Ridgeway Civil War Research Center, A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War
	Civil War Weapons, all pre 1898
	by Harry Ridgeway

Foot officer sword, Model 1850, Curdts. . Manufactured by Otto H Curdts, Soligen, Prussia. Research Center: Weapon5220-Sword-Army-Officer-Foot-Model-1850-Curdts . Details click: http://relicman.com/weapons/Weapon5220-Sword-Army-Officer-Foot-Model-1850-Curdts.html

W1313 ### Foot officer sword, Model 1850, Curdts. . The model 1850 foot officer sword was intended for officers up to captain, these officers received a pay allowance but made their own purchase decision, hence there is a great deal of variation in officer swords. The model 1850 guard is adorned but does not bear US. Manufactured by Otto H Curdts, Soligen, Prussia. This is an obscure maker, who apparently manufactured in Solign for export to the US, but obtained very few contracts. Thillman documents this maker for cavalry sabers but does not list any officer swords Marks: ricasso right side, H. OTTO CURDTS with logo depicting two swords crossing a triangle,, ricasso left side, SOLIGEN. Standard features include: steel scabbard but most including this one are made of leather, with brass mountings, a throat, middle ring, and drag. Handle is sharkskin wrapped with wire. Blade is usually etched with US and various patriotic symbolism. Research Center: Weapon5221-Sword-Army-Officer-Foot-Model-1850-Curdts . Reference: Thillmann Army Swords, not listed, pg. 231, this maker not listed, see Thillman Cavalry Swords, page 172 for information about this maker. Blade length, 30in. Grip has sharkskin wrap and wire intact, leather washer missing, handle is tight and secure, etchings are clear, scabbard is partial, drag and middle hanger are intact, throat and upper section are missing, seam is split.

This is the "Ridgeway Civil War Research Center", a research tool for educational purposes only, and is provided at no cost to the reader. Some of the relics listed are retained in the author's collection, most reside in other collections and are not owned by the author. None of the items listed in this section are for sale, please refer to relicman.com sales listings for items offered for sale. This is a work in progress, I list items as I get to them, there are many patterns that are not listed yet, this list will be regularly updated as I get pictures and descriptions for more items. I will also correct mistakes, so if you see any please tell me. All items listed are believed to be authentic to the Civil War or as otherwise described. Any excavated relics have been recovered from private property with owners permission.This information is available for research purposes, pictures may be used by permission only.

All weapons listed on this webpage are strictly manufactured before 1898, and are considered unsafe for actual use. These are antique collectible weapons of the Civil War (most are pre 1865, unless I state otherwise) and actual firing of these weapons is not recommended for any purpose whatsoever! Because these are all "pre 1898" weapons, no licenses are required for ownership, but common sense and good judgment should be applied.

Most information on this page is from:
Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms......
John Thillman series, "Civil War Cavalry & Artillery Sabers...", or "Civil War Army Swords....".

Ridgeway Civil War Research Center, A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War Weapons Research center, weapons, click: http://relicman.com/weapons/Weapon0000-Index.html. Research center, weapons, click: http://relicman.com/weapons/Weapon0000-Index.html.

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