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Historic Civil War Clauberg Officer’s Gilt Presentation Staff & Field Officer’s Sword and Scabbard Inscribed to a Captain Archibald Ellis of Company C
of the 5th Iowa Infantry with Additional Personal Artifacts and Extensive Research Documentation - This extremely high quality officer’s presentation sword was manufactured by Solingen cutler W. Clauberg. Many of their swords were sold through Schuyler, Hartley & Graham of New York City during the Civil War. The sword features a silver plated brass grip with a highly detailed image of Columbia (very similar in design to the Statue of Freedom) in raised relief on the obverse below thirteen stars and floral patterns on the reverse surrounding an escutcheon inscribed “AE.” The gilt hilt features a eagle head finial with red stone eyes, “US” flanking a detailed design of an eagle representing the Union killing a snake representing the Confederacy, and a spread wing eagle pommel cap. The lightly curved, 32 inch blade is acid etched and has dry needle engraving and gold wash. The obverse features classical martial trophies and “We never surrender.” The reverse of the blade is etched martial trophies, scrollwork, “US” over a spread wing eagle and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” banner, and “W. CLAUBERG/knight/SOLINGEN” on the ricasso. The scabbard has an browned body and gilt brass fittings with floral designs, an angel on the drag, a classical warrior bust on the middle band, and “AE” inscribed on the upper band. The reverse of the upper band has “Presented to Capt. A. Ellis,/by Co. C/5th Iowa Infty/Mar. 1st 1864,” and the lower has the battle honors “New Madrid./Iuka./Corinth 3rd & 4th Oct. 1862./Jackson./Champion Hill./Vicksburg./Mission Ridge.”
The sword is accompanied by a portrait identified as of Captain Albert G. Ellis and
his wife Alice E. Nichols in an agricultural themed case, a large framed print of the same portrait, a framed “Society of the Sons of the American Revolution” membership certificate for Albert Ellis, a Grand Army of the Republic “CO. G./5/IOWA/VOL. CAV.” “ladder pin” with small gilt sword knot and “A ELLIS” lightly hand marked on the back, a copy of “With Fire and Sword” by Major S.H.M. Byers, a copy of “Centennial History of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, 1889-1989,” 5th Iowa Infantry Regiment unit histories which provide details of the battles noted on the scabbard, and a full binder of information on Captain Albert Ellis of Company G of the 5th Iowa Volunteer Cavalry and Company C of the 5th Iowa Infantry. As detailed in the binder, the sword and other artifacts were kept by the Ellis family until being sold by descendant Michael S. Gray who had owned them for close to 75 years.
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