Historic high-grade officer's saber presented to Porter S. Cox (alt. Samuel P. Cox, 1828-1913), a Missouri soldier best remembered for defeating "Bloody Bill" Anderson at the Battle of Albany in 1864. Few relics ever made available for public acquisition offer such a stark glimpse into Civil War-era violence as this sword, tied to the brutal guerrilla warfare that ravaged the Kansas-Missouri border.

Model 1840/60 cavalry officer's presentation saber. Solingen, [Prussia]: W. Clauberg. Presented to Lt. Col. Porter S. Cox in 1864. 34" curved semi-round single-edged spear-point blade with 24" stopped median fuller. Overall 41 1/2." Gilt brass hilt with half-basket guard. Quillon with cast acanthus fan with acanthus leaves embellishing the guard. Phrygian helmet-style pommel with deeply cast Lady Liberty with laurel wreath pommel. Smooth ivory grip with engraved line. Ricasso stamped: "Clauberg / Solingen" encircling an armored knight. Blade acid-etched obverse with legend, "Onward to Victory," with Greek key, foliate, and martial motifs. Reverse with "US" flanking a spread-winged eagle among foliate motifs. Gilt brass-mounted nickel-plated steel scabbard with two suspension rings. Finely engraved on the scabbard: "Presented to / Lt. Col. Porter S. Cox, / the Officer who whipped Thrailkill, / and killed BIll Anderson the Bandit, / by his friends in St. Joseph, Mo. / Nov. 25th 1864." 

Porter S. Cox was a veteran of the Mexican-American War. He joined the Army in 1847, helped to build Ft. Kearny in Nebraska, and scouted the frontier. Afterwards, he found work as a freight hauler and worked under contract for the Army during the Utah War of 1858-1859.  At the beginning of the Civil War, Cox helped to organize the 1st Regiment Missouri Militia with the rank of Major, resigning in 1863 due to ill health. In 1864, he was commissioned as a Lt. Colonel in the 33rd Regiment Missouri Militia. 

William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson originally served under the notorious Confederate guerrilla William Quantrill and gained a reputation for both skill and brutality. He commanded his own band of guerrillas by 1863 and raided across Missouri as part of General Sterling Price's directive to retake Missouri for the Confederacy. He earned his brutal epithet after a massacre of 124 unarmed Union Soldiers at Centralia, where he reportedly tied his victims' scalps to his saddle. 

On 26 October 1864, the two met in battle at Albany, Missouri. Cox used guerrilla tactics, lay in ambush, and lured Anderson's men with Rebel Yells. Cox's forces shot Anderson in the head, killing him instantly. Among Anderson's men was Captain John Thrailkill of the 1st Missouri Cavalry, a recently escaped POW from Alton Prison. Though not killed, he was thoroughly "whipped." With Bloody Bill's reign of terror in Missouri ended, Cox was proclaimed a hero. 

Note: This lot cannot be packaged and shipped in-house. Successful bidders winning items marked as being packaged and shipped by a third-party service are responsible for paying the third party directly. We are happy to offer complimentary drop-off service to local third-party packing/shipping companies in Columbus, Ohio.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Swords, Knives, Bowie Knives, Knife, Blades, Presentation Sword]