There is a chance it could be naval, but I don't think so. Most of the naval dirks were made for midshipmen and officers, therefore, better quality. That's not to say this could have been made out of necessity during desparate times. I'm thinking it dates post-1850 (based on the simple cross guard piece that was cut in this pattern), so it conceivably could be a Confed dirk, side-knife. It could also be a so-called gambler's boot knife (I've seen some of this quality). If naval (and I say a big IF), it's post Age of Sail when dirks were falling out of favor. Sailors still carried knives, but they were typically blunt/no point for cutting rope or of the clasp knife type during this period. Could still be a trench knife, of course. In any case, a very interesting piece that raises questions...
