Made by United Cutlery, the Confederate States of America Rifle Sword honors the famous rebel General Robert E. Lee. The piece looks like a muzzle-loader rifle from Civil War days, but it’s actually a sword cane.
Slip the barrel of the rifle away from the gunstock and you’ll find a high carbon 420 stainless steel sword blade 27-7/8 inches long. Full length of the sword/rifle including the sheath is 41-1/2 inches and matches the standard infantryman’s rifle of the Confederacy in size and in most details. Mechanisms on the rifle are not truly functional even though both the trigger and the flintlock actually move. The flintlock lever can be pulled back and locked and then released with the trigger. Fittings on the piece are cast metal. The gunstock and the brace of the rifle barrel are both genuine hardwood. A strap allows the CSA Rifle Sword to be slung over the shoulder, but you may want to replace the black nylon with good leather appropriate to the period. An image of General Lee decorates each side of the stock of the sword cane.
The rifle which inspired the CSA Rifle Sword was the 1853 Enfield, one of the most common muskets used in the War Between the States. The hidden sword blade is ramrod straight and single-edged with a fullered blood groove along the spine of the sword. As either sword or cane it’s a little awkward, but the combination of rifle and sword makes an interesting display piece. You’ll probably not find many collector’s items like this one.
Civil War buffs may also be interested in the General Jo Shelby Cavalry Saber.
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[phpbay] CSA Rifle Sword, 2[/phpbay]