Confederate Fighting Knives By Brad Ireland 4th Virginia Co A

Stonewall Brigade

When one thinks of a fighting knife, the first image that comes to mind is the Bowie Knife. The Bowie knife first became famous after Jim Bowie used a large knife at a duel know as the “Sandbar Fight” in 1827. This historic knife has seen many different designs. The most common design has a six inch blade but some are as long as twelve inches. In 1861, as the south was arming for war, many southern soldiers considered a large fighting knife an essential piece of equipment. Soon however the soldier realized the implacability of carrying such a large and heavy knife on long marches and they soon disappeared. Below are some examples of fighting knives of the period.

This bowie knife was found on the battlefield of Perryville, Kentucky. It is brass mounted and has wooden

grips and a blade 12 7/8 inches long.

Not all Confederate fighting knives were of the same design as what we now think of as a “Bowie Knife”

Some examples of the brass gripped Bowies made by W.J. McElroy of Macon,

Georgia

D-Guard bowie knives were very popular

Here are some photographs of D-Guard Knives of various sizes.

Here are some knives of various sizes without D-Guards.

Here are some studio photographs of soldiers holding knives.

Crappy Repro’s common on the market:

Suggested Reading:

A whole website dedicated to fake confederate blades: http://www.savage-

station.com/page20.html

http://www.amazon.com/Updated-Confederate-Bowie-Knife-Guide/dp/1427632170