Confederate Side Knife recovered at a Georgia camp in WV (SOLD)

Offered here is an excavated Confederate Side-knife which is part of a large collection I am working on. It has a subdued clip-point blade measuring 9 ¼” long x 1 ¼” wide with a overall length of 12 ½”. It appears to have been blacksmith-made from an old file. It also has a 2 ½” guard made of iron. This knife was recovered years ago in a Confederate camp in West Virginia.

The digger didn’t include an exact location in West Virginia where this knife was dug, only that it was a Georgia camp, usually determined by the recovery of Georgia buttons. However, there are several possibilities. The 12^th Georgia Infantry under Colonel Edward Johnson, fought in the early battle of Camp Allegheny in December 1861. Also, the 26^th Georgia, who saw vicious fighting at the Cornfield in Antietam, was part of the retreat through West Virginia.

This truly is a fantastic piece and remains very solid with no flaking. A thin coat of varnish was applied at one time for preservation. These knives were very popular with Confederate soldiers (see period photo). The original Certificate of Authenticity when it was sold 14 years ago, will be included. Dug Confederate knives in this condition seldom reach the collectors market these days – guys just don’t want to part with them.