LOT 4311. FINE SLAVE MADE CONFEDERATE D-GUARD BOWIE, AMELIA COURT HOUSE VIRGINIA

LOT 4311. FINE SLAVE MADE CONFEDERATE D-GUARD BOWIE, AMELIA COURT HOUSE VIRGINIA

02-23244

18.5″ overall, 13.25″ heavy unique design blade with sharpened top edge at tip, well crafted stirrup shaped D-guard knucklebow, 2 well fit iron ferrules, slightly bulbous smooth wood grip. The only other stirrup guard of this quality on any Confederate edged weapon is on a sword hilt made by Fishback & Moyer, Gordonsville, VA. This bowie is shown on page 175 of my co-authored 2012 text “CONFEDERATE BOWIE KNIVES” and page 176 of Jim Johnston’s “Accoutrements IV”. A 1908 dated tag is attached: “Knife made in Knight’s black[smith] shop at Amelia C.H. Va at the beginning of the war by Joe Hill, a slave. Lee dined at Knight’s home in the retreat from Richmond in 1865”. John W. Knight is listed in census of 1850 & 1860 as carriage maker & blacksmith. His slave schedule for 1860 lists 24 slaves, one mulatto matches Joe Hill’s post war census records as born in 1824. Postwar Joe Hill is still a blacksmith and in 1880 is involved in same business of wheelwrighting with Knight’s son James A. Knight (1850-1932). Both Hill & Knight have equal investment in business. Joe Hill had real estate valued at $500 at Amelia C.H. in 1870 and 9 children. This is only the second slave made knife to surface with good provenance and history and this is very fine well crafted unique survivor. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: copy of pages from texts pictured, research on Joe Hill.

PROVENANCE: John Gibson collection, James R. Johnston collection.

NON-GUN