Jim Maddox
Information about this bayonet
This bayonet has a 122 mm long hilt. The pommel and cross guard are made of cast brass. The grips are smooth laminated horn fastened to the tang by two steel rivets. There is a forward swept round finial on the bottom of the guard and no finial on top of the muzzle ring. The muzzle ring inside diameter is 22.6 millimeters. There is no steel rivet in the center of the cross guard. The pommel appears to have two rivets through the tang and the tang is terminated at the pommel's rear. There is a lug slot on top of the pommel with a locking mechanism that is not yet understood.
The slightly yataghan blade is 565 millimeters long and has wide unstopped fullers.
Information from other sources
Albert N. Hardin, The American Bayonet 1776/1964, #113
The unique features of this arm are the horn grip and the internally sprung stud-lock mechanism.
The slender, slightly yataghan patterned blade with wide unstopped fullers is 22.25 inches (565 mm) long, 1.03125 inches (26.2 mm) wide and .28125 inch (7.1 mm) thick. The blade is unmarked and bears evidence of having originally been blued.
The hilt is 4.8125 inches (122 mm) long. The guard and pommel are of cast brass, and the grip is laminated and covered with translucent horn. The lower guard terminates in a forward curving finial without the internal disk detail. The upper guard, whose surfaces are slightly oval, has a .891 inch (22.6 mm) diameter bore. The smoothly polished horn grip is held to the tang by two large transvers steel rivets. These are peened and filed flush with the grip. The lower surface evidences two vertical wafers of of non metallic material set in along the central axis. The wide flat backstrap is stamped midway in horizontally inverted characters: convexly arched "PAT'D" / "1960" over concavely arched "MARCH 6". The pommel has a square-backed bird's head with a sharply subdued beak. The wide, moderately deep stud groove appears to be hand filed and has a taper along the upper surface. It runs up to the horn grip. The location of the internal spring to the stud lock defies detection. The pommel is held in place by two transverse steel pins, one below the stud lock and the other through the beak extension.
Speculation and questions
Is it made by or for the Confederates? Hardin did not comment on the issue and the patent date is clearly before the war began. I doubt a southern manufacturer would have honored a northern patent. It could have been made and sold to a southern state militia before the war started. Jim Maddox has it classified as Confederate so for now it will be listed as Confederate until proven otherwise.
Muzzle Ring Diameter -------- None
Overall Length ---------------- ?
Hilt Length -------------------- ?
Blade Length ------------------ ?
Blade Width ------------------- ?
Blade Thickness --------------- ?
Lock to Muzzle Length ------- ?
Press Stud Spring Length ---- ?
Guide Slot Length ------------ None
Lug to Stop Length ----------- ?
Lug Slot Width --------------- ?
Lug Width -------------------- ?
Lug Thickness ---------------- ?
Lug Depth -------------------- ?
Jim Maddox
Muzzle Ring Diameter -------- 22.6
Overall Length ---------------- 687
Hilt Length -------------------- 122
Blade Length ------------------ 565
Blade Width ------------------- 26.2
Blade Thickness --------------- 7.1
Lock to Muzzle Length ------- ?
Press Stud Spring Length ---- ?
Guide Slot Length ------------ None
Lug to Stop Length ----------- ?
Lug Slot Width --------------- ?
Lug Width -------------------- ?
Lug Thickness ---------------- ?
Lug Depth -------------------- ?