggests that it was intended that the sword be wielded with two hands like those used by knights in medieval times.

The sword’s basket is highly decorated with a prominent CS cast into its face, surrounded by oak leaves and acorns. The basket’s knuckle bow terminates with the head of a sea serpent. The guard remains tight and is perfect, even retaining a large amount of gilt. The pommel is decorated with both oak and laurel leaves. The grip wrap is original, but like so many of this manufacturer’s swords, the wooden grip shows through in many places. The copper wire wrap is original and remains tight; the guard is completely tight. The blade is etched and can be seen well in some places, but most of the etching is badly worn or has carbon staining. There is some surface pitting on the lower five inches and some small smattering of surface pitting in two places in the carbon staining. It has never been sharpened or altered and still comes to a sharp point. Nor are there any edge nicks.

The scabbard does not have the standard K,G &K drag, but it is an original period drag. The rest of the scabbard is very good and all original. All in all this is a very nice example of a "Barn Find” rare Confederate sword.

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