Swords of the American Civil War

By Richard H. Bezdek
Illustrated, appendix, softcover, 316 pp. 2007. Paladin Press, Paladin Enterprises Inc., Gunbarrel Tech Center, 7077 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301, $50 plus shipping.

Reviewer: Dale E. Biever
Dale E. Biever received his M.Ed. in American history from Kutztown University. He is past vice president for administration and former member of the Board of Governors of the Company of Military Historians. A retired educator, he was registrar at the Civil War Library and Museum in Philadelphia.

Review:
Richard H. Bezdek has taken on the ambitious task of assembling a unique collection of edged weapons that he presents through three parts, 15 chapters and an appendix.

Part I covers 181 pages and is broken down into five chapters of Union swords. These chapters deal with presentation grade swords, identified presentation swords, identified presentation swords with short bios and photographs of the owners, swords engraved with the owner's names and a variety of regulation swords used by various service branches.

Most of the presentation swords are spectacular and true works of art. There are a large number of close-ups which only increase the reader's appreciation. Makers are duly noted. Bios contain a brief service record and any other related information.

Among the more prominent names associated with their weapons are generals Meade, Sickles, Schofield, Grant, Hancock, Halleck, Sherman, Thomas and Fremont. Other generals and lesser officers round out their respective chapters.

A presentation sword of Adm. David G. Farragut provides Navy representation. A featured Model 1850 foot officer's sword was given to surgeon Paul J. Revere. Revere, reputedly killed at Gettysburg was not related to the Revolutionary War figure.

Part II contains four chapters on Confederate swords. These chapters cover identified presentation swords, identified presentation swords with bios and owner's pictures, engraved swords with owner's names and related information and a chapter on Confederate regulation edged weapons as related to their service branch. Well-known Confederate sword owners with identified pieces in the book include generals Bragg, Cleburne, Price and Lee. Again there are numerous photos with close-ups.

Part III contains "The War Activities and Swords of Select Civil War Heroes." Service records and personal swords of Custer, Merrill, Ellsworth, Hampton, Lt. Col. James W. Redfield and Capt. Thomas H. Elliott are in this section. Of major interest are the Custer personal effects that were captured at the battle of Trevilian Station.

A following Appendix contains such information as Custer's farewell order, recovery of the Custer love letters and material from Capt. Wilmon W. Blackmar's Civil War diary relating to Custer's command at Appomattox.

There are too many errors in the book's text: Black powder, not dynamite, was used to blow the mine at Petersburg; it was not the 58th Negro Division, it was the 58th USCT; Charleston is Charlestown, a fluted cylinder Model 1860 Colt Army, shoulder straps become epaulettes, an ironside wheel steamer, Lee surrendering on 14 April, identifications on two Custer pictures reversed, Crampton's Gap is Compton's Gap, an officer wearing a Medal of Honor that isn't, Lee offering his sword to Grant at the surrender, etc. In addition there are no notes, bibliography or index contained in the volume.

All photography, with the exception of the covers, was done in black and white and these pictures run from fair to good in quality. The book would have benefited with a number of color shots of the most attractive pieces and obviously better fact-checking.

This publication is for you if you want to see some truly beautiful and highly unusual presentation edged weapons and can work around the criticisms.