This is a good, untouched, attic condition example of the very scarce Confederate imported British 1859 Pattern Type-II Cutlass Bayonet used on the Pattern 1858 “Enfield” Naval Rifle. This bears a characteristic Confederate control (and mating) number (in this case, “160”) engraved on the left pommel just forward of the spring-catch release button. This is full length, measuring 32.5 inches overall, with a 27-inch blade, and is one of just thirty to forty known cutlass bayonets from the 1,000 supplied along with the same number of rifles by a British arms merchant under contract with CS Navy Commander James D. Bulloch, chief of overseas navy procurement, on or about Aug. 6, 1861. Bulloch later confirmed that these weapons, along with 1,000 rounds of ammunition each, reached Confederate Savannah aboard the blockade runner “Fingal” on Nov. 14, 1861. The English Connection notes that observed numbers range from 103 to 999, confirming the documented limited delivery. Seven hundred British naval rifles had previously been acquired by CS Ordnance from Sinclair, Hamilton & Co., but those guns had been fitted with conventional sword bayonets.

This rates near very good for condition, with the blade mostly smooth, showing mix of light and dark gray with some scattered thin crustiness, a couple of dusty thin brown spots midway back near the back edge on the right, and some shallow pitting toward the tip on the left. The edge is good, showing just a couple tiny edge nicks and one small one on the lower edge of the spearpoint tip. The leather blade pad and grip panels are in place, with the spring locking latch and button present and functional, and much of the original black paint present on the iron cup hilt, with just the latch spring and pommel showing some thin crustiness. The blades on this pattern were supplied to the British by various Solingen firms and this one bears the knight’s head mark associated with Kirschbaum (wrongly attributed, we think, to Weyersburg by The English Connection.) Some of these bear small proofmarks on the hilt. One may yet show up on this with a strong light and good magnifier. The hilt shows rubbing to the paint and some shallow corrosion to the iron where it was exposed, but black, brown and dark gray blend together, with only a couple of scuffs showing lighter. The leather grips preserve their impressed, cross-hatched, checkered pattern, showing a dark brown with lighter brown and gray in the recessed lines. They fit well at top and bottom. The upper edges along the blade tang show some losses and shrinkage gaps, more noticeable on the right, forward edge.

This is a very scarce Confederate edged weapon, all the rarer for being connected with the Confederate navy, and likely to fill a gap in even the most advanced Confederate arms collection.  [SR] [PH:L]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THIS ITEM, AS WITH ALL OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE,

MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR LAYAWAY PROGRAM.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR POLICIES AND TERMS.

THANK YOU!