The 31 3/4 inch long lightly curved blade has patriotic partial etching featuring "U.S." on the left, "E PLURIBUS UNUM" on the right, martial trophies, and "W.H./Horstmann/& Sons/PHILADELPHIA" above the right ricasso. The gilt brass hilt has scroll and foliate patterns and a wire wrapped shagreen grip. The top of the guard is inscribed "Saratoga Ky. Oct 22, 1861, Fort Donelson Tenn. Feb 15 1862/New York Riot July 13, 1863, Whitehouse Landing Va June 20, 1864." The black leather scabbard has gilt brass fittings, and "Hamilton Lieber" is inscribed near the mouth. Alfred Hamilton Lieber (1835-1876), known by his middle name, was the second son of Dr. Franz Lieber (1798-1872), a professor at Columbia College who codified the laws of war for the Lincoln administration and later preserved the Confederacy's records after the fall of Richmond. His brother Oscar died while fighting for the Confederacy while his younger brother Guido Norman Lieber also fought for the Union and later became a brigadier general and remains the longest serving head of the U.S. Army's Judge Advocate General's Department, serving 1884 to 1901. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy but left after a year to become a farmer. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he joined the Illinois volunteers. His service is recorded succinctly in "Military Record of Civilian Appointments in the United States Army, Volume 1" by Guy V. Henry in 1969 on page 30 and matches the inscription details on the sword: "Second Lieutenant 9th Illinois Volunteers, April, 1861. First Lieutenant 9th Illinois Volunteers, July, 1861. Engaged at the action of Saratoga, Ky., and siege and capture of Fort Donelson, Tenn., wounded and lost his left arm. Captain Veteran Reserve Corps, June, 1863. Present during the riots in New-York City, July, 1863. At White-House Landing, June, 1864. Captain and Military Storekeeper, Quartermaster's Department U.S. Arm, July, 1866. At Fort Union, N. M., from August 1866, to -". The Illinois State Journal on March 15, 1862, also indicated "General Halleck has nominated for the appointment of aid de camp, with the rank of captain, First Lieut. Hamilton Lieber, Ninth Illinois Infantry, (son of Dr. Lieber of Columbia College,) for distinguished service in the capture of Fort Donelson, in which engagement he was twice wounded. In the mean time, Captain Lieber is gradually recovering from the amputation of his left arm." He retired from the U.S. Army on December 13, 1875, and went to Germany in an attempt to improve his health but died in Baden-Baden in 1876.

Fine overall. The blade is mostly bright and has patches of oxidation staining, distinct etching, and minor wear. The hilt and scabbard fittings have attractively aged patina. The grip has mild wear. The leather has some flexing and cracking and the leather half detached above the drag. The inscriptions on the hilt and scabbard are both distinct.