DDMPRESENTATION SWORDS WERE among the most conspicuous honors awarded to Civil War officers. These nineteenth-century relics drew on a long-standing European tradition. For centuries kings had been invested, commoners had been knighted, and soldiers had been rewarded with presentation swords. In 1786 the Continental Congress sent one of George Washington’s aides to Paris to purchase ten swords for officers who had served with distinction during the American Revolution. In later conflicts, the U.S. Congress and various states, municipalities, and organizations presented swords to military heroes. The heyday of presentation swords was the Civil War.
Not all such swords in the Smithsonian collection are as ornate as those depicted here. Some came in regulation patterns with few embellishments and were given to popular officers by soldiers serving under them. The more ostentatious and expensive swords were usually given by states or municipalities to a favorite son, or by wealthy donors to officers they esteemed, and were often ordered from well-known silversmiths or jewelers like Tiffany & Company.
Dealers also donated swords to charitable functions. At fairs held to benefit the U.S. Sanitary Commission, visitors “voted” with a dollar for their favorite officer, and the winner received a presentation sword. New York City newspapers covered one such contest between Generals McClellan and Grant as closely as a prize fight or national election. DDM
I must tell you about our division Commander having a sword presented to him. It is the most beautiful thing I ever saw.
LETTER FROM A SOLDIER IN SHERIDAN’S DIVISION
SHERIDAN SWORD General Philip Sheridan received this sword (FIRST IMAGE) from “A Few Friends in New York,” possibly the Union League Club. The hilt, shown in detail beside the scabbard (SECOND IMAGE), depicts Liberty slaying the serpent of rebellion.
KILPATRICK SWORD General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick received this sword around 1865 from the officers of his 3rd Cavalry Division. The counterguard portrays Kilpatrick astride a charging horse, and the blade is inscribed with battles he fought.
WILKES SWORD Captain Charles Wilkes arrested Confederate commissioners James Mason and John Slidell on board the British mail ship Trent in 1861. The British government was furious, but the city of Boston presented Wilkes with this sword in 1862.
WHEATON SWORD General Frank Wheaton received this sword from his native state of Rhode Island in 1865. The hilt features the Goddess of Victory holding a laurel wreath in her raised hand. The enamel medallion on the counterguard bears the initials “FW.”
HANCOCK SWORD Major General Winfield Scott Hancock was voted the winner of this Tiffany & Company sword at the Mississippi Valley Sanitary Fair in June 1864. The hilt depicts Liberty; laurel leaves and the Goddess of Victory adorn the knuckle guard.
