Skip to main content
Rock Island Auction Company
AuctionsConsignmentLatestFAQAbout us
Log InCreate Account
Rock Island Auction CompanyRock Island Auction Company
Contact us
1-309-797-15001-800-238-8022[email protected]
Locations
Bedford, TX
3600 Harwood RoadBedford, Texas 76021, USA
Rock Island, IL
7819 42nd Street WestRock Island, Illinois 61201, USA
Hours
Monday - Friday8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Navigation
AuctionsConsignmentLatestFAQAbout usAccount
More Info
Terms & ConditionsPrivacy PolicyJob postings & CareersOrder a catalogContact
Social media
© 2025 Rock Island Auction Company. RIAC believes that this website is accessible to the widest possible audience pursuant to the guidelines of the Americans with Disability Act. Click here for more information.
Healthcare Transparency in Coverage.
Disconnected
Unable to connect to live update server, attempting reconnection. If this persists, please try refreshing your browser.
Disconnected state indicated by at top of page. If you cannot see this icon, you are connected.
Rock Island Auction Company
Hello.
Please Log In, or .

Home
Auctions
Consignment
Latest
FAQ
About us

  • /Auctions...
  • /Catalog...
  • /Lot 137

Lot 137:Historic and Identified Emerson & Silver Staff and Field Officer

April 29th, 2016|Rock Island, IL
  • /Auctions...
  • /Catalog...
  • /Lot 137

Lot 137:Historic and Identified Emerson & Silver Staff and Field Officer

April 29th, 2016|Rock Island, IL
Price Realized:
Login to viewLogin to view
Price obfuscated
Estimated Price$2,500 - $4,000
Log In to use Wishlists
Share

Historic and Identified Emerson & Silver Staff and Field Officer Sword with Scabbard Inscribed to Captain Richard Foster of the First Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, Fatality of the "Bloody Angle" at Spotsylvania Courthouse, with Display Case and Research

Sold by Emerson & Silver of Trenton, New Jersey, this sword follows the overall regulations for the United States Army Staff & Field Sword, though with the higher degree of fit and finish associated with privately purchased sidearms. In overall length the sword is 38 inches, with a lightly curved 32 inch double fuller blade decorated with light scroll and patriotic themes and bearing the Trenton address on the right side near the ricasso. The guard and pommel are gilt brass, with a sculpted floral pattern on the guard, laurel accents on the pommel, and a copper wire wrapped sharkskin grip. An iron scabbard with engraved brass fittings completes the set, with the reverse side of the throat inscribed "PRESENTED/TO/CAPTAIN R.FOSTER/By the members of/Compy K. 1st.Regt/N.J.V./Jany 18th 1864." An Englishman by birth, Richard Foster migrated to America and set up shop in Pequannock Township, New Jersey. A painter by trade, he answered the call to service as a Private with the 2nd New Jersey Infantry in May of 1861. During his service he was wounded and captured during the Battle of Gaines Mill in June of 1862, and was in Confederate custody in Richmond until he was exchanged in July. Returning home to New Jersey to recuperate, he again answered the call of the State, organizing a company of volunteers from Pequannock, which would be dubbed Company K and made part of the 1st Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, with him as their Captain in January of 1864. In May of 1864 the 1st would participate in the Battle of Spotslyvania Courthouse; ordered to assault the "Bloody Angle", the western segment of the Confederate salient dubbed the "Mule Shoe" and home to some of the most vicious close-quarters fighting of the Civil War, Foster exploited a wooded section near the Angle to approach the Confederates unseen, but as soon as they moved out of cover the enemy opened fire, blowing through Foster's left knee on the first volley. Transferred off the battlefield to a hospital in Washington, D.C., an amputation of the leg was insufficient to save his life, and Captain Foster passed away on June 14, 1864, five months to the day after the presentation of this sword. Included with the lot is a glass-sided hardwood display stand with spaces for sword and scabbard, and a binder of consignor research, including a photograph copy of Capt. Foster holding a sword and information from sources in New Jersey as well as the National Archives.

ConditionVery good overall, with the blade showing mild spotting and areas of brown patina with a slightly bent tip, The hilt shows a fine mix of gilt finish and well aged brass on the high points and areas of hand contact. The grip wire has loosened slightly, with a visible seam on the front of the wrapping. A fine aged brown is showing on the body of the scabbard, with a matching color to the brass, traces of gilt finish in the low areas, and a few scattered dents. Overall a fine American officer's sword, quite likely field-used at one of the notable battlefields of the American Civil War.
Details
TypeOther
ClassOther

Item LocationRock Island, IL
Views3911
Catalog page59
Find MoreRelated Items
Lot 3393Items for a Captain in the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment
View Lot
Lot 32781860 Cavalry Saber with Scabbard Inscribed to J. W. Ripley
View Lot
Lot 259Engraved Colt 1861 Navy Revolver Presented to Maj. Van Buskirk
View Lot
Lot 3293Ames Mfg. Co. U.S. 1850 Staff & Field Officer's Sword
View Lot
Show More