This is the bayonet to a model 1853 Enfield rifled musket. This was actually one of the first items in my antiques collection, and certainly the first weapon. I bought it at an antique store in Gettysburg, PA, though it was actually originally found at the Antietem battlefield.
This is the type of rifle that bayonet goes to. The Model 1853 3-band Enfield rifled musket. It's a British made rifle used extensively during the American Civil War, particularly in the South (IIRC, only the American-made Springfield was more prevalent). This particular one was made in the year 1863 and is stamped with the British royal coat of arms. Some of the more sharp-eyed musket-savvy among you may notice that it is missing the ramrod and the elevated iron sights. Unfortunately, that was the condition it was in when I bought it.
Here is a medical pouch, used around the time of the Civil War to carry a variety of drugs. The thing that makes it more interesting is in the next picture.
As you can see, it is effectively fully stocked. Unfortunately, most of the labels are faded or illegible, and I sure as Hell am not going to mess around with that crap unless I had a better idea of what I had to do.
Now for something not from the Civil War. Some of you HABers or War Wolves may recognize this. It's a United States Marine Corps utility knife (also known as a K-Bar). Probably made some time around 1942. It belonged to my grandfather, and he had it with him when he hit the beaches of Iwo Jima. He gave it to me a few years back for my birthday, figuring I'd be the one person in the family who'd appreciate it most.
Anyway, back to the Civil War. This type of sword was carried by medical officers (judging from size, I'm guessing about Lieutenant or Captain-level) as part of their dress uniform. Good condition, but long since lost any sort of edge it may have had. It was for formal occasions, so it was not exactly built for battle.
Unlike this one. Though I am unsure of its exact origins, my reference library pegs it as a cavalry saber for enlisted men based on the hilt. Though the curve of the blade makes it look a bit more like an infantry officer's sword. Remarkable condition, which is something you won't find in a 140-year-old sword that is not part of someone's estate (incidentally it was obtained at an estate auction).
As were these two books. They are a copy of the Personal Memoirs of Ulysses Simpson Grant. Personally, I haven't read it, nor to I plan on doing so (you see how thick those books are?). But still, I have a copy of Grant's memoirs.
An inscription in Volume 1 of Grant's Memoirs: "These volumes are dedicated to the American soldier and sailor. U.S. Grant New York City, May 23rd, 1885."
This is something the medical officers actually used (unlike the sword above). It's a bonesaw. When performing an amputation, of the leg for instance, they would use this to cut through the bone.
And then they would give you one of these. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a Civil War-era prosthetic leg. You start with your standard peg-leg (the holes in the sides allow air to flow in to the stump, so it doesn't start to smell or anything). Attach one sturdy spring to the bottom, which in turn is attached to a foot-shaped piece of wood. The wood gives the amputee the ability to continue wearing boots, with the spring giving as close an approximation to an ankle as they could at the time. The tag gives a few details about the leg's origin. I should add that, besides my bedroom, there is likely only one other place where you will see anything like this. And that is the American History Museum at the Smithsonian Institution (I actually saw one there, and was somewhat disappointed that I wasn't able to get something they could not).
