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     The D-Guard knife shown here is truly spectacular in all regards.  It is virtually perfect, it is huge, it is well shaped, is aesthetically pleasing, and it is maker identified.  It was made at the Georgia Armory in Milledgeville, Georgia.

     Early in the War the state of Georgia took over the old penitentiary in Milledgeville and turned it into an armory.  There they produced muskets, bayonets, swords and knives, though it was a very limited production.  In the fall of 1864 the armory was burned by the 3^rd Wisconsin Infantry under Sherman’s direction.  Though this knife and scabbard have long been recognized as Confederate Armory products because of its form and the materials used in its construction, only recently were they positively identified as having come from the Georgia Armory at Milledgeville.  Recently a very nice example of this pattern was brought into the Antiques Road show by the descendents of one of Sherman’s men.  The Yankee had pasted a label to the scabbard that told of the knife’s history.  The inked label reported that the knife and hundreds like it were taken from the Milledgeville Armory. 

     Like all of the knives of this pattern, the Georgia D-guard is a whopping 23 inches.  The knife has some staining on the blade, but it is much better than the picture shows.  There is not now, nor ever was there, any rust on the blade.  The blade is smooth and nick free.  The grip remains tight; the guard is tight and retains much of its original black japan.  The scabbard is original to the knife and to my knowledge, this is best of these scabbards in existence; usually even the best of these has a broken belt loop.  Fortunately someone placed a wooden dowel behind the belt loop to protect it from being folded flat and thus breaking it.  One of the lead rivets in the scabbard is missing, the stitching is tight and strong and the tin toe is perfect.

     This is the very best of the best!