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AMES US M1850 STAFF & FIELD OFFICER’S SWORD PRESENTED TO MAJ. JOSEPH COLBURN 59th MASSACHUSETTS, WIA 2nd BULL RUN AND PETERSBURG

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This regulation M1850 Staff and Field Officer’s Sword was carried by an officer with a good combat record, being twice wounded in action, once as a line officer and once while Major while owning this sword. The sword also bears an interesting presentation inscription: “Presented  by the / W.B.B.C. / to our Brother Member / Major Jos. Colburn / of the Mass 59^th Veterans.” The “veterans” likely refers to the professed composition of the regiment, which shows up in a newspaper notice as the “Fourth Veterans.” The “W.B.B.C.” is still something of a mystery: one guess is that the final two initials are “Baptist Church” and the sword is a gift from the congregation. The other guess is rather more secular- that the final three initials represent a “Base Ball Club,” which would be quite unusual, though we note that Colburn’s first regiment, the 13^th Mass, was quite taken with the new sport, recording several games in its regimental history.

The sword rates good for condition. The sharkskin grip wrap and wire were professionally replaced, are correct, and look good. The brass hilt has a medium patina and preserves a few traces of the original gilt finish in recesses. The well-defined, cast and chased decorative elements of the hilt, including the floating US in the openwork guard are all very good. The blade pad is in place on the underside of the guard. The blade has a good edge and point, but shows no etching, likely done away with in old cleaning, and the blade shows as a smooth, muted silver-gray with some darker gray spotting and wipes. The scabbard is very good, with full coverage of blue turning slightly plum to the metal body and no dents or dings, and with all mounts in place, matching the hilt in patina, showing minor age stains, with the upper mount marked on the reverse, “AMES MFG CO / CHICOPEE / MASS” and the drag showing just a couple of shallow dings. The inscription on the obverse of the upper mount is fully legible.

Born in 1831, Colburn was a merchant in Roxbury, Mass., and had been married in 1859. The couple had a son in June 1860, but his wife died in October. We presume he placed the child with friends or family when he went into the army. He was elected 2^nd Lieutenant of the Roxbury Rifles on or about April 25, 1861, a militia company who joined the 4^th Battalion of Rifles, Mass. Volunteer Militia, who in turn were the nucleus of the 13^th Massachusetts Volunteers, and was commissioned 1^st Lieutenant of Co. E when the regiment mustered into US service in July 1861. They were posted along the Potomac for the rest of the year, seeing some action in skirmishes, including an episode where Company E crossed the river at Blackford’s Ford to set fire to a mill sheltering Confederate sharpshooter in August, and a fight at John’s Run in November.

In January and February, and again from the beginning of May forward he was in command of the company. This covers the period when the regiment was in the Shenandoah Valley campaign and as part of Rickett’s 3^rd Corps division in the Pope’s Army of Virginia in August took part in the 2^nd Bull Run Campaign, seeing some action at Thoroughfare Gap and then suffering heavy casualties, including 35 killed or mortally wounded on the afternoon of August 30 when they were part of two brigades sent to reinforce the Union left and were faced Longstreet’s attack, with CWData listing 28 killed, 117 wounded, 35 taken prisoner, and 29 missing, Colburn was among the wounded, and is listed as “present, sick” on the August-September roll and as “present” also on the following rolls until January-February 1863 when he is absent sick (suffering from “nephritis”) with a promotion to Captain of the company on Feb. 24, and present again March through August though marked “present sick” on the July-August roll, and “absent sick” for September-October for “rheumatism.”

Colburn’s sick leave in September 1863 was extended so that he could help organize the 59^th Massachusetts, whose Colonel would be Jacob Gould, former Major of the 13^th Mass. and he was formally discharged as of October to accept promotion to Major of the new regiment. They mustered in from January through April and went to the front where they joined the 9^th Corps in time for the Overland Campaign. At Wilderness they lost 12 killed, 27 wounded, and 5 missing, followed by another 11 killed, 45 wounded and 3 missing at Spottsylvania, with further losses at the North Anna, Totopotomoy, Cold Harbor, and then the first assault at Petersburg on June 17, where Colburn suffered a gunshot wound to the left chest. He was given a thirty-day leave and is then listed absent, but is back in July-August roll as present. He received a commission as Lt. Colonel dated August 4 and mustered out as Major on Sept. 13 and back in the next day as Lt. Colonel, on a roll made out “near Weldon Railroad.” He then seems to have been present until Feb. 11, 1865, when he was given leave, with doctors diagnosing cardiac problems, and appears to have been absent sick thereafter- having received a commission as Colonel dated August 22, 1864, but not mustering in at that rank, and was honorably discharged for disability on April 28, 1865.

Colburn remarried in 1865, moved to Colorado, where he engaged in mining, and was postmaster of Valmont in 1869, fathered another son, and passed away there in 1900. The sword is accompanied by an original wartime carte-de-visite photograph showing him seated in his field-grade frock coat.   [sr][ph:L]

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