Theodore Stoney’s rare Foot Officer’s sword made by Dewitt Columbus, Georgia…The unique feature of the Dewitt swords is the cast brass guard with entertwined snakes…Sword and scabbard are in as found condition and were kept in the Stoney family since the Civil War…An intriguing sword with a historical connection to a unique Confederate weapon the Torpedo Boat CSS David..
Provenance: Sword had descended through the Stoney family of Charleston, South Carolina and sold to Lew Ballington
“These were various iterations of the so-called David-class ships, designed by the Confederate Navy to attack Union vessels. Armed with a long metal spar carrying an explosive charge off the bow, the torpedo boats were set to deliver a deathly charge against even the ironclads.
The most notable of these small riverine terrors and the one who gave the class its name was the CSS David. It was a 54 foot long, cigar-shaped boat and while not a submarine, could safely be termed a semi-submersible. She was designed to avoid detection by using anthracite coal, well known for burning with very little smoke.
…David was built as a private venture by one Theodore Stoney of Charleston, along with an unlikely partner, a local physician, planter and scientist, Dr. St.Julien Ravenel”…Stoney was instrumental in building the Confederate CSS David, a torpedo attack boat.
Links to information on Theodore Stoney and the CSS David:
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-us-cs/csa-sh/csash-ag/david.htm
http://mrlincolnshightechwar.com/chapter_files/chap10.html
http://www.ussvicb.org/littledavid/Little%20David%20Project.pdf
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/civil-war/2010/feb/28/css-david-class-its-own/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo_boat
(Dewitt Confederate Officer’s Sword of Theodore Stoney CSS David Torpedo Boat Builder)