IMPORTANT CONFEDERATE PRESENTATION DUFILHO STAFF OFFICER SWORD

IMPORTANT CONFEDERATE PRESENTATION DUFILHO STAFF OFFICER SWORD

02-19445

Unique high grade Confederate staff officer sword with raised relief “CS” add Louisiana State seal on fine stippled background with etched blade presentation: “by Jefferson Fire Guard to Capt. G. GEYER of the CONFEDERATE STATES of AMERICA March 24, 1862”. The blade is signed by the etcher “ZIMMERMANN” and only known signed example. Sword retains its complete original Dufilho brass mounted leather scabbard, though the blade is broken and missing its last 8″ at tip, remaining blade measures 24″. There are several swords with this motif by the best New Orleans Confederate sword manufacturer. This is the more elaborate variant with slightly larger hilt, and most importantly more finely detailed Pelican and wreath and higher relief “CS”. This is a beautiful sword presented just weeks before the fall of New Orleans April 25th 1862 and one of very few with panel etched “CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA”.

George Geyer [Geier] was chief engineer in the Carrollton Volunteer Fire Company. He is found in numerous New Orleans newspaper accounts starting in mid-1850s with Fire Company. He is listed in Confederate service as captain of Co. C, Jefferson Fire Guards in 1861-1862 newspaper and archive records. The Jefferson Fire Guards were a Confederate home protection militia that disbanded after Union occupation in April 1862. Carrollton Louisiana was mostly German immigrant neighborhood of New Orleans that was annexed by New Orleans in 1874.

Maurice Zimmermann was jeweler & watchmaker in antebellum New Orleans. He is thought to be the Zimmerman who etched & signed blade. He died May 12, 1862, his son Charles carried on the business & was part of Hansa Militia listed as lieutenant.

UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: large file of provenance in binder with several original letters from the 1970s concerning history, including May 31, 1974 letter from pioneer Confederate collector Fred Slaton selling the sword to Dan Hartzler. The sword is featured in two books, and pages are copied in file. National Archive records of George Geyer [Geier] listing in Jefferson Fire Guards and Charles Zimmermann records in Hansa Louisiana Militia of European descent.