This sword pattern is pictured in the Tiffany catalogue. The sword features a 32 inch straight blade with gilt backed etching consisting of scrollwork, a halberdier on the right side, Union flag bearer on the left side, stands of arms and other patriotic/martial motifs, and "TIFFANY/& Co./NEW.YORK" on the right ricasso. The hilt is a mix of gilt brass and silver and features a silver languet with oak leaf and acorn border and "DEO. PATRIAE TIBI." (for God, your country, and yourself), ribbed silver grip, dual silver knuckle guard chains, and gilt eagle pommel. The gilt scabbard has brass hardware with mostly floral etching and "To Brig. Genl. R. Saxton/MILITARY GOVERNOR./as a testimonial of the gratitude of the Freedmen/of the Dept. of the South, for his sacrifices and/labors to secure their liberty, protection, and elevation/Beaufort. S.C. Jany 1st. 1864." The reverse side is also engraved and has the Tiffany & Co. banner and "NY" at the top. The sword was presented to General Rufus Saxton (1824-1908), then military governor of the Department of the South. He was the son of radical Unitarian and transcendentalist Jonathan Ashley Saxton, an outspoken abolitionist and feminist, and General Saxton clearly followed in his father's footsteps and pushed for fair treatment of former slaves, including the deeding of confiscated/abandoned land and fair pay. The date is significant as it is precisely one year after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation that officially freed the slaves within the Confederate States not yet under Union control and one of the most significant steps towards the abolition of slavery in the entirety of the United States. On New Year’s 1863, General Saxton had hosted a celebration and addressed a mixed audience of freedmen and whites. Together they celebrated both the New Year and the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. At that event, he danced with his future wife, fellow abolitionist Mathilda Thompson, "the belle of Port Royal." The next year, when this sword was presented, he again hosted a celebration and gave a speech at Camp Shaw, named after Colonel Robert Gould Shaw of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry who died in July 1863 at Charleston (well-known today from the film "Glory"). Per "The New South" on January 9, 1864, in the article "First of January Celebration": "According to previous announcements the new year has been ushered in here by a grand demonstration under the auspices of the freedmen, in honor of the president's memorable proclamation a year ago today. . . The Proclamation of Emancipation was read by Mr. G. Pillsbury; and a happily worded 'New Year's Greetings,' from Gen. Saxton to the freedmen by R. Tomlinson, chief superintendent of the Government plantations on St. Helena Island. Then came a sword presentation to General Saxton, made by the Rev. Mr. Lynch, an educated colored minister from Baltimore, and now a missionary to the freedmen in this Department. In the course of his truly eloquent presentation address, he said. 'Our race here have no pledge to make action; put the nation's uniform upon them--they will never disgrace it. They are ready to repeat Port Hudson, Milliken's Bend, and Wagner. Over seventy-five well attended schools flourish in this Department. The people are rapidly improving, and are self-sustaining.' General Saxton replied briefly, saying among other things, ‘I accept this beautiful sword with solemn determination to wear it in the cause of the freedom till every slave in this land is as free as you are to-day.' The General portrayed the blessings to follow in the train of liberty, and exhorted the colored soldiers to stand by the old flag whether they received $10 a month or nothing. [This references the fact that the soldiers were paid $10, the rate at which laborers were paid, instead of the $13 their white comrades in arms were paid despite Saxton’s efforts for their fair treatment.] The sword presented is a very fine one, with a richly wrought scabbard on which are engraved the words: 'To Brigadier-General Saxton, Military Governor, as a testimonial of the gratitude of the Freedmen of the Department of the South for his endeavors and labors to procure their liberty, protection and elevation. Beaufort, Jan, 1864' on the hilt are the Latin words: 'Deo Patriae Tibi. (To thee for God and our country.)'" At least one portrait of General Saxton holding this sword is known. Another sword was presented that day to Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Saxton’s friend and fellow abolitionist and the leader of the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, the first official black regiment in the Union Army. Just under two years later, on December 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment finally ended legal slavery in all of the United States. Saxton had entered the U.S. military through West Point. He was 20 when he was appointed and graduated 18th in the Class of 1849. Colonel Higginson wrote that Saxton "had been almost the only cadet in his time at West Point who was strong in anti-slavery feeling, and who thus began with antagonisms which lasted into actual service." He was an artillery officer and first actively served in the Seminole Wars in the 3rd Artillery in 1849-1850 and then served on General George B. McClellan’s staff in the Rocky Mountains during the Northern Pacific Railroad survey. In 1855-1859, he served at posts in the Coastal Survey in the East. He served for one year as an artillery tactics instructor at West Point starting in 1859. Among his positions early in the Civil War was quartermaster for Major General George B. McClellan in western Virginia. He also participated in the Port Royal Expedition in South Carolina. He was promoted to Brigadier General on April 15, 1862. His defense from May 26 to 30, 1862, of Harpers Ferry against Major General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's forces, including suffering a wound himself, earned him the Medal of Honor on April 25, 1893. Starting in July 1862, he was assigned to the Department of the South. The most important role within that department, and the most relevant to this sword, was as independent military governor of the coastal islands off South Carolina and Georgia. In this position, he advocated that land abandoned by Southern whites in this region should be given to freed slaves to ensure their independence. This "experiment" is clearly discussed by Reverend Lynch in the article about the presentation and was known as the Port Royal Experiment. His efforts followed naturally from transcendentalist ideals of self-sufficiency and independence. Though it proved former slaves could thrive given initial access to land and resources, President Andrew Johnson returned the land to former slave owners after the war. This assignment also coincided with the historic first orders for the War Department authorizing the recruitment and organization of up to 5,000 African-American soldiers to fight for the Union which was particularly fitting for the anti-slavery general. These men became the 1st South Carolina Volunteers previously discussed and were later reorganized as the 33rd United States Colored Infantry Regiment. Saxton’s dedication to uplifting former bondsmen was no doubt scorned by many of his white counterparts, but it also clearly earned him the mutual respect of the freedmen. He sent a company of 1st to raid along the coast of Georgia and Florida which helped prove the ability of African American soldiers on the battlefield and allowed the 1st South Carolina Colored Volunteers to become the very first full-strength official African American regiment in the Union Army. In 1865, Saxton was transferred to the Freedmen's Bureau as assistant commissioner in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida and continued to lobby on behalf of former slaves. He was removed from office by President Andrew Johnson in January 1866. When he mustered out on January 15, 1866, he was Brigadier General, and he remained with the Army in the Quartermaster Department. Saxton received the rank of Major on July 29, 1866, Lieutenant Colonel and Deputy Quartermaster General on June 6, 1872, and Colonel on March 10, 1882. He served as Assistant Quartermaster General starting in 1882 and finally retired on October 10, 1888. He died in Washington, D.C., and rests in Arlington National Cemetery. Provenance: The descendants of Gen. Rufus Saxton and the Hoffman Collection.

Very fine. The blade appears to have been scarcely even handled and retains the gilded background, distinct etching, and bright surfaces. There is some light isolated spotting. The silver on the hilt has taken on an attractive well-aged patina, and the brass portions of the hilt and scabbard have traces of original gold and otherwise deep aged patina. The body of the scabbard has strong gilded finish above the drag and in the protected areas. There is some mild wear throughout consist with over a century and a half of careful storage. This sword is truly exceptional and is an enduring symbol of General Saxton's commitment to the Union and equality.