Thomas, Griswold & Co. has long been recognized to have manufactured some of the very finest swords of the Confederate era. This was due to their pre-war experience as Hyde & Goodrich, military manufacturers and importers New Orleans, Louisiana. Hyde & Goodrich was started in 1853 and in August of 1861 it became Thomas, Griswold & Co. the new principles being Henry Thomas, Jr., A. B. Griswold, A. L. Abbott and Henry Ginder, the last two only rating an "& Co.” in the company’s moniker.

There are several notable characteristics of the company’s products; the first of course is the name and address stamped into the ricasso, THOMAS, GRISWOLD & Co NEW ORLEANS. The blade is highly unusual for a Confederate made sword. It has a stopped fuller as a result of the manufacturers having acquired the necessary equipment and skills in the pre-war years. The other notable feature is the high quality scabbard made entirely of brass from throat to drag.

The Artillery Sabre shown here is in excellent condition. The leather grip wrap has minor cracking to the surface, but it is 100% intact and is not flaking, nor close to flaking, I am merely pointing out the cracks. The throat washer is a replacement. The grip is wound by double strand twisted brass wire that remains tight and unaltered. The hand guard and pommel are tight and have a very pleasing dark patina intermingled with red copper tones. The blade is semi-bright; has a few "flea” bite nicks and has never been re-pointed. The T,G & Co N.O. markings are exceptionally crisp and clear.

The sword’s brass scabbard is also in excellent condition. It is very special in another regard; we would like to think that all of our swords saw combat, (and most did) but one can be totally certain rarely. That this one saw action is a certainty. There is a small but deep dent in the scabbard near the edge which is shown in the images.

Bending the edge of the scabbard (the strongest point) to this depth without crushing the surrounding metal could only have been done by a small fragment of high-speed flying shrapnel. Nothing else could have possibly caused it. There are a few other very slight pushes in the metal near the drag that are so slight as to be unnoticeable except under close scrutiny. It has a beautiful, but exceptionally deep patina.

Print Email to a friend