Manufactured c. 1850s to early 1860s by the George Wostenholm firm of Sheffield, England, one of the largest Sheffield manufacturers and importers to the United States during the gold rush era and particularly into the Civil War era. This particular knife includes various documentation attributing it to Civil War soldier John M. Heath, who served in the 149th New York Volunteer Infantry. A signed affidavit from Howard A. Heath (grandson of John) states that the knife belonged to his grandfather John and mentions his military service. The 149th took part in many major battles of the war, including Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, and by the end of the war had four officers and 129 enlisted men killed in action and another 78 who had died of disease. John Heath is noted as having been wounded at Chancellorsville in 1863 and again at New Hope Church in 1864. He was promoted to corporal in April of 1863 and to sergeant sometime in 1864. An included photograph, who is presumably John Heath, shows a young Union soldier in uniform with a Smith & Wesson revolver tucked in his belt along with a Bowie knife that looks remarkably like this one. In the photograph, one can even faintly see the lighter color stitching down the blade-side seam. The back of the photograph is marked for the studio of E.B. Hodge in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Also included is various documents tracing the provenance of the knife through various notable collections as well as copies of documents pertaining to Heath's military service and the 149th New York. The knife itself measures 14 1/2 inches overall. The clipped point blade measures 9 1/2 inches with the Wostenholm address, eagle, Hunters Companion, and I*XL markings all on the left side. It has an elliptical shaped German silver guard and is fitted with smooth antique ivory grip scales, with a blank German silver nameplate set into the left grip. Includes a sheath which appears to be the original Wostenholm provided sheath within a period-made leather sheath that has the top near the throat absent. Provenance: John M. Heath; Howard A. Heath; The William R. Williamson Collection; The Ernie Modlin Collection; The Tommy Knox Collection

Fine, the blade mostly bright polished with a few scattered patches of light pitting, some evidence of light sharpening, and mostly clear markings. The German silver shows an attractively aged patina. There are a few hairline cracks near the pins in the grip scales and a chip absent near the butt of the right panel. An attractive and desirable Bowie knife documented to a Civil War soldier!