Columbus, Georgia sword makers Louis and Elias Haiman operated the largest sword manufactory within the Southern Confederacy. They rented the top floor of a building at the corner of Thomas and Short streets, right beside the Haiman armory. Here they set up the Confederate States Sword Factory. They produced more cavalry swords for the Confederacy than all the other manufactories combined. They also made fine officer’s swords, though in very limited number. The company advertised "at reasonable prices for officers and sergeants, finished in the best quality for sale at the Confederate states Sword factory of Columbus, GA. We can furnish officers swords with belts for $25 or $22 if four were ordered in one lot. Our swords are tested according the rules laid down by the Manual of War.” The company also produced brass belt plates and cartridge boxes, leather bayonet mountings, camp stove parts, shotgun bayonets, rifle bayonets, wagon covers, revolvers, (they had a contract for 10,000, but very few were produced) mess plates and tin cups. Their most important contribution to the Confederate war effort was the production of enlisted cavalry swords. Of these they produced more than 9,000, making the by many times over the largest sword maker in the Confederacy.

All of Haiman’s Cavalry Swords are nearly identical, thus are easily recognizable. All have the same style grip tapering down from basket to pommel, covered in leather or painted canvas. They are usually wrapped with a single strand of iron wire and painted canvas, though there are some rare examples wrapped with a doubled, small gauge copper wire or with a twisted double strand brass wire. Notice also the distinctive scabbard. All have an exaggerated lapped seam, but in this case the filler is so complete that the sword’s scabbard is quite smooth even on the back side. The brass mounts, iron carrying ring, flat topped iron throat and an iron drag with tapered ends are all Haiman hallmarks.

The example shown here has 90 plus percent of the complete painted canvas covered grip, wrapped with a single strand of iron wire. Something struck the grip/wire very hard and fast on the bottom side of the grip and driven the wire through the canvas. (shown in Pics) The guard is excellent and has a beautiful even patina. The hilt is securely mounted and will not "click” or move when shaken, but if you apply rotational pressure, it has a significant amount of "twist” movement. The protective throat washer is a replacement. The sword has a very nice semi-dark blade with some fleabite nicks near the blade’s point. There is not rust or pitting, nor has the blade been repointed. All in all it is a very nice blade.

The sword is still sheathed in its original Haiman scabbard. The scabbard is in excellent condition save for the upper ring, which is missing. There are a couple tiny dings in the scabbard and two large dents near the drag which were clearly done by shutting the sword in doors. Except for a seam section about four inches long that someone intentionally scuffed in order to determine the fill material (solder), the scabbard has a beautiful, consistent patina and the reverse’s lapped seam is very well finished with much of it imperceptible to the touch and still retaining its original japan.

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