This is an impressive sword made “in the French non-regulation Zouave style,” as noted by Thillmann, which is particularly appropriate since the officer to whom it was presented served in a New York zouave regiment, and was photographed in camp in his zouave officer’s uniform holding it. The presentation dates no later than November 19, 1862, in time for his 1863 service in southeast Virginia and his service in the 2^nd Corps in Grant’s 1864 Overland Campaign, where his letters home convey his shock at the carnage and where he was mortally wounded at Cold Harbor in a charge that carried the regiment right up to the Confederate entrenchments.

This is a high quality Klingenthal made sword (both blade and sword,) combining French naval and chasseur elements with an 1860 cavalry style backstrap embellished with cast and chased rococo elements- C-scrolls, and looped arches flowing forward from the knucklebow on the underside to support the counterguard- along with a cast and chased leaf and berry vine on the backstrap, deeply incised scrolling quillon finial, and using a white sharkskin wrapped grip. See CW Army Swords, p. 421-422 for photos and discussion of the pattern.

The guard is clearly aimed at the American market, superimposing upon a stand of eight draped flags an eagle standing on top of a Union shield under an arc of seven stars. The spine of the blade has the Klingenthal name in narrow dry needle script near the guard, with broad and narrow fullers on the flats. The obverse ricasso is etched with palmette, a stand of arms with tall lances with draped banners, floral scrolls, an eagle with outstretched wings perched on a long branch, with an E PLURIBUS UNUM scroll set farther along the blade, followed by more floral elements. The reverse uses similar motifs, but substitutes a simple, sans serif block “US” as the central element. The scabbard is black leather with brass mounts, following the guidelines for a US foot officer’s sword, with the upper/throat mount plain, the drag deeply incised on both sides with floral elements, and the middle mount with engraved border on both sides and the reverse professionally engraved: Lieut. Thos. Hickey/from/Co. C./155th N.Y.V.

The sword rates very good for condition overall with the brass hilt and scabbard mounts having a pleasing untouched, aged patina. The grip has some small losses of sharkskin nodes, but pleasing color, only a small wear spot on the upper right along the backstrap, a natural point of contact for the palm of the hand, and the triple brass wire binding is complete and tight. The blade has a few tiny edge nicks, but nothing obtrusive, and the etching is fully visible and legible with the frosting having shifted toward gray. The scabbard is solid, complete, with the leather having good color and surface and the patina of the mounts matching the hilt.

In the research material with the sword are some framed copy photos of Lt. Hickey, including one of him seated in his zouave uniform, holding this sword. Details are blurred by his white gloves, but this sword’s characteristic long, looping arches on the underside of guard are clearly visible. A variant pose is in the Library of Congress, as are many other images of the unit. Many of Hickey’s papers, with other images, and some letters are in the Potsdam (N.Y.) Public Museum.

The son of Irish immigrants, Thomas Hickey (1839-1864) was born in Canada and moved to Potsdam, NY, in the 1850s where he worked as a mechanic (a metal worker) and married in the late 1850s. Some of his letters and photos are in the Potsdam Public Museum. He enrolled 8/26/62 at age 23 in a regiment recruited for a brigade of Irish troops known as “Corcoran’s Irish Legion,” among other titles. Hickey’s regiment was initially designated as the 3^rd Regiment of the brigade and the “155^th New York Volunteers,” hence the inscription. During reorganization of the brigade on 11/19/62, however, the bulk of the regiment was transferred to the 7^th Regiment of the brigade, which was designated the 164^th New York and records were then corrected to a degree with his regimental association sometime changed retroactively. Hickey is listed as mustering in as a 2^nd Lieutenant 11/2/62, which would be while still in the 155^th and then as 1^st Lieutenant on 11/19/62, when the reorganization took place, and his company became Company A of the 164^th. To complicate the records still further, he was promoted and mustered in as captain to date 12/29/62, but this all nicely dates the inscription prior to 11/19/62.

Hickey’s regiment, thereafter the 164^th, was a Zouave unit and saw service in the 7^th and 22^nd Army Corps from late 1862 in the Department of Virginia until joining the 2^nd Corps for Grant’s 1864 campaign. The regiment had seen active service, campaigning, and some action, at the Battle of Deserted House and the Siege of Suffolk for instance, but nothing had prepared them for the scale and savagery of the combat they took part in after joining the 2^nd Army Corps in May 1864 and experiencing Spotsylvania as their first major battle. Some of his letters are transcribed online by the Potsdam Museum and reveal his shock at the carnage in the fighting there, along the North Anna, the Pamunkey, and Totopotomoy.

We cannot quote them here, but they make compelling and touching reading including, as they do, a farewell letter written to his wife just before the assault at Cold Harbor, which he left in the care of a drummer who would remain behind, in case he did not make it. Hickey was wounded five times in that attack, necessitating the amputation of his right arm. He managed to write to his wife again, who joined him at the hospital, both expecting his recovery, but he died after a second operation on July 7, 1864. Seven officers had been killed in that assault, which reached Confederate trenches. Alfred Waud sketched the fall of the Colonel, reportedly struck seven times while carrying forward the regimental colors.

This is an impressive sword carried by officer in a well-regarded, colorful zouave unit, with a substantial combat record, and supported by readily available period photographs of the unit and its officers, with a telling personal history supported by his personal letters and photographs in museum hands.    [sr][ph:L]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THIS ITEM, AS WITH ALL OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE,

MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR LAYAWAY PROGRAM.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR POLICIES AND TERMS.

THANK YOU!