Tiffany & Co. Presentation Sword for General Dan Sickles

Description

General Daniel Sickles’ Gilt Presentation Sword

Tiffany & Co.

Dated 1861

This remarkable Tiffany & Co. sword was presented to General Daniel Edgar Sickles (1819–1914) in 1861, a storied figure whose audacity on the battlefield earned him fame and renown. Commander of the Excelsior Brigade, Sickles carried this sword at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, where his bold maneuvers effectively stalled Confederate advancement, ultimately costing him his leg but securing him the Medal of Honor. Sickles wore this sword with pride, an emblem of the respect he earned on and off the battlefield, including the personal support of President Abraham Lincoln, and the valor he displayed in combat.

The sword is finely decorated with patriotic motifs and a lightly curved blade, featuring a distinctive knight’s head pommel, a lion-head quillon, a silver grip, twisted knuckle bow and a gilt sword knot. Tiffany’s exquisite engraving of “U.S.” and classical martial trophies, along with frosted floral designs and inscriptions on the scabbard honoring Sickles, speak to the extraordinary craftsmanship and prestige of presentation swords reserved for the Union’s most distinguished officers. The motto “Excelsior,” etched on the scabbard, reflects both the name of Sickles’ brigade and New York State’s enduring maxim, “Ever upward, ever higher.”

Tiffany & Co., already celebrated for its precision and elegance in fine metalwork, produced presentation swords for America’s most notable military leaders, including Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman. This sword, contemporaneous with Sickles’ rise to command, represents both the artistry of Tiffany and the symbolic weight of military honor. Sickles himself would go on to shape the preservation of Gettysburg as a national historic site, securing a legacy that extends beyond his battlefield exploits.

General Dan Sickles wore this Tiffany & Co. presentation sword with pride in his portrait by Mathew Brady, which can be seen on the cover of the accompanying book, American Scoundrel: The Life of the Notorious Civil War General Dan Sickles by Thomas Keneally, 2002.

Signed "Tiffany & Co. N.Y.", inscribed "Excelsior/Presented to/Genl Sickles/By His Sincere Friend" and dated "1891"

41 1/2" high x 5 1/2" wide x 3" deep