Thanks for all the replies, really interesting stuff! This knife would certainly have a story to tell if it could talk and I believe it still has more to say. You can see it has been used quite a bit after it was re-hilted because the stag horn has been worn down and marked up from constant handling. Interested in hearing more opinions on the date of this as it seems everyone I've talked to has a different idea on when this was paired with the blade though it does most closely resemble the confederate side-knifes M ELEY mentioned, especially the guard. Also very much interested on when the original blade was produced, it's original purpose, how it would have looked, and when it was likely broken and salvaged. I'll pull it out again today and get a better close-up of the makers mark too.
Also I've been doing some more research on the symbols and found their origins all the way back in medieval times during the crusades. I've attached a couple images for reference. Surely the blade wouldn't date back to the crusades though, correct?
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