Measuring 14 3/4 inches overall, with a 10 1/8 inch drop-point blade marked "RIO GRANDE CAMP KNIFE" and "Wm JACKSON Co/SHEAF ISLAND WORK/SHEFFIELD" ON THE LEFT SIDE. BY/W.F. MORAN/LIME KILN,/MD." on the left ricasso. The exact dates of operation for Jackson & Company are unknown, though they were present at exhibitions in New York and Paris in the 1850s and were advertising still as late as 1938. The Jackson Rio Grande knife holds an element of notoriety, as they are attributed among the armaments of the conspiracy that killed American President Abraham Lincoln; Booth is believed to have been armed with either a Manson or a Jackson bowie when he entered Ford's Theater, which he used to stab Major Rathbone during his escape, and another is believed to have been used by Lewis Powell during his attempted hit on Secretary of State William Seward; Seward, on bed rest following a carriage accident, narrowly escaped death as a jaw splint deflected at least one potentially fatal blow. The hilt features a full sized tang, with a German silver oval guard and a pair of stag horn grips.

Fair. The blade shows a mixed gray patina, with edge nicks/cracks, sharpening marks, and mild pitting. Usage marks are present overall.