Dscn7813

Identified, CS, Etched Blade, Boyle & Gamble Richmond Foot Officers Sword, Name etched in flag, Louisiana

Original, Civil War Confederate Etched Blade, Boyle & Gamble Co. Richmond, Va. Foot Officers Sword & metal Scabbard. These swords were made during the Civil War for Confederate Officers & were sold a lot by Mitchell & Tyler retailers in Richmond this swords blade looks to have been etched by William T. Ege who worked for both B&G & M&T. This swords hammered blade is 29 3/4" long with a distinct slight swell towards the tip. The ricasso is marked with what is left of the Boyle & Gamble & Co. & Richmond & Va. below. Above that is swirly lines & then etched a wall with cannon & above that is snakes entwined upward with flag, above is floral & ribbon with victory/Death etching, above more floral & then military modifs with a shield & Hope etching. Above the shield is a flag with EBertel which is the CS Officers name from Louisiana. On the other side of the blade at the ricasso is etched with sunburst & above is cross cannons with sword, bugle & other military modifs. Going up the blade is floral & then a large CS, then more floral & burst towards the tip. The etchings can be seen very well but there are areas where it has what some call blood pitting but the etchings can all be seen. Really nice B&G Brass guard, Pommel with the leaves, Top of knucklebow has the boyle & gamble notch. The guard has a mellow patina with nice cutouts intact. Brass quillon also has Floral design. leather grip is all intact but only three runs of the original twisted wire is intact. The scabbard that came with the sword when I got is a British made of metal & fits the sword very well but I don't think it was with the sword for a long time. Now to the name on the sword E Bertel. the blade where the name is has some pitting where the H would have been. Did the research & the only Bertel that I could find at all was  2nd Lt Henry E. Bertel which is shown on Confederate records as being in Co. F, Confederate Guards Regiment Louisiana militia who was in charge of guarding New Orleans. Bertel's day by day report shows he enlisted in March of 1862 in New Orleans. At the bottom of report has that this unit was transferred  to command of Maj Gen. Mansfield Lovell for the defense of New Orleans. On the Statement of Confederate Service shows Henry E. Bertel, Miss. on Louisiana Comds. Fold3 has a paper which shows Bertel in Claiborne Regiment, Militia & Confederate Guards Regiment. He may have also been in the Watson Battery Louisiana Artillery. A lot more research is needed on this Piece. A Really historic Boyle & Gamble Etched blade Foot Officer's sword with 2nd Lt. E. Bertel name etched on blade.Â