Mike, The sword sounds more and more like it is probably a "enlisted mans" Cavalry sword, but during the Civil War brass guards were beginning to replace steel to make them lighter. Steel guards were still used though. Tiffany Co. made some with Steel guards for the Union. I have also seen that some swords with steel guards were imported from Germany... I believe they were for the confederacy, but not positive on that. Of course, many were made in the States. My best guess is that it possibly could be from the Louisiana Armory. I have seen some buttons off Louisiana uniforms that had a goose/swan with arched stars, but the swan was usually depicted over a nest of young. You may be able to compare the two marks if you can find a picture of Louisiana buttons. It is my feeling that Frank DeCaro probably was not issued this sword. He could have obtained it during the civil war in several ways. Being that his unit served at the end of the war, a Cavalry unit could have surrendered there arms to his unit under Gen. order #9 and he could have been allowed to keep one as a souvenir of the occasion. Another possibility is that he obtained it off the battlefield. It was a common thing for soldiers to bring home souvenirs. I can't find enough information on his unit to tell where his unit traveled to or if he was involved in any of the surrenders. Too bad the History Detectives aren't here, Keith Bailey ----- Original Message ----- From: <NPeters102@aol.com> > In a message dated 8/27/03 4:09:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > kbailey@frontiernet.net writes: > Was the wrist Guard made of Brass, Steel, or Silver? > > The wrist guard looks to be steel. > What about the Wire on the handle? What color was the leather on the Handle. > > Believe the leather would have been, when new, dark brown or black. > > Was the Stars and Bird possibly the makers mark? If so, what was its > configuration? Straight line, arch, circle, ect? > > Looking down from the top of the sword is when you see the stars & bird. The > stars are configured in an upside arch, with the bird (could be a turkey or an > eagle-- not sure) between the openings of the arch. Does that make sense? > > > Below is the title of a book that may help. It is kind of expensive new, but > you may find it used on the net or at the library. > " American Swords and Maker's Marks, A Photographic Guide for Collectors" > by Clegg Donald Furr > > Thank you for the reference & for your time in this manner. I look forward to > hearing from you. > > > > Sincerely, > > Mike Peters > npeters102@aol.com