CONFEDERATE MADE SWORD OF CAPTAIN JAMES GETTIS, 7TH FLORIDA INFANTRY, HERO OF THE BATTLE OF TAMPA AND SIGNER OF FLORIDA’S ORDINANCE OF SECESSION

Confederate States, Macon, Georgia, circa 1861–1862. Made by Wm. J. McElroy & Co. Steel blade, brass hilt, leather grip with twisted brass wire wrap, leather scabbard with brass mounts. Blade just over 28 in. long.

A rare and historically significant Confederate officer’s sword, this finely-made example by Wm. J. McElroy & Co. of Macon, Georgia, is etched to Captain James Gettis of Company B, 7th Florida Infantry, a figure of unusual importance in both the political and military history of wartime Florida. By any standard, this is a sword of exceptional Confederate and Florida significance, worthy of the most advanced private collection or institutional holding.

James Gettis was born in Pennsylvania in 1816 and settled in Tampa in 1848, where he became a lawyer, later a judge, city councilman, state representative, and the town’s first clerk. A committed secessionist, he attended Florida’s Secession Convention and signed the Ordinance of Secession in January 1861, securing a place in the political history of the Confederacy before entering the field as captain of Company B, the South Florida Rifles, 7th Florida Infantry.

His greatest fame came in connection with the defense of Tampa in 1862, one of the more memorable episodes in a state otherwise comparatively untouched by large-scale battle. In April of that year, Union gunboats entered Tampa Bay and demanded the surrender of Fort Brooke; the demand was refused, and a two-day bombardment followed with little effect. The Union returned on June 30 with the U.S.S. Sagamore, again calling for an unconditional surrender. Captain John W. Pearson rejected the demand, and Confederate forces answered the subsequent shelling with determined resistance. Although civilians were driven farther inland, the bombardment failed to produce a capitulation, and the Confederates claimed another defensive success.

Gettis’s role in that engagement was remembered in especially glowing terms. In his after-action report, Captain Pearson praised him for taking charge of a battery manned by inexperienced men who had never before fired a cannon, and commended the “cool firmness” with which he conducted himself. It was this performance that gave rise to his reputation as the “hero of the Battle of Tampa.”

William John McElroy ranks among the most desirable Confederate sword makers. Born in New York City in 1822, he later settled in Georgia and, by the eve of the Civil War, had established himself in Macon as a prosperous and highly regarded manufacturer. Operating as Wm. J. McElroy & Co., he produced a broad range of military material, including knives, spurs, belts, buckles, insignia, gun and sword parts, and especially elegant officer’s swords. His etched blades and distinctive brass-mounted hilts represent some of the finest edged weapons produced in the South, and surviving examples are prized for both their quality and rarity.

The present sword is characteristic of McElroy’s better work. The blade is of stopped-fuller form and is deeply etched with floral devices, a “C.S.” within a scrolling reserve, the maker’s mark “Wm. J. McElroy and Co. / Macon, Ga.,” and, most importantly, the owner’s name, “J. Gettis.” The blade survives in very good condition, with no rust, only minimal pitting, and no chips along the cutting edge. The brass hilt features an openwork counterguard with laurel ornament and the scarce “V” pattern decoration seen on select McElroy products. The original leather grip remains fully intact and retains its twisted brass wire binding, while traces of the original fire gilding remain visible on the brass. The original leather washer at the base of the blade is present. The leather scabbard, back-stitched by hand, remains solid and attractive, showing only expected age crazing, a minor professional repair, and the loss of the middle mount; the original throat and drag survive.

Reference: 

"James Gettis: Tampa Pioneer Lawyer" by Kyle S. VanLandingham

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, Cutlass, Cutlasses, Blades]

Leather on scabbard has begun to split at seams and is missing second suspension ring and plate.