Description: "From
Sword to Knife." Loading rifles
during the Civil War was time
consuming and impossible in close
combat. The Confederacy would scour
battlefields for other objects that
could be used as weapons, especially
in close quarters. Broken swords of
offers were especially prized
because of the superior steel used
in the blades. Soldiers would
quickly turn the broken blade into a
close combat "d-guard"
knife, so named because of the hand
guard. Gen. Robert E. Lee was no
exception, and carried a
"d-guard" knife he made
from his own broken sword.
The Robert E. Lee knife is a
D-guard Bowie, modeled after an
original surviving
"d-guard" knife. The blade
measures 8 1/2" and is
hand-forged from 420 high-carbon
steel with a hand guard of solid
brass. The wood handle is taken
directly from a black oak on the
grounds of Lee's former estate in
Arlington, Virginia. It's decorated
with 13 brass stars forming the
familiar pattern of the "Stars
and Bars" Confederate flag,
symbolizing the pride of the South.
It is engraved with "First
Gentleman of Virginia," with a
certificate of authenticity. Only
1,807 knives, the year Lee was born
— will be made.
