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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 a beautiful bright blade that retains its original luster.  The edge is perfect with the exception of two tiny nicks.  The grip remains tight; the guard is tight and retains much of its original black japan.  The scabbard is strong and except for the missing belt loop is virtually perfect.

     Affixed to the scabbard is a war era label that indicates it was captured at Lexington, South Carolina.  Because of its stellar condition and specific history the knife is included in Confederate Bowie Knives of the Georgia State Armory by Josh Phillips and comes with a copy of the book, which I highly recommend.

     It is one of the few Confederate D-guard knives with a known maker; that, combined with its specific history of being a "Yankee Slayer" in its captors words, and its excellent condition mark it as one of the finest Confederate knives in existence.