Wonderful 1862 DJ Millard Union Civil War Cavalry Sword

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Up for auction is a really nice Model 1860 D.J. Millard Cavalry Saber that was issued and used during the American Civil War. This sabre is in great Original and Complete condition and has the desirable early war date of 1862. These early war dated swords are hard to come by in this condition. This one is government inspected and made by a Rare maker, D.J. Millard from Clayville NY , and would make a nice addition to any collection. If you have this one in your collection it would be very difficult to upgrade. It looks like it was put up after the war and never touched! David J. Millard was a successful entrepreneur before the war broke out. He owned and operated the Paris Furnace Company in Clayville New York , which made farm implements such as hayforks, hoes, scythes, and plowpoints. In December of 1861 the U.S. Ordnance Department offered Millard a contract for 10,000 cavalry Sabers. Millard produced 10,001 cavalry sabres for the government and all of his swords are dated 1862. This sword is from that production and is a quality Sword! The guard, grip, and blade are all tight to each other and have no play to them at all. The brass has a wonderful patina that displays great! The pommel cap has double inspector's marks of C.E.W., which stood for the Armory inspector of Charles E. Wilson who inspected from 1862-1864 and approved this sword for service. The grip has 100% of it's full Original Brown Leather! It is just beautiful and displays Great. It also has 100% of it's full Original twisted brass wire that is nice and tight and in Fine Condition! The wire has a wonderful untouched patina to it. The front of the brass guard was slightly turned down by the trooper that carried this sword so he could use it as a thumb rest when drawn and as a way to protect the troopers hand when they engaged the enemy. This was a common practice by the troopers that carried these swords into battle. It could not be in any nicer condition! The blade is in Great shape as well. T is no rust or pitting and it is straight as an arrow. It is stamped--- U.S. ---W.E.H.---1862--- in clear easy to read marks. W.E.H. was the Armory sub-inspector's mark that inspected this blade for the Federal Government and approved it for service in the war. The other side has a strong maker's mark of ----D.J. Millard Clayville NY----- as you can see in the pics. You can still see some of the original factory cross graining at the base of the blade and it also has it's Original leather washer. It has just some minor flea bites to the cutting edge that you do not really see but can feel when you run your finger tip over the blade. It is exactly what you would expect to see on a sword that saw action on the field. It displays Wonderfully! The original matching steal scabbard is whole and complete and still retains both rings as well as the throat piece. As you can see in the pics it has a nice plumb patina to it and has no dents to it at all. It has only a little surface rust scattered and t that will come right off with a mild cleaning. What I really like about this scabbard is the wear pattern to the drag that again shows this sword saw service and also the lower half of the scabbard has what appear to be slash marks from an edged blade. They are almost all on the bottom and backside of the scabbard. I have tried to show it in the pics. When I used to come across these scabbards in this condition I used to think that it must have been made by some kid that played with the sword out in grandpa's backyard, but I have seen them come right out of the attic and untouched that have these same kind of slash marks like this one. I now believe that it must have happened in battle. They are ALWAYS on the lower half and ALWAYS on the bottom side of the scabbard. It is like they were held up in battle as a way of defending the trooper that owned it. It is obvious that this sword and scabbard saw a lot of action and they display wonderfully. Early war dated cavalry swords do not come in much better condition than this one! It ... read more

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