Sword

Object/Artifact

-

Vermont Historical Society

Sword

Name/Title

Sword

Entry/Object ID

1933.3.3a-b

Description

Presentation sword with the engraving, "Vermont to her Son, Horace B. Sawyer, U.S. Navy, Consitution, Cyane, and Levant, 20th Feb. 1815". The handle is gold and mother-of-pearl. The Vermont state seal is attached at the center of the rain guard. The blade of the sword is engraved throughout in a floral pattern. The gold scabbard is also engraved throughout with a scabbard.

Context

Presented to Horace B. Sawyer by the State of Vermont, 1857.

Acquisition

Accession

1933.3

Source or Donor

Sawyer, Philip (1868-1949)

Acquisition Method

Gift

Made/Created

Manufacturer

Ames Manufacturing Company

Date made

1857

Place

City

Chicopee

State/Province

Massachusetts

Country

United States of America

Continent

North America

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Sword

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Edged Weapons

Nomenclature Class

Armaments

Nomenclature Category

Category 05: Tools & Equipment for Science & Technology

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Overall

Length

37 in

Material

Mother of Pearl, Steel, Gold

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Sawyer, Horace Bucklin (1797-1860)

Related Places

Place

Lake

Lake Champlain

City

Burlington

County

Chittenden County

State/Province

Vermont

Country

United States of America

Continent

North America

Related Events

Event

War of 1812

Web Links and URLs

Horace Bucklin Sawyer letters, 1856-1857

Interpretative Labels

Label

Sword, 1857 Ames Manufacturing Company Chicopee, MA Steel, gold, mother of pearl Gift of Philip Sawyer, 1933.3.3ab Horace Bucklin Sawyer (1797-1860) received a commission as a midshipman in the United States Navy in June 1812 at age 15, and served on the crew of the USS Eagle in naval operations on Lake Champlain during the War of 1812. He was captured and held prisoner by the British for six months, and when released, reported back for duty. Assigned to the USS Constitution in December 1814, he served onboard for her famous battle with HMS Cyane and HMS Levant in February 1815. He stayed in the Navy after the war, progressing to the rank of captain in 1855, but suffered from near-total deafness apparently caused by injuries he had received during the capture of the USS Eagle. In 1856, the state of Vermont presented him with this sword in honor of his long service and in particular recognition of his participation in the USS Constitution's service.