This is an exceptional example of a Confederate Leech & Rigdon Foot Officer's Sword and leather scabbard and is made all the more valuable by the old label on the scabbard that appears to read: "From Fort Morgan Presented to Q.M. Knowles by Ad. Farragut." The sword has a 32 inch acid etched blade with "C.S." and floral patterns on each side, a brass hilt with floral patterns along with "CS" on the back of the guard, a wire wrapped black leather grip, and a black leather scabbard with brass fittings. As laid out in the included printed copy of "Go Ahead, Go Ahead" by Robert M. Browning Jr. from "Naval History Magazine Volume 23, Number 6" and in primary sources such as John C. Knowles' own published account (published in multiple newspapers around the country in 1895), during the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, Chief Quartermaster Knowles of the flagship U.S.S. Hartford was ordered up into the rigging to secure Admiral David Glasgow Farragut (1801-1870) by Captain Percival Drayton. Farragut had climbed up to get a better view above the smoke of the guns to command the operations of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron during the battle, but he was exposed to both enemy fire and the possibility of falling fifty feet to his death. He originally responded, "Oh, nonsense," but relented and allowed himself to be secured. The battle was significant as a much needed Union victory which helped secure President Lincoln's reelection as well as the capture of the last significant port in the Gulf of Mexico east of the Mississippi River. Farragut's plan was bold. His eighteen vessels, including four ironclad monitors, had to run through past a Confederate minefield with 67 torpedoes (the name for naval mines in the period) and three forts (Fort Morgan, Fort Powell, and Fort Gaines), neutralize the ironclad C.S.S. Tennessee and three additional Confederate gunboats. Fort Morgan was the most substantial of these obstacles and an armament 46 guns and was positioned at the entrance to the bay, so the Confederate mines were strategically placed to funnel the Union vessels closer to Fort Morgan. During the battle, the U.S.S. Tecumseh was sunk by the Confederate mines, and the Union ships halted. However, Farragut was convinced most of the mines had been submerged for too long to remain effective and gave his famous command to push ahead through the mines while still lashed to the rigging. The command was famously immortalized as, "Damn the torpedoes - full speed ahead!" He was correct, and the remaining vessels passed unscathed but still had to help the land forces neutralize the forts and deal with the Confederate boats, most dangerously the Tennessee under Franklin Buchanan which attempted to take on the Union vessels alone but was ultimately immobilized and captured and then repaired and put into action again in support of the Union siege of the forts. The Confederate forces gave up the two smaller forts relatively quickly (Fort Powell was abandoned on August 5th, and Fort Gaines surrendered on August 8th), but despite being cutoff, Fort Morgan on Mobile Point still bore the Confederate colors. While the land forces worked their way closer to the walls, Farragut's fleet bombarded Fort Morgan. Finally, on August 23rd, 1864, the white flag was raised over the fort and Farragut's crowning victory was realized. The Union forces did not have enough ground forces to follow up this victory with the capture the city itself, but it too fell late in the war. On December 21, 1864, President Lincoln promoted Farragut to vice admiral, and he became the first U.S. Navy officer to reach the rank of full admiral when he was promoted on July 25, 1866. He joined the Navy as a midshipman when he was just nine years old and remained with the Navy until his death from a heart attack in 1870. His adoptive brother, David Dixon Porter, also rose to full admiral after Farragut's death. Details on Knowles' life are not as well documented, but he "had been continuously in the navy ever since the bay fight," was connected with the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis for 28 years, and died on April 10, 1895, at the age of 70 after 45 years in the U.S. Navy per newspaper articles in the spring of 1895.

Fine. The exceptionally fine, untouched original blade retains mostly bright polish and has excellent acid etching with the distinctive frosty acid etch seen on high condition blades, minor oxidation at the tip and ricassos, and slight staining. The brass hilt and brass scabbard fittings have dark aged patina, and the latter have some dents and fit issues. The grip has limited wear. The leather scabbard body has crackling, rub wear, some flaking, and flex wear. The label noting the presentation is covered by plastic to protect it. This is a really attractive Confederate Leech & Rigdon sword. Most of these are not in this fine of condition, and the presentation by one of the boldest and most well-known naval officers of the Civil War certainly adds to its historical significance and value. It would be an excellent addition to any Civil War collection, private or public, and especially well suited to a naval collection.