Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-03-11
GETS SWORD AFTER
A HALF CENTURY
''aIne Captain. IN Gloom on Last Day
Ct Cytl War. Now Happy at SO

|i3l0e Captain. 10 Gloom on Last Day
Ct c.yll War. Row Happy at 80
/ Iw..,7n Natne-Fo~ the first time
n a.y one years Capt. Albert Max
'aid, So years old has the sword
. winch he carried in the civil war first
T. lieutenant aud then as a captain IL
The 18th Maine Volunteer Infantry.
The sword was lost on the last dav o.
tie war-'he day that Lee surrender.
: cd TO Grant At Appomattoy.
Captain MaXfeld's regiment he said.
was instrumental in stopping Lees
/ famous charge at Appomattox on
/ APRIL .. 1855, the day Of the surrender
The 18th Maine infantry was in 10
rear Of the Federal cavalry. which
vas being pushed back. 50 tina whpu
Lees Charse came the 18th was
! entirely surrounded on the top Of
Inn. The soldiers sought to avoid cap
lure nv fleeing, and Captain Maxf,rld
ieapel over nearby fence. SWORD in
hand. landed in tho open arms ef
Confederate cayairyman aEd was
made prisoner.
The sword disappeared in the con
fusion Of the capture. The brigade of
Lees cavalry which made that charge
cid not surrender but ON The suucn.
der OF Lee disbanded ana went homo,
and Captain MaXfeld was set at LIB.
erty. lie went 70 the scene Of The cav
airy charge and searched for The
sword, but failed t. find it.
He reached a field hospital at farm.
vile, Va and when he sar men lying
there who had lost an arm or leg or
IN eye he said to himself, whats the
loss Of a sword?" and gave Up The
search for it. There was a certain
amount of sentiment attached to il,
however, for he had used il during the
campaign Of 1864 and 1885 and Wi,l it
had saluted Lincoln and Grant.
Tho sword had a solinsen blade
made by Claude Clauberg, the German
sword maker and was mounted BY
Schuyler, Hartley and Graham. In.
graved on the inside Of the handle was
the following;
A~'' -" .'4tAiifiIp 4-lth GIlu AIdillB |
Volunteer Infantry"
A few weeks ago an item appeared |
IN Philadelphia newspaper about a
sword belonging 10 y. A. Maxfield, |
which had been taken from a Federal |
officer on the field at AppOmattox and |
had been hanging over a mantle! at
The home Of John Davis Arbuckle near |
LeWisburg, W. Va, ever since.
The item was clipped from the pa
per and sent TO Mrs. Ella Moore Of |
Lewiston, Maine, by relatives who
knew that Mrs. Moore had relatives
Of the name Of Maxfied. They thousht
she might know OF Captain Maxf.eld's
whereabouts. but she did not. Mrs.
Moore had an article about the sword
published in a Lewiston paper, and
it was from this that Capt. Maxfield
learned about it.
He got into communication with Mr.
hrbuckle and the latter invited hIm
to West Virginia for visit Captain
MaXfield could not go, so Mr.. Ar
buckle sent him the sword by parcel
pos
The item which led to the recovery
ot the sword and which appeared in
the Philadelphia paper read as iol
lows:
"Lewisburg, w Va.--John Davis Ar.
buckle, who fought in the Confederate
ranks during the civil war, has been
waiting fifty years to return sword |
u hich he captured from a hlue,oat
during the late unpIeasantness. Mr.
Arbucklo took the sword from ian-
kee officer in General Lees last .
charge at Appomattox. April g. 1868. |
The name engraved on he weapon is
y. A. MaXiield, Eleventh Maine Vol.
unteCrs."
The engraving Of at" had become |
so worn Captain NaXfield found on |
recovering the sword. that it looked !
like an engraved N"