Original U.S. Indian War Era Order of United American Mechanics Model 1860 Army Staff and Field Officer Sword Named to Jacob Blakeney

Original Item: Only One Available: This original M1860 Staff and Field officer’s sword is one of many produced by various manufacturers from the Civil War to the turn of the century. This example was manufactured by Raymold & Whitlock of New York, which was only active from 1881-1898, giving a good timeframe for this example. The sword was presented to Jacob Blakeney of the OUAM, the Order of United American Mechanics, which led to a very interesting research rabbit hole for our resident researcher.

The Order of United American Mechanics was an anti-Catholic American Nativist organization of the mid-19th century. It was founded in Philadelphia amid the anti-alien riots of 1844-45. It originally was called the Union of Workers. Members were required to undertake efforts to publicize and campaign against the hiring of cheap foreign labor and to patronize only "American" businesses.

The Order grew out of the resentment many native-born American workers in Philadelphia felt toward foreigners during the depression of the mid-1840s. As many American workers were laid off, poor German immigrants were allegedly taking their jobs at lower wages. In late 1844 a group of workers met in a series of conferences and decided to use their influence to secure the employment of American-born workers and make purchases from Americans, rather than immigrants. Among this group were Luther Chapin, George Tucker, James Lane, Richard Howell, Ethan Briggs and John Smulling. Seeing the benefits of organization, on July 4, 1845 these men and others held a meeting at #134 North Second Street in a room above Edward K. Tyrons rifle factory. The result of this conference was a subscription to rent out Jefferson Temperance Hall on July 8 for a convention to organize a secret society of workingmen. The initial conference opened with an attendance of nearly sixty, but when the object of forming a secret society became apparent, the majority of the original attendees left and the conference was left with twenty five delegates, which included the six mentioned above.

This officer's sword was adopted on August 28, 1860 acting upon the officer who would rarely if ever be called upon to wield a sword in battle. It was not mandatory until after the close of the Civil War, however in 1872, this sword became mandatory for all officers except medical staff, paymasters, mounted officers of infantry, cavalry & light artillery. Blade is embellished on both sides with floral & patriotic motifs. One side is etched JACOB BLAKENEY and the other is etched OUAM. Blade is semi-bright with scattered age discoloration spots. The hilt is still tight to the blade.

The sword hilt is brass, with the handle being ribbed bone, which is still in great condition without any serious wear. Steel scabbard has a pleasing, dark gray/brown patina and is adorned with two brass mounts and a brass drag; the brass throat is still present. Both mounts exhibit a floral display. The top mount sports two rings while the lower mount has only one. The mounts are stamped 14 for some reason. Both sword mounts and the drag are tight. Some of the plating is still present on the scabbard and there are no dents or damage present that we can see other than heavy surface rust.

This is a very handsome sword which is a must have for the collector of 19th Century U.S. Militaria. The engraving makes for a great research project.

Dimensions:
Blade Length: 28”
Overall Length: 34 1/8” 
Crossguard Width: 4”
Scabbard Length: 29¼”