PROVIDENCE TOOL COMPANY LIGHT CAVALRY SABRE DATED
1862 – IDENTIFIED WITH ENGRAVED SCABBARD – “SERGEANT
J. A. GILBERG, Co. D 5TH OHIO V. CAV” –
EXCELLENT CONDITION:
This is a particularly nice
Light Cavalry Sabre, offering a combination of an early
Civil War date and a relatively scarce maker, coupled
with being identified as having been carried by a well
documented veteran sergeant of the 5th Ohio
Volunteer Cavalry.
This sabre has survived the passage of time with a very
rare and verifiable identification to a veteran Union
cavalry enlisted man. The right side of the scabbard,
between the two carrying ring bands, is engraved in
period script, “Sergeant J. A. Gilberg; Co. D 5Th
Ohio V. V. Cav.”. While sabres identified to
commissioned officers are well known and occasionally
are offered for sale, seldom do sabres carried by
enlisted men retain any sort of identifiable history
through the years, and certainly one such as this sabre,
which was engraved with the soldier’s name, rank and
unit information, are quite rare.
Jacob A. Gilberg,
born February 7, 1845 in Middletown, Pennsylvania, was
appointed as Sergeant when Company D, of the 5Th
Ohio Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was organized at Camp
Dick Corwin, near Cincinnati, Ohio in November of 1861.
The regiment initially served in the
Western Theater during several major campaigns as part
of the Army of the Tennessee. During 1862 the regiment
participated in the fighting at Shiloh, Corinth,
Memphis, and in 1863 it joined Sherman’s advance on
Chattanooga. The regiment continued to follow Sherman’s
star as it participated in the Atlanta campaign, the
March to the Sea, and north through the Carolinas, and
it was garrisoned in North Carolina at the end of the
war.
According to the official history of the 5TH
Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, Jacob A. Gilberg entered the
service on September 11, 1861 at the age of 19, and he
was appointed to the rank of sergeant on November 9th
of that same year when Company D was mustered at
Camp Dick Corwin. On June 19, 1863 he was “captured in
action” near Coldwater, Mississippi, and was apparently
released or repatriated shortly thereafter. Sgt.
Gilberg finished out the war on active service and
served as one of the 300 soldiers who acted as General
Sherman’s escort at the surrender of Major General
Joseph E. Johnston, C.S.A, near Durham, North Carolina
in April of 1865. He was mustered out with the rest of
the regiment in October, 1865.
After the war, Gilberg worked in the lumber camps
throughout Pennsylvania until 1873 when he moved west to
Cass County, Minnesota, residing in Poplar Township and
Backus, and operating a dray line for the teamsters in
Pine River.
Gilberg apparently had a penchant for writing and a
grasp of the historical significance of the times in
which he had lived, as he authored a series of eleven
articles about his experiences during the War which were
published in the National Tribune Newspaper (Washington
D.C.) beginning in 1899 and the last in 1935 - five
years after his death.
Gilberg continued his pattern of faithful public service
as a member of the Backus School Board for 11 years and
a member of civic organizations. Jacob A. Gilberg died
on January 26, 1930 and was interned under a Civil War
veteran’s marble grave marker at the Evergreen Cemetery
in Backus.
In overall excellent condition, this sabre and scabbard
are well mated, obviously each original to the other.
The ricasso is legibly stamped “PROV TOOL CO” on the
reverse side of the blade and the obverse side is
legibly stamped “US” and “1862” with a faint set of
inspector initials “JM” between the “US” and the date.
The pommel cap is plainly stamped with the inspector’s
initials “PB”.
The brass guard has a wonderful, soft, old patina and
shows no signs of polishing or heavy cleaning. The
guard is full form and is not misshapen due to wear or
use, and the leather washer is present. The grip
leather is original with an overall bright smooth finish
without any flaking, and there are a few points of wear
through to the wood grip on the crests of the ribs. The
exposed wood has an old patinated shine and blends in
well with the black leather. The original wire wrapping
is present, very tight, and complete.
The blade is full form, and the metal surface is overall
bright, with some scattered darkened spots. The edge is
clean with no nicks or dings - as opposed to the
commonly seen heavier nicks and chips in the edges on
these early sabres that were exposed to the full
duration of the War. There is no severe pitting on the
blade, only the scattered darkened speckling of the
metal that one expects on these early, well used blades.
Fitting the blade very well with no rattle or play, the
scabbard is full form without any severe dents, and is
complete with the throat and carrying rings, and a full
form drag. The surface has a wonderful naturally aged
brown patina, with no pitting. The rim of the throat is
stamped with the numeral “1”, possibly a unit applied
inventory number. As described above, the engraved
identification on the scabbard is definitely period to
Sgt. Gilberg’s return from the War, is fully legible,
and is very well executed.
Seldom offered due to the relatively few surviving
specimens being carefully retained in private
collections, these early dated Light Cavalry Sabres
produced by the Providence Tool Company are generally
difficult to obtain in any condition. This specimen has
it all – having survived in remarkable condition with
the significant added value of retaining a credible
identification as having been carried by a veteran
cavalry sergeant. A Light Cavalry Sabre of this quality
is certainly an investment grade piece and one that will
continue to be enjoyed through the years with a great
deal of pride in the ownership of such a piece. SOLD
NOTE: The research and
supporting documentation for the above described
biographical information on Sgt. Gilberg will accompany
the sale of his sabre.
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