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HISTORIC TIFFANY CIVIL WAR SWORD - Lot #4566

Nothing much needs to be said about this sword in terms of its grade and condition. It is simply magnificent so I'll first write about the man it was presented to. Medal of Honor winner Jacob Frick was born in Northumberland County on January 23, 1825, the ninth of sixteen children, fourth-generation descendants of a Swiss immigrant who had settled in Pennsylvania in the 1700s. In June of 1846, he was commissioned as a third lieutenant in the 3rd Ohio Infantry with the outbreak of the Mexican War, serving with gallantry in several engagements. After the war ended, Frick was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 11th U.S. Infantry. He married in 1850 and garrisoned at a number of army bases across the country. Later in the decade, he served as assistant instructor of infantry tactics at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Frick was a delegate to the 1860 Republican National Convention, where Abraham Lincoln received the presidential nomination. When war erupted, Frick was commissioned as the lieutenant colonel of the 96th Pennsylvania and fought in the Peninsula Campaign with notable gallantry at Gaines Mill, for which he was presented this sword as recorded in the Regimental History. On July 29, 1862, he became colonel of the 129th Pennsylvania (the members of whom presented him with this spectacular Tiffany presentation sword as recorded in the Regimental History of the 129th Pa.). Major General Joseph Hooker ordered Frick to lead the last charge at Fredericksburg in December, and he bravely guided his regiment toward the stonewall on Marye's Heights. Talk about "cool under fire"?, as Frick was approaching the wall on horseback along side of one of his captains, a shell burst nearby that splattered remnants of a horse about the Colonel and his Officer. Plucking a large chunk of horse-flesh off of his shoulder, he handed it to his captain and asked him to save the meat for dinner later that evening! The flag bearer and most of the color guard went down as the battle line advanced. Frick quickly seized and raised the fallen flag, but almost instantly, a MinniƩ ball passed close to his head and sheared the wooden staff in two. Undaunted, Frick continued at the head of his command until he was wounded. The remnants of this flag staff were later fashioned into an exquisite presentation cane with a large, delicately engraved handle with presentation and history recorded about its circumference. It remains in this case today as one of the most fantastic and important historical Civil War artifacts ever to have been discovered along with a Tiffany presentation grade set of Colonels shoulder straps. At Chancellorsville, Frick's precision in handling his regiment impressed his brigadier, who declared that "no man ever saw cooler work" than what the 129th Pennsylvania did during the confused fighting. Their firing was "grand - by rank, by company, and by wings, all in perfect order." His embattled soldiers clearly heard Colonel Frick's stentorian voice above the roar of musketry, and his regiment "did its duty well." Six feet, two inches tall and powerfully built, he counter-attacked a superior force after his colors and many of his men were captured. He he recaptured the regiment's lost flag and all of his men in hand-to-hand combat with a large body of Rebels and made prisoners of those who dared capture his colors. His regiment mustered out in May and Frick returned to Pottsville. When Robert E. Lee's invasion threatened the Keystone State, Frick hurried to Harrisburg to assume command of the 807-man 27th Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia. It had been raised primarily in Frick's native Schuylkill County in north-central Pennsylvania, as well as in nearby Northampton, Huntingdon, and Berks counties. Frick's regiment traveled by train from Harrisburg to Columbia, where they formed the bulk of the troops defending the bridge. When John B. Gordon's brigade attacked, Frick skillfully withdrew his militia across the bridge, setting it on fire to prevent Rebel passage. Later, his men were involved in the pursuit of the retreating Robert E. Lee, and the 27th was the first Pennsylvania militia to cross into Maryland while chasing the Army of Northern Virginia. He and the regiment mustered out in August 1863. In June 1864, he assisted Brigadier General Henry Pleasants in planning the explosives-filled, 230-foot-long tunnel under the Petersburg entrenchments, which resulted in "the Battle of the Crater." Frick is one of only 2 American Soldiers nominated for 3 Medals of Honor that I am aware of. One for Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and for the Gettysburg campaign, (Wrightsville). After the war he remained interested in politics, serving as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in both 1860 and 1868. He remarried after the war, raised a son, authored two books, and manufactured wire screens for the coal mining industry. In 1892, Frick received the Medal of Honor for his valor at Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg. He passed away March 5, 1902, and was buried in Pottsville's Presbyterian Cemetery. He was the first man in Schuylkill County to receive the Medal of Honor. This sword is one of only two (possibly 3) of this pattern known to collectors but as far as I'm aware, it is the only one with a solid silver scabbard (marked Tiffany .925 near the throat). This is without question, the finest sword that I have ever handled when combining the quality of the sword and the man to whom it was presented to. It is one of the most heavily featured swords in John Thilmann's book, "Civil War Cavalry & Artillery Sabers". It is breathtaking. Serious buyers can contact me for a further description and information.
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HISTORIC TIFFANY CIVIL WAR SWORD

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