U.S. 1850 Style Foot Officer’s Sword with Movie Connection

As with most Civil War regulation swords, the 1850 Foot Officer’s sword was a copy of the existing French pattern. This was the first time a standard sword was adopted for all company grade officers regardless of arm of service aside from cavalry and a few other exceptions. In the Civil War, this sword was more likely to be used by officers in pointing the way or rallying troops than as a combat weapon. Capt. Gould of the 5th Vermont Volunteer Infantry has the only known record of an officer on foot actually killing an enemy with his sword (Petersburg, 1865). Regardless, the 1850 Foot officer’s sword would remain in service until 1872, when the model 1860 Staff and Field Sword became the standard sword for officers, regardless of rank.

As mentioned in my previous posts, I use the word “Style” to indicate that this was the right pattern, but not provably used by either side during the American Civil War, as it does not bear any markings that could help me verify American production, importation or use. It does however have markings that link it with Hollywood. “WCC” has been stamped at the base of the blade, for Western Costume Company. WCC was started in the silent movie era to supply costumes and movie props to the movie studios, and became the major supplier of costumes to the big name studios during Hollywood’s golden era. Back then, it was more cost-efficient to buy surplus swords from places like Bannerman’s than to manufacture real looking fakes, so WCC accumulated a huge stock of real swords, many dating to the Civil War (Which was then only 60-80 years earlier). Unfortunately, WCC had no problem altering swords or swapping out parts to fit whatever place or era the film was set in. In the 1990s, WCC auctioned off a large quantity of these swords (many of them completely trashed), and I think this was one of the better ones.

The 30 ½ inch blade has one broad fuller running most of the length, plus a thin fuller at the top. Unfortunately it’s not etched, which would have helped in verifying Civil War, or at least U.S. use. Besides the WCC mark, there is an additional stamped “O” and “W-8” near the base of the blade, etched in with an electric pencil (ugh). The guard and pommel are gilded, and the grip is a dark finished hardwood. I don’t see any evidence it was ever leather covered. You can look at this sword two ways – either it’s a modestly priced place-filler until something better comes along, or it’s a piece of Hollywood history that fits nicely in my military collection. Maybe it was used by Randolph Scott or Errol Flynn in some epic Western or Civil War film, but more likely used by a succession of extras in a series of B-grade matinee movies.