This is a great looking original Civil War foot officer's sword! This is the classic style that was carried by line officers during the Civil War. This one has a full-length 30-3/4th inch blade. This blade is a beautiful high quality design. It even has some of the original gold wash remaining in the protected areas. It has the original floral and patriotic etching on each side of the blade. You can still see a superb amount of the etching. The front of the blade has the patriotic design and in the center it has the etched name "Starr Taintor". I haven't been able to find the name during the war but there are some Taintors listed from a few of the New England states. The back side of the blade has the large block letter "US" in the center. The hand guard has the brass with the floral pattern that denotes the foot officer pattern. The brass of the guard and pommel cap each has a beautiful look and they are the version that has the extra detail a fine sword like this should have. On the handle of the sword it has the original black leather grip intact as well as the strands of the double twist brass wrapping. The sword is accompanied by the beautiful, ornate original scabbard. The scabbard is the leather version with the brass furniture. The original throat, rings, mounts and drag are intact with the ornate detail work on each piece. You can tell that this sword is a step or two above the one you usually encounter. This is a beautiful sword with a neat etched name on the blade.