Absolutely nothing has been done to preserve this relic as I bought it over a decade ago from the digger. It has been in my display case of dug edged weapons since then. It is fragile but will be shipped and packed with the greatest of care. The guard is loose but is original to the knife and can be stabilized. Here's what I don't quite understand -- and those of you who know period blades better than I do can educate me. From end to end, this relic is only slightly over 4.5 inches in length. The width of the guard is maybe an inch and a half. The blade? It's .5 inches wide. Were there daggers or dirks this small? Was this more like a letter opener or utility knife...maybe for food preparation?

 

The man I purchased this from hunted Vicksburg, Shiloh, Corinth, Iuka and Jackson. I wish I could remember his name. But he had four knives on display at the Nashville show ages ago -- all four, including this tiny one -- were recovered in the same trench. The three others are in my collection -- one is a massive and impressive D-Guard Bowie, the other two are side knives or daggers. And then there was this. I'm keeping the others but I think I can let this one go. I don't know exactly where in Vicksburg this was found but it was on private property and with permission from the landowner. I presume it was a Confederate trench due to the presence of the D-guard, but it's possible a few Billy Yank's had some of those bad boys, too.

 

Anyway, what you have here is a research and restoration project. If you know anything about this blade, shoot me an email.