Sword presented to William Allen

Presented to Lieutenant William Allen by the employees of E.T. Sinker & Company

William Allen served as a Second Lieutenant in the 132nd Indian Infantry Regiment, one of the 100 Days volunteer regiments organized near the end of the Civil War. The regiment was mustered in May, 1864 and served as Railroad Guard in Tennessee and Alabama. It mustered out in September, 1864. The sword was a gift to Allen from his colleagues at E.T. Sinker & Co., an Indianapolis firm that manufactured steam engines and other machinery.

This Model 1850 Staff and Field Officer's Sword has a long, single-edged, slightly curved blade. The fuller extends about two thirds of the way to the top of the blade, and both sides are decorated in floral designs in a silver chasing. The obverse features an eagle with spread wings holding a banner reading "E PLURIBUS UNUM". The reverse bears the monogram "US". Both sides of the blade feature a military trophy design that includes a few flags, a liberty pole and cap, and a US shield. The grip is a cylindrical shape and bears a laurel leaf design and is wrapped in a spiral in gilt wire. The pommel features a leaf design on its edge that is similar to the grip. The rest of the pommel is plain. The knuckle guard is a brass strip that branches off twice to form the counterguard, which is a half basket shape. There are floral castings and a "US" monogram in the space between the branches. All of this terminates in a quillon that is shaped like a water drop and is covered in a palm leaf design on the top.

The scabbard is metal stained brown to look like wood. It bears three gold mounts. All of the mounts feature an engraving of a flower surrounded by a very simple circle design. The throat of the scabbard bears a similar design. The first mount bears the inscription “Presented to / Lient. WmAllen / by / the / Employees / of E.T. SINKER & Co.” The sword features two carrying rings, one on the right side of each of the top two mounts.

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