NY -- West Point Military Academy -- Museum -- Exhibit: Presentation Swords:
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- Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
- WPMPS_160918_08.JPG: Sword of Major General John M. Schofield
Civil War Service
- WPMPS_160918_14.JPG: To Major Genl Schofield
From the citizens of St. Louis, Mo.
Jany 30, 1864
- WPMPS_160918_18.JPG: The American Presentation Sword
Probably based on English precedent, the practice of presenting swords to military officers to recognize important service or express sentimental attachment originated in this country during the American Revolution. Congress authorized swords for presentation to ten officers to recognize particularly important services, but these first presentation swords were made in France, and not until 1785. In 1810, the State of Virginia purchased a sword to present to Lt. Presly O'Bannon of the Marine Corps for his actions in North Africa in 1805. It was made by Johnson & Reat of Baltimore and Richmond. Several presentation swords commemorating actions in the War of 1812 were made in Philadelphia in the late 1820s by the firm of Fletcher and Gardner.
By the 1830s, American-made presentation swords began to appear on a larger scale, with most made by Nathan Ames of Springfield, Massachusetts. A few other silversmith, jewelry or military goods firms also made swords, but Ames had the design sense, talent and contacts to dominate the field. By the Civil War, about 25 firms, including Tiffany & Co., manufactured presentation swords, although imported foreign-made examples were also available. In many cases, local firms simply engraved named and presentation inscriptions on otherwise standard swords. The practice of sword presentation diminished after World War I, but it has continued to the present day in much simplified and more mass-produced form.
The swords in this exhibit are mostly custom pieces that date from the Mexican War through the end of the nineteenth century. Look closely at these swords; spend some time absorbing the decoration and workmanship; they are full of symbolism and visual references to a recipient's service and accomplishments, and the sentiments of those who presented them. They were generally expensive, in most cases gold or silver-plated and sometimes embellished with jewels. Although made as functional swords, none were intended for actual use.
- WPMPS_160918_23.JPG: Sword of Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1817-1833
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