Measuring 39 1/2 inches in overall length, the sword is outfitted with a 33 1/2 inch curved double fuller blade, stamped "P.D.L." on the left ricasso, with an American eagle and "TIFFANY & Co/NEW YORK" etched on the right side, and "US" and "WARRANTED TO CUT/WROUGHT IRON" on the left. The brass hilt is decorated with fine laurel wreath patterns, with silver and copper wire wrap around the sharkskin grip, and the left side of the guard inscribed "Capt. W.L. Heermance from J.B.L. June 1863." Heermance's wife's maiden name was Leeds, and the presentation was most likely from a member of her family. The scabbard is nickel finished iron construction, with a pair of silver finished suspension bands with repoussed laurel wreath designs. Born in New York in 1837, William Laing Heermance is a classic example of an unsung hero of the Civil War, but during his lifetime he enjoyed a notoriety among both Union and Confederate officers for his bravery, daring, and willingness to "take it to the enemy." He started his military career with the 9th New York Infantry, aka "Hawkins Zouaves", later moving to the 6th Cavalry. With the 6th during the Chancellorsville campaign on the 30th of April, 1863, his detachment of just over 200 men was sent out to perform reconnaissance of the area around Spottslyvania Court House. At dusk, the detachment found itself surrounded by Confederates; a major portion of the Confederate Army to the south and a cavalry brigade led by famed Confederate General Jeb Stuart to the north headed directly towards them. Outnumbered, surrounded, and asked to surrender, the commander of the detachment, Lieutenant Colonel Duncan McVicar retired to a nearby field and parlayed with his officers to make a fateful decision. He had three choices: scatter his command into the woods with each soldier finding his way back to Chancellorsville, surrender without a fight to suffer imprisonment, or cut their way through the Confederates block the road to the north and suffer potentially devastating casualties. After skirmishing with the Confederates to the northern road with McVicar being killed, Heermance had his own choice to make. Now being dark and knowing the lack of light would compliment a bold and unexpected strategy, he gave the order to attempt a breakthrough. Heermance would lead this charge personally. Riding at the front of his command, he drove his small band at full gallop in columns of fours up the northern road and into the heart of the Confederate cavalry, initially firing their carbines and then slamming their horses straight into the shocked Confederate line commanded by Jeb Stuart and Heros Von Borke, both of whom were present near the front. Heermance immediately saber-slashed the nose of a Confederate Officer almost completely off his face and was answered with a saber gash to his head and a revolver shot through his arm and chest at close quarters. Unhorsed and badly injured, he ordered his unit to carry on without him; he was captured by the Confederates, but the breakout succeeded, allowing the men of the 6th to make important contributions to the later stages of the battle. Exchanged weeks later, he recovered from his injuries and continued his duties in time to take up his new sword for the greatest battle of them all: Gettysburg. Immediately following his brilliant charge at Chancellorsville, Heermance and the 6th New York enjoyed some level of notoriety in both Union and Confederate cavalry circles. But this work was short liver and mostly forgotten due to the strenuous and deadly work done by both armies at Gettysburg. There is one key question about Gettysburg that has baffled writers and long been written about by historians for 150s and continues today among artifact collectors at Civil War shows, Civil War round-tables, and by historians and authors: Who fired the first shot at Gettysburg? As the days, weeks, and years passed, more and more soldiers stepped forward to make the unproven claim with one soldier, Marcellus Jones of the 8th Illinois Cavalry actually placing a self-purchased granite monument to memorialize the event west of town in 1886. With mounting claims and counter claims, someone needed to step up and set the record straight. Who better to do that than the only officer that was privy to all battle actions and reports leading up to, during, and after the battle? That was handled by Major General Daniel Butterfield, Chief-of-Staff to General George G. Meade, Union commander at Gettysburg. In an article he wrote for the March 1891 edition for the Northern Review titled "Further Recollections of Gettysburg," Butterfield stated on page 285, " It is not to be wondered at that there are many honestly mistaken as to the real effect and results of their own work in this battle, tactically of accident, strategically of purpose. Many subordinate commanders to this day think their action won the battle, which would have been lost but for the combined work of all. It will never cease to be a regret to every true soldier that the full and just need of recognition has not been given to all who deserved so much on that field. There is no reason why the Illinois cavalryman should not have honestly supposed he was right when he marked the spot where he believed he fired the first shot of the battle about 7 a.m. July 1. He was ignorant of the fact that one of the 6th New York Cavalry had opened fire some hours before daylight. Although ordered not to fire at night, he reasoned that his orders not to fire during the night ended with daybreak, and he fired into the fog at the sound of the enemy's cavalry close to his picket post, though he could not see them - a lucky shot, in that it halted the advance of the enemy for a time." Although historians will likely never know the name of the individual who fired that first shot, we do know that they were commanded by none other than Captain William L. Heermance. This, the sword he undoubtedly wielded on that day, is truly one of the most historic ever offered at auction. Ending his service with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Heermance would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his charge at Chancellorsville and delivered the oration to commemorate the 6th's memorial at Gettysburg. In addition, several years after the war, he met the Confederate officer whose nose he almost severed off at Chancellorsville while at a dinner party in New York City, remaining friends until his death in 1903.