Palmetto Cavalry Saber and Scabbard

This Cavalry saber with scabbard, model 1840, was manufactured by the Palmetto Armory, in Columbia, South Carolina.  The saber is 41.5 inches long and the scabbard is 38 inches long.  Photo provided by a private collector. 

​These weapons were primarily produced prior to the War Between the States as response to the Mexican War. Many were brought back to the factory for repair or upgrades.  The War became imminent, there was very little weapon production in South Carolina and even though the Palmetto Armory had manufacture experience, the governor and state legislature awarded few contracts to Palmetto.  There are very few of these relics existing today.

For more information regarding this relic, please see the 44 page pamphlet online:  William Glaze and the Palmetto Armory by Jack Allen Meyer, Museum Bulletin Number 6, South Carolina State Museum, Copyright 1982, page 23-25.

https://dc.statelibrary.sc.gov/bitstream/handle/10827/9613/MUSEUM_Bulletin_6_1982.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y