This Bowie has a “Selma-style” grip using overlapping fish scales attributed to Thomas Leech & Co. / Memphis Novelty Works during their time in Columbus, MS, after the fall of Nashville in February 1862, and through their subsequent sojourn in Selma, AL, from Fall 1862 to Spring 1863. See Melton, Phillips & Sexton, Confederate Bowie Knives, pages 124-125, for discussion of a Thomas Leech & Co./Memphis Novelty Works Confederate Naval Knife attributed to that company during the same period they made their S-guard naval cutlasses. Confederate knives using brass hilts patterned after short sword hilts are known and sometimes referred to as ranger’s knives. A better parallel for a naval knife might be the one pictured in Albaugh’s photo supplement, p.204, and again in Hadaway’s 2008 Confederate Bowie Knife Guide, p.114-115, once attributed to the Union Car Works and now to the Columbus Naval Iron Works. As for the need for such a Navy knife when cutlasses were around, a good parallel is provided by the Dahlgren Bowie, whose potential use as a bayonet was only a secondary consideration in its development.

This uses the same overlapping fishscale pattern grip as the Leech & Co./ Memphis Novelty Works  cutlass and knife, but with 15 rows rather than 12, (both significantly fewer than seen on those by other southern makers) and wins the prize for crudeness or poor definition, lapsing into more diamond shaped nodules near the pommel than fish scales and presenting an almost cross-hatched pattern. The grip preserves, however, the channeled ferrules at top and bottom of the grip and the globular, unadorned, pommel and the flat, oval brass guard, is also a match for that on the that company’s Naval Knife.

This measures just tad under that knife- roughly 18” overall versus 20-1/8” and with a 13” blade (the tip lacking just a fraction of an inch) versus 15-1/8.” The blade, however, differs considerably in form, being made with the tang off center presenting a wider bottom cutting edge, usually indicating a maker more familiar with chopping or agricultural tools, with a rounded choil at the guard, and slants upward slightly from the grip, though using a double-edge spearpoint tip. The blade is crudely secured with the tang mound removed and the blade tang peened but not flattened, retaining is rectangular shape and standing above flattened top of pommel.

The brass hilt was cast in two pieces, has just a hairline seam open on the pommel cap, and has an undisturbed, dark patina with stains on the top from rusting of the blade tang. The blade is brown, showing deep corrosion, but is solid and missing just the very tip.

When the Leech & Co. attributed example was published by Melton, Phillips and Sexton in 2012 it was the only known example. The slight differences in the hilt on this one likely indicates it was made by someone copying their pattern. We note in passing that in discussing the Leech S-guard cutlasses and scabbards MP&S indicate the scabbard fittings at least are “evidence that Leech purchased some products from subcontractors during the many locations of his own factory” (p.124.) This is a scarce piece and another part of the puzzle in studying Confederate arms and edge weapons.  [sr] [ph:L]

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