Swords at the Little Big Horn (Part II)

[George Armstrong Custer]

Jim,
Many thanks for your informative post - your rapid accessing of a copy of Frost's The Custer Album is impressive! What do you think of the proposition that if Frost was correct in his reading of 'Solingen' on the blade of the captured sword, then this might still leave it a Spanish colonial blade, but which had had the 'Solingen' added to give it that added cache or kudos of a German blade? I am thinking of something along the lines of the many Scottish claidheamh mor with inferior local blades that are nonetheless marked 'Andrea Farara'.

Another possibility occurs to me. In Connell's Son of the Morning Star , Frost's inspection of the captured sabre is described as discovering 'close to the hilt...a few nearly obliterated letters which he read as Solingen....' What if they are so nearly 'obliterated' that Frost simply misread them? Might they not perhaps be 'Sagaum' or 'Sagahum'? This possibility would certainly tie in with the double edged three fullered blade style.

Jeff - the hilt on the Confederate sabre as shown in the Frost book is a three bar.

On a different tack, I posted regarding Custer's Roby on the Little Bighorn Associates Forum. A response carried the intriguing story below:

QUOTE:
Your question is an interesting one. I'll add a little more mystery to Custer and his sabres. I have a copy of a newspaper in Mitchell, SD, dated December 13, 1932, and another undated, at about the same date. There was a court fight over Custer's "sword," which had been found sticking out of the ground. It had been found by a man 25 years earlier when a boy. It stayed in the family until loaned for a school play, got lost, and ended up being sold by an antique dealer, who had in the meantime verified via letter by the swordmaker company (still in business in germany), that the sabre was made in Germany for General Custer (old records verifying that). The antique dealer had the letter, but lost the court fight (the newspaper story), and the sabre was returned to the Kimball, SD resident. It is still in the possession of the family, and I have held it in my hands, and have pictures of it. It looks just like the 1860 cavalry sabre you mention, but has the name of the maker engraved as "C.A. Westmann Dresden," along with "Eisenhauer Garantir I" and "W.K & C."
If you would like, I can download a picture of the sabre and send it via email (don't see how I can do it here). my email address is jjeffersonbroome@comcast.net.
If this really was a sabre of Custer's it would have been lost in the Yellowstone Expedition of 1873, and lost on the prairie until found about 1907. The newspaper article says the person who found it (I know his name but the family requests anonymity) was riding on the prairie near Kimball when he noticed a chain protruding from the ground. Pulling it up, he found the sabre attached. Interesting mystery, eh?
UNQUOTE

Now, my feeling about this story is that there must certainly have been a sabre discovered to prompt the newspaper story. That this weapon was Custers personal weapon with a provenance to that effect from the German makers can, I think, be dismissed as hyperbole. I would suggest that the sabre in question was more likely to have been lost somewhere in SD by an Indian who had acquired it as a battle trophy. The fact that it was found driven into the ground and connected to a chain suggests that it may have ended up being used to tether an animal. As a German bladed weapon, it would most likely have been imported to the States before or during the Civil War - and certainly before the US manufactured M1872 sabres which Custer's cavalry would have carried into the region were issued. Perhaps it was taken by Indians from a fight such as the 'Fetterman massacre' in the 1860's. In any event, I'm sure you'll all agree that the story of this find is a fascinating one.

Ciao,
GAC

[Jeff D]

Hi GAC,
If it was marked WK&C, it is Weyersburg, Kirschbaum, & Cie. 1883-1930 . Therefore Custer would have had to bought it after the little bighorn.
Could it have been W&C which is Wester & Co. 1820-1890, who were known to import M1840's for the civil war.

The sword you describe sounds like it was bought from a retailer in Dresden, so most likely is an officer's saber. Try to get the photos and post them this could be very interesting!

Jeff

[Jim McDougall]

Jeff and GAC, thank you very much for the kind words!!

On the possibilities for the Confederate blade, I doubt that the Solingen, if that is what the marking reads, would have been added to the blade to enhance value. Truth is most German blades for trade were quite anonymous in earlier times, and such an addition would have been superfluous. Ironically when the first U.S. M1840 cavalry sabre was proposed, I believe the first ones were actually manufactured in Germany. Ames of course took up the contract shortly after. Many German trade blades of the 19th c. were unmarked.As has been noted, the use of markings and phrases to appeal to intended markets were used as described.
The note on expatriated German swordsmiths is also interesting. Actually the first German swordsmiths in England were brought there by King Charles I and Sir William Heydon in 1629 ("Further Notes on London and Hounslow Swordsmiths" Clement Milward, Apollo XXXXV, 1942, p.93). In the same article, Milward notes that 'Facit London' was added to blades by of one of these workers after he returned to Solingen "...to increase thier saleability in England". It seems that the blades of Hounslow, and later Shotley Bridge, where most of these German smiths were concentrated, typically marked thier blades as made in Hounslow or London. Most of them Anglicized thier own names as well, one of them being Herman Mohl, descendant of the famed Mole,who produced so many military swords in the 19th century for England, and whose firm was eventually absorbed by Wilkinson.

While ME FECIT SALINGEN seems an unusual spelling, it cannot be discounted as incorrect as spellings certainly do vary, of course in accordance with the literacy of the maker, or possibly this could be a regional spelling ? I do not recall having seen that particular spelling though. The four repititions seems to have certain significance as I have seen blades from Germany which have this same numeric, which is cabalistically associated. Often phrases are punctuated with four crosses, and the four is a very positive number (the 1414 and 1441 'dates' are such numeric combinations and not actually dates at all).

On the Scottish use of German blades, especially 'ANDREA FERARA',
In "Scottish Swords and Dirks" (John Wallace, Stackpole, 1970), the author notes, "...although there was a Ferrara working near Venice in the 16th c. truth is that 99% of Ferrara blades are clearly of 17th or 18th c. date, and are certainly from German workshops- where the name held by the Scots to be an indication of quality was considered good business." p.25

Research and speculation done earlier in the 20th c. also has suggested that there was a Ferrara working in Spain, however this remains legend. My comment on the Scots favor toward Spanish blades finds support in the authors statement on the same page, "...certainly the Gaelic bards used to eulogize on 'Spanish' blades, setting them higher than those produced by clan armourers working under primitive conditions".
This statement suggests the term 'Spanish' as a type of sword rather than actual provenance, and further that these were German blades marked with 'ANDREA FERARA'. It has been suggested as well that this may not be a name at all, but a term suggesting 'good iron (Andrew= possibily 'trustworthy' and Ferara= ferrum, iron). Similarly on later German blades, Eisenhauer =iron cutting.

Looking at this book and the swords in it really makes me jealous of that beauty you got there Jeff!!!!!

GAC, the Custer topic has long been one of my favorites. Actually the Frost book was tucked in a corner of my library I havent visited for a long time...thanks for the wake up call!!

All the best,
Jim

[tom hyle]

Of course there's no such thing as incorrect spelling; I was trying to humour the normal-os and being lazy, I supose, as well. 5 Xs in a cross "ME FECIT" over "ME FECIT" 3 Xs overtop of each other (could be another cross of 5 with 2 obscured) followed by a symetric pattern of some crosses stars(?) and a marked-up circle then 5 Xs that make a big X SALINGEN over SALINGEN then another cross of 5 Xs(crosses). The other side seems the same, but is much less clear.
I recently saw a mark much like the running wolf referenced as a Caucasian(? I think; not German, anyway) mark; is the running wolf no longer thought to be the mark of the Ruhr valley smiths? Is this not an early mark? Mind you, I have close to zero idea of "Solingen" etc. as after-market fakery; it would be hotstruck with a counterfeit die at the time of manufacture, truly or fakely (although the precision , size, and locattion of the marks on mine make me think they may have been etched). Certainly many fake Solingen blades are now made for the antique market, especially WWII ones, and I've seen blades sold as new Solingen work that seemed like fakes to me, but also the fame of the Ruhr smiths is an old thing; why else were they brought from here to make that famous English steel-work? And to other places, as well; didn't a number emigrate into Slavic lands, carrying their particular methods with them? I'm given to understand that their fame was the basis of their welcome/invitation.
I remember seeing a machete recently marked "Sheffeeld" I don't think it was English.
The fame of Spainish swords in Great Brittain in general and Scottland in particular is still echoed among their descendants in N America; Spanish swords as the best and as the originator of both spring temper and of the rapier and (thus) of the modern European sword is a common and often adamant folk belief here.

[wolviex]

If we decide to talk not about spanish inscription but about "solingen" one, I would like to confirm Tom's words. There were "MEFECIT SALINGEN" inscriptions indeed:

take a look Claude Blair, European & American Arms, pl. 140 (or 141)

regards!

[George Armstrong Custer]

Hi Jeff,
I've emailed Jeff Broome - who posted about the sabre found on the plains of SD - asking him for the photos he offered to send. If these arrive I'll certainly put them up here. You're right - despite the clear nonsense of it being Custer's weapon, there remains an intriguing tale around this sabre and its discovery. If the pictures arrive and are clear enough they will hopefully clear up any doubt as to whether it is marked WK&C or W&C - didn't WK&C go on to manufacture dress swords and daggers for the Third Reich?

Jim, I take your points about the lack of incentive for non-German manufacturers to 'talk up' a blade by adding Solingen to it. As to the import of German M1840 and M1860 sabres, my researches into Christopher Roby & Co., turned up a gem of an article by John D. Hamilton in the January/February 1980 issue of Man At Arms magazine, 'Christopher Roby and the Chelmsford Sword.' Hamilton writes: 'However, as war approached it became evident that there was a dire shortage of edged weapons in the North as well as the South. even well established sword manufacturers such as Ames of Chicopee were unable to initially provide sufficient swords to meet government needs. So desperate was the Union for additional edged weapons that Ames, as well as Tiffany & Co of New York, resorted to importing German cavalry sabres at the outset of the war. For these swords, the government paid premium prices. In December 1861, Roby had little difficulty in disposing of 410 [imported] cavalry sabres that had been on hand.' Roby only geared production to the making of his own M1860 cavalry sabres from July 1863 - at a unit price of $5.75, with 1864's (the year Custer's was produced) production run going up to $6.50 per unit.

As you and Tom note, the Scots did indeed set great store in associations with renowned Continental blades. Wolviex rightly points out the spelling differences amongst faux German blades - and similar discrepancies are mirrored in those found on Scots blades. I've seen examples marked 'ANDREA FA RA RA' ; 'SS ANDRIA SS FARARA SS' ; 'ANDRIA X FARARA' ; 'FARARA SAHAGUN' ; 'FERARA ELVIEHO' ; 'ANDREIA FARARA' etc. etc. etc.

Yes - the Custer 'bug' is an addictive (though fascinating) one!

Regards,
George

[Jeff D]

Hi GAC,

Through a series of takeovers and purchases they became WKC Stahl & Eisenwaren Fabrik in 1930. They produced blades for many places on the globe including Germany. I look forward to seeing the photo's.

Jeff