Measuring 39 inches overall, with a 33 inch slightly curved double fuller blade. A gold washed etched panel covers the lower half of the blade, with patriotic and martial themes overall, "IRON PROOF" on the spine, the Clauberg trademark and the Horstmann address on the left and right ricasso, respectively, and a 6 1/2 inch wide battle scene on the right side. The guard and pommel are both gold washed brass, with pierced-through scrollwork filling the guard branches, a well sculpted array of arms on the underside of the counter-guard, and a silver finished cast brass grip featuring deep and elaborate scrollwork on the left side and an image of Liberty on the right, standing atop the globe with a sword in her right hand, shield and laurel crown in her left, and a field of thirteen stars above. The scabbard is finished in nickel, with raised sculpted accents on the brass fittings bearing a series of engraved silver panels, with a eagle perched on an American flagpole on the upper suspension band, scroll-accented florian cross with "DEFENDAM/22/N.G" and "S N Y" markings, and a rendering of Lady Justice (sans blindfold) on the tip, as well as the inscription "Presented to Captain Morris Duckworth./by I.Co. 22nd Regt. N.G.S.N.Y./as a token of their esteem and regard./Jany 4th 1871" between the suspension bands. The 22nd Regiment of the National Guard of the State of New York holds a special place in the history of American marksmanship as being the home unit of George Wingate, one of the forefathers of the National Rifle Association. Serving with the 22nd in the Civil War and staying with the unit in the post-war years, Wingate noted the very poor status of marksmanship training among American units, whose drill effectively revolved around the volley fire techniques of the musket days and failed to exploit the advantages of the vastly more accurate modern rifle. Drawing heavily from European sources, particularly the British Musketry School at Wythe, Wingate assembled a manual of rifle training for the 22nd, which included very novel gallery techniques that could be performed with standard rifles as well as an early form of rotating target that could be rapidly scored and replaced by an evaluator positioned safely behind a berm. Requested to write a book on his new techniques, Wingate became the author of America's first proper rifle practice manual, and prompted the formation of the National Rifle Association to encourage their use and distribution, with Wingate becoming secretary and later president of the organization. Morris Duckworth, resident of New York City, was appointed Captain of I Company in 1869, having worked his way up through the enlisted ranks of the National Guard, and remained in that position until his demise in September of 1873. Commenting afterwards, the colonel of the regiment noted Duckwork as having turned I into the model company of the regiment, and considering that the 22nd was effectively the birthplace of modern American marksmanship, that is quite the compliment.

Exceptionally fine. The excellent blade shows some mild spotting and handling marks, along with a few light nicks in the edge. The gilt finish remains very strong, over 70% present, with some brown spotting near the ricasso. A similar level of finish is present on the guard and pommel, with the grip retaining about 30% of the original silver, with a well aged antique patina on the brass and fine detail in the decoration. The scabbard is in very good condition, with a small amount of play in the silver panels on the mid band and the tip, a few minor flakes of the nickel, and light handling marks overall.