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"Oh I am a good ole Rebel. Now that's just what I am. For this 'fair land of freedom' I do not care a damn..." -from a poem by General William H. Payne
LOT 1204
Historic Civil War W.H. Horstmann & Sons Presentation Model 1850 Staff & Field Officer’s Sword and Scabbard Inscribed to Confederate Brigadier General William H. F. Payne by Major General Thomas L. Rosser for “Distinguished Gallantry on the Field” during the Famous Raid on New Creek, West Virginia - This is one of three swords inscribed for Confederate generals from Virginia in this sale from the same collection. Each of these swords includes a copy of the research paper “The Payne/ Hunton Family Swords of Gen. William Henry Fitzhugh Payne, CSA & Gen. Eppa Hunton, CSA” by Nancy Dearing Rossbacher, the managing editor of “North South Trader’s Civil War Magazine” and “The Civil War Collector’s Price Guide.”The paper covers all three swords and details how they are related. William Fitzhugh Payne (1830-1904) and Eppa Hunton (1822-1908)
were related through the marriage of General Hunton’s son Eppa Hunton Jr. (1855-1932) to first Minerva “Erva” Winston Payne (1861- 1897) and later Virginia Semmes Payne (1867-1941), both daughters of General Payne. Rossbacher notes that the swords were passed down through the family. Both men were prominent Confederate generals
Major General Thomas L. Rosser
from Virginia and saw action during the war, with Payne in particular being wounded and captured multiple times and then returning to the fight, never relenting in his dedication to the Confederate cause and his hatred of Yankees. The three would make an excellent display in a private or public Civil War collection, and this sword in particular would be a fine centerpiece both in terms of its presentation quality and fascinating history. At first glance, this is a classic and particularly attractive Union Model 1850 Staff & Field Officer’s Sword. However, its Confederate history is what makes it so fascinating and valuable. It is documented as captured by the Confederate cavalry during the raid on Fort Kelley at New Creek, West Virginia, and then presented to Brigadier General William Henry Fitzhugh Payne (1830-1904), who led the raid, by Major General Thomas Lafayette “Tex” Rosser Sr. (1836-1910), his commander. Swords connected to colorful cavalry officers during the Civil War are always desirable, and Confederate presentation swords are significantly rarer than Union presentations swords making them especially highly sought after by Civil War collectors. With this sword having the distinction of being a Union officer’s sword that was captured during a daring Confederate cavalry raid and then presented to a Confederate officer, it is sure to be a treasured addition to any Civil War collection. The sword itself is a presentation grade variation on the Model 1850 Staff & Field Officer’s Sword. The main differences are the eagle head quillion, silvered brass grip, and more ornate embellishment. The lightly curved blade is 32 1/2 inches long and has beautiful floral, martial, and patriotic engraving that includes “E. PLURIBUS UNUM” and the Great Seal of the United States on the right, “W.H. HORSTMANN/& SONS/PHILADELPHIA” above the ricasso on the right, “IRON PROOF” on the spine, and “U.S.” on the left. The hilt has the noted eagle head quillion with red stone eyes, “US” and floral designs on the guard and a brass grip with alternating patterns. The nickel-silver scabbard has gilt brass fittings with floral and shell designs. The inscription is located on the body of the scabbard between the suspension bands.The inscription reads “PRESENTED TO/Brg. Gen. Wm. H. Payne./BY/MAJ. GEN. T.L. ROSSER,/FOR/DISTINGUISHED GALLANTRY ON THE FIELD./NOV. 28TH 1864.” The date commemorates Rosser’s West Virginia Raid on New Creek on November 28, 1864, and the presentation of the sword is documented in “Payne’s Letter of December 13, 1903 to the Alumni Association of Virginia Military Institute” reprinted in “I Am a Good Ol’ Rebel: A Biography and Civil War Account of Confederate Brigadier General William H. F. Payne” by Robert Houghtalen and in the included documentation. Payne wrote, “In the winter of 1864 I, with my brigade reduced to about five hundred, attacked the Yankee post at New Creek in Hampshire County, near Cumberland, who had superior numbers, and captured eight hundred and twenty-nine prisoners, many horses, and valuable supplies and equipments; we took the Commandant, and I now have his sword presented to me by Gen. Thomas L. Rosser, with the inscription engraved upon it, by his order, ‘For distinguished gallantry and skill at New Creek.’ I
have another sword of another Yankee officer captured by me at the First Battle of Manassas and shall place both as relics in the Battle Abbey to be established at Richmond.” Payne slightly misremembered the details of the
inscription, but the first sword he mentions is clearly this sword, and the second sword has been attributed as lot 217. The sword is also discussed in “A Biographical Register of Members of Fauquier County, Virginia’s ‘Black Horse Cavalry’ 1859-1865” by Lynn Hopefull who wrote concerning the New Creek raid, “For this daring feat, General Thomas L. Rosser presented him with a very handsome sword, for distinguished gallantry in the field 28 Nov 1864.” There is also a photograph of Payne c. 1865 at the Virginia Military Institute holding what certainly appears to be this very sword. The eagle head quillion is identifiable, and the overall pattern matches. “The American Civil War: Raids and Skirmishes in 1864” describes the Confederate rate on New Creek, West Virginia, in detail. “On November 28, Brigadier General Thomas L. Rosser and his Confederate raiders headed to New Creek. New Creek was located about 22 miles southwest of Cumberland, Maryland. It was a key railroad station on the Baltimore & Orange Railroad and also an important supply depot for the Union Army. The area was guarded by two blockhouses and a 800-man garrison of Union soldiers. Rosser knew that a surprise attack was critical for a successful raid. The Confederates met a Union patrol and captured most of the Union soldiers but a few escaped. Rosser pressed his force forward before word got back to New Creek about the Confederate presence. Rosser split his force in two. Maj. E.H. McDonald and the 11th Virginia Cavalry was to approach New Creek from the east and cut the railroad and telegraph about 1/2 mile from the station. This would keep word from getting out about an attack. Rosser would take the rest of the force and make the main attack. Using captured Union uniforms, an advanced party of Confederates entered town in front of the rest of the Confederates. They got to within 1/2 mile of the forts before making a full charge. The fort’s garrison was surprised and captured while another detachment of Confederates surprised the Union artillery battery and captured the garrison. Along with the Union prisoners, Rosser managed to capture 400 horses and 4 pieces of artillery.” Payne and his brigade are noted as driving away the Union pickets “near Cumberland, Virginia” on November 28. Other sources explain how that in addition to the daring and deciept of the Confederates, the Union commander who owned this sword first failed to properly defend his post from possible attack and thus lost his post, his men, and his sword. Colonel George R. Latham was in charge of the Union garrison. His men had largely left the fort unguarded as they ate their lunch. Latham was later dishonorably discharged for neglect of duty for the affair. Through his political connections as a Republican congressman, he was able to get the dismissal revoked, so that he could be honorably mustered out of service. Both Payne and Rosser were Virginians. Before the war, Payne had studied at the University of Missouri, briefly attended the Virginia Military Institute, studied law at the University of Virginia, and had a law practice in Warrenton, Virginia. Rosser was a friend of George Armstrong Custer’s before, during, and following the war and had dropped out of West Point to fight for the Confederacy. By the time of the New Creek raid, both men had risen in rank tremendously and had seen their fair share of bloodshed.