Mameluke sword presented to Capt. George Garrison by the 55th Massachusetts
date: label: Date
content: 1863
name: label: Manufactured by
content: F. Horster, German
label: Owned by
content: George Thompson Garrison, American, 1836 - 1904
label: Subject of
content: 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, American, 1863 - 1865
notes: label: Description
content: An etched mameluke sword and scabbard presented to Capt. George T. Garrison by the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. The steel blade is slightly curved and has designs etched on both sides. At the midpoint of the PL side of the blade [U.S.] is inscribed in decorative letters and surrounded by floral filigree. On the PR side is a version of the coat of arms of the United States. An eagle with outstretched wings and holding an [E. PLURIBUS UNUM] banner in its beak flies behind a stars and stripes shield and is surrounded by rays of light. At the base of the blade where it meets the hilt there are two marks. On the PR side is a small circle with raised text reading [PROVED] and a fleur-de lis with a radiating pattern around it. On the PL side is the makers mark, reading [F. HORSTER / SOLINGEN] below a floral design. The words [IRON PROOF] are stamped in the bottom of the blade near the guard. The guard of the blade features the US coat of arms, with eagle, arrows, olive branch, shield, and [E. PLURIBUS UNUM] banner above molded letters [U S]. The guard is quite large where the blade attaches to the grip and narrows at the pommel of the sword. The grip itself is metal on the top and pommel, with shagreen, likely shark skin on the underside, lashed with a twisted metal coil. The metal scabbard is undecorated with a semi-circular shoe extension at the tip. It has two mounts with carrying rings on the half closest to the throat.
place: label: Place made
content: Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe
label: Place purchased
content: Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Antislavery
label: Topic
content: Military
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Slavery and Freedom Objects
label: Classification
content: Weapons and Ammunition
label: Movement
content: Anti-slavery movements
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Garrison Family in memory of George Thompson Garrison
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2014.115.1.1ab
objectType: label: Type
content: swords
label: Type
content: scabbards
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Public Domain
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: metal, steel, shagreen
label: Dimensions
content: 2014.115.1.1a Sword: 37 15/16 × 4 3/4 × 4 in. (96.4 × 12.1 × 10.2 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: 2014.115.1.1b Scabbard: 34 × 2 5/8 × 5/8 in. (86.4 × 6.7 × 1.6 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: 2014.115.1.1ab Sheathed: 39 5/16 × 4 3/4 × 4 in. (99.9 × 12.1 × 10.2 cm)