A cousin of mine has inherited a Mansfield & Lamb sword. It has been used for years as a Masonic ritual prop or something along those lines, so who knows what its history might have been when it was made (1864). It almost has to be an M1860 sword, from what little I know. It has the M&L stamp, dated 1864, and the inspector mark L.W. Does anyone know who the inspector "L.W." might be?
Thanks,
newguy

The only L.W. listed in American Swords and Sword Makers is Leicester Wheeler, but he was only active in 1818, so your L.W. is not listed in the book. Is it clearly L.W. or could the initials be interpreted in another way?

Best,
Jonathan

I will be actually seeing the sword personally in a few weeks. I will look for myself. I have asked my cousin to check to see if indeed it IS LW.
Could it possibly be "CW" or "EW"?

See this article on my Mansfield & Lamb Model 1860.

http://www.myArmoury.com/feature_lost_1860sab.html

Mine is marked "C.E.W." for Charles E. Wilson, the government inspector. Maybe the mark on your cousin's blade is just a slightly askew "C.E.W."

I found this info elsewhere:
Henry Mansfield and Estus Lamb owned a scythe factory in Forestdale, RI, and had seven contracts for Model 1860 cavalry sabres during the Civil War. They delivered 37,458. Your inspector marks are those of Charles E. Wilson who worked 1862-1864. This information comes from Richard Bezdek's "American Swords and Sword Makers." Civil War cavalry sabres with scabbards seem to be offered in the range of $150-850 depending on conditon and to some extent the maker. Hope this helps.Thanks for contacting Antique and Collectable Firearms and Militaria Headquarters. John Spangler

Very likely, I would say. I will see the sword personally on August 4, so I will make some notes and take some pictures at that time and post the results.
thanks!

Keith,
I agree with Sean. CEW is most likely given that many Mansfield & Lamb swords have these initials. I also looked up CWs and EWs but found no matches for the sword's time frame. I look forward to photos in August!

Sean,
If I could find an M1860 with a scabbard for $150 I'd have quite a collection! (From the prices given in your quote.)

Best,
Jonathan

The one I'm going to look at has a scabbard, apparently with the anti-rattling dent and all!