Civil War officers by regulation wore a sword knot on the hilts of their swords. Originally intended to prevent the sword’s loss in action by acting as a wrist strap, the leather versions issued to enlisted cavalrymen perhaps still had some utility, but for officers they were mainly decorative. The 1851 and 1861 US regulations make a distinction between those for general officers and those for all other ranks. The general officer’s knot was to be a, “gold cord with acorn end,” and that for other officers a, “gold lace strap with gold bullion tassel.” This sword knot seems to combine the two, using a gold lace strap with what is clearly an acorn end. So, whether to classify it as a non-regulation general’s sword knot or something else is a bit up in the air at the moment- votes are still being tallied here at the office. A quick look at plates 44 and 45 of the 1864 Schuyler, Hartley and Graham catalog will give some idea of the differences. In any case, the condition is very good, with some muting to the gold color but with full length strap and no tears or damage. We note the strap was made with the edges reinforced by two rows of green thread. This may be a shift of dye color from an original gold color, or could be a choice for an officer in a rifle unit, but the green blends in well with the gold and we hesitate to give it any special significance at the moment.  [sr] [ph:L]

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