Bookworms who appreciate both historical literature and
antiques tend to nurture a connection with the past. Civil war
bookslet people feel a sense of pride for men and women who waged their life
and made supreme sacrifices for their country and fellowmen. Some of
the most fascinating reads also have stories of love and survival, and the
tenacity of the human spirit to prevail over challenges, incorporated in the
main storyline.
Classic
editions of most civil war books are
available through online retailers. Classic literature lovers will even find
old editions at special rates. One reason
why collecting and devouring great literature like civil war books is because
they provide the chance to encounter or reminisce how great men prevailed over
some of the most trying circumstances, or how battlefield victories were won. Most
civil war books also depict new light
on slavery and race-related issues. A clear-cut example is “The Forgotten Cause of the Civil War” by Dr. Lawrence R. Tenzer.My favorite is still a light reading matter, “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret
Mitchell, which has been made into a movie.As with other great books adapted for the big screen, though, the
romantic melodrama which has the Civil War and reconstruction as backdrop, the
book is far better than the movie.
Some civil war books
that may be useful for historians and scholars include “Writing the
Civil War: the Quest to Understand”which has James McPherson and William J. Cooper as editors. The essays dealing with the historiography of
war-related subjects are a must-read, especially for those writing a thesis on
the subject matter.
If you love artifacts from the American Civil War, chances
are that you’ll eventually think about collecting them, especially Civil War
swords.However, finding the real thing
can be tricky, since there are many fakes, reproductions, and mislabeled swords
out there. Here are some basic facts about swords from this period, to help you
sort out the genuine article from all the imitations.
The Civil War may have been fought between 1861 and 1865,
but the swords used in it weren’t necessarily made during those years. You can
find swords that were carried in the war, but were made as early as the 1830s.
This can make finding Civil War swords a little trickier. However, you can be
certain of one thing - swords made after 1865 were never used in the war.
Swords were made by a number of manufacturers at the time,
including some that we don’t associate with weaponry at all. The Ames Company
produced a significant portion of the swords used during the war, and was in
business from 1832 until the early 20th century. Over two hundred
thousand swords were made by this company.
Civil War swords made by the Ames Company may bear one of
two marks. The founder, Nathan P. Ames, marked his blades with “N. P. Ames”.
However, after Nathan died in 1847, his brother changed the mark to read “Ames
Mfg. Co.” These stamps may be hard to read, and at least ten different
variations were used over the course of the war.
The second largest producer of cavalry sabers was originally
a tool and textile producer. However, once the war started, the company
received seven contracts, making a total of more than thirty-seven thousand
M1860 sabers. The stamp on these Civil War swords tends to be extremely clear,
and only one mark style is used.
Christopher Roby was another producer of the M1860 saber,
making around thirty-two thousand of these Civil War swords. In addition to the
cavalry saber, this company also made musician’s swords, NCO swords and light
artillery swords. Marks on these swords vary between the early 1861 variety and
later Civil War swords, which had a more complicated stamp.
Sabers made by Roby have an extra two turns of wire on the
grip, making them easy to identify if the marks are still present, but
mistakable for the M1840 sword if the marks have been worn off. Like many other
manufacturers, Roby was prolific, but business disappeared after the war.
Another very common producer of Civil War swords was Emerson
and Silver, another company that produced with enthusiasm for the duration of
the war, then disappeared. The company made primarily sabers, but other Civil
War swords were produced as well, including NCO and musicians swords. Only two
marks were used over the course of the war, making these swords a little easier
to identify than some.
A manufacturer you might not expect is Tiffany & Co. The
same company we associate with fine glassware and jewelry is also responsible
for presentation grade Civil War swords for officers, and two special types of
cavalry saber unique to Tiffany. These sabers resemble other swords in production
at the time, but have unique hilts.
These are only a few of the major manufacturers you can
expect to see as producers of Civil War swords. Your searches may also turn up
plenty of minor companies, which produced one or two thousand blades, then
disappeared. The key is researching the sword well before you buy, to make sure
you know whether you’re getting a real antique, or a reproduction.