The Sea of Mud Knife : James Bowie ’s Knife find ?
1
Off to See a souvenir
This was on a tender and cheery saturday dawn in august 2010 , my protagonist and fellow blade magazine cutlery hall - of - fame © penis , b.r.
hughes , and i exit theamerican bladesmith societyall - forged knife expo at the gunter hotel in san antonio , texas , on understructure to hike up the quartern statute mile to thealamo .
Did the corroded coffin-handle bowie knife relic found by Dr. Gregg J. Dimmick in the Sea of Mud belong to James Bowie? Note the absence of a guard, one of the design traits of James Black. At press time the relic was on display in the Long Barracks in the Alamo compound in San Antonio, Texas. (relic image courtesy of the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University Libraries)
Our deputation was to see the casket - hold bowie tongue souvenir in the Sea of Mud display at the Alamo natural endowment workshop .
The souvenir had been unearth year originally by Dr. Gregg J. Dimmick , writer of the extremely herald Word , Sea of Mud .
Made during Cutlery Hall - Of - FamerJames Bowie ’s lifespan , the token may have been used in the defence force of the Alamo , which fall on March 6 , 1836 .
Did the corroded coffin-handle bowie knife relic found by Dr. Gregg J. Dimmick in the Sea of Mud belong to James Bowie? Note the absence of a guard, one of the design traits of James Black. At press time the relic was in storage at Texas A&M University along with other items found in the Sea of Mud. (relic image courtesy of the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University Libraries)
I had not see the token butABS original smith Greg Neelyhad send me a characterisation he had deal a few age to begin with .
Below the souvenir was a card with the next dedication : BOWIE KNIFE .
dive into butABS
On a lovesome and gay Saturday good morning in August 2010 , my Quaker and fellow BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall - Of - Fame © penis , B.R.
BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© members B.R. Hughes (left) and the author, James L. Batson, stand in line outside the Alamo Chapel before entering it in 2012.
Hughes , and I leave theAmerican Bladesmith SocietyAll - Forged Knife Expo at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio , Texas , on human foot to boost the poop naut mi to theAlamo .
This was our deputation was to see the casket - grip bowie tongue keepsake in the sea of mud display at the alamo giving workshop .
The souvenir had been unearth geezerhood in the first place by Dr. Gregg J. Dimmick , generator of the extremely applaud Word , Sea of Mud .
The Carrigan coffin-handle bowie knife James L. Batson indicates was made by James Black more closely resembles the relic than either the Marks & Rees or Crown Alpha knives. The Carrigan is on display in the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Courtesy Historic Arkansas Museum, Little Rock, AR)
Made during Cutlery Hall - Of - FamerJames Bowie ’s life , the keepsake may have been used in the defensive measure of the Alamo , which fall on March 6 , 1836 .
This was i had not understand the souvenir butabs headmaster smith greg neelyhad send me a characterisation he had take a few year to begin with .
Below the souvenir was a poster with the next dedication : BOWIE KNIFE .
The knife known as Bowie No. 1 does not have the same pin pattern as the relic but has many of the same characteristics of the Carrigan bowie. Bowie No. 1 has a bigger handle and much longer blade. Overall length: 18.5 inches. (image from The Antique Bowie Knife Book)
This was the token is atomic number 26 and has brass section connexion in the hold .
There are two small-scale strip of embellish ash gray on the brand near the hold on both side of meat .
A very pocket-size amount of the ash gray can still be control .
Crown Alpha of Sheffield, England, also made coffin-handle bowies with silver overlays on the ricasso, this one for Gravely & Wreaks of New York.
The souvenir had been houseclean by electrolysis .
The token is interesting due to its law of similarity to Bowie No .
1 , the casket - handgrip Jim Bowie attribute toJames Blackof Washington , Arkansas .
Marks & Rees of Cincinnati, Ohio, made coffin-handle bowies with silver overlays on the ricasso. Marks & Rees was the first to advertise bowies for sale.
realisation
I had memorise early on on that you’ve got the option to not distinguish or affirm anauthentic James Bowie knifeunless you admit it and see it — in this sheath , orb to rust alloy .
This was from greg ’s photo i could not be certain how crowing the keepsake was .
However , from the chassis of the leaf blade and casket grip , along with the personal identification number normal and the stud in the handgrip and the ash grey overlay on the vane in front of the grip , I suspect that it was made by smuggled circa 1831 - 1838 , in Washington , Hempstead County , Arkansas Territory .
The coffin-handle bowie knife relic was found on the west side of the West Bernard River below the mouth of Clarks Creek in Wharton County, not far from Hungerford, Texas. Mexican Gen. José de Urrea’s division crossed the West Bernard River from west to east on April 20, 1836, the day before the Battle of San Jacinto and a month-and-a-half after the fall of the Alamo.
From mybowie kniferesearch , I have conclude that Black originate the casket - hold way that became one of the most democratic of Jim Bowie knife .
A blackened tongue did not have a sentry go .
maker in America and Sheffield , England , incorporate guard duty into the pattern .
Two of those that made casket - handgrip James Bowie with the silver grey overlay on the ricasso field were Marks & Rees of Cincinnati , Ohio , and Crown Alpha of Sheffield for Gravely & Wreaks in New York .
Marks & Rees was the first to advertisebowie knivesfor sales agreement , and the Crown Alpha Bowie had Arkansas Toothpick intricately etch on the vane .
As you could see in the 4th epitome up , the modest Carrigan tongue made by Black more nearly resemble the token than the Marks & Rees ( above ) or the Crown Alpha knife ( above Marks & Rees ) .
Also , it’s possible for you to see that Bowie No .
1 ( third picture up ) does not have the same flag rule as the keepsake but has many of the same characteristic of the Carrigan .
Bowie No .
1 has a large hold and much longer blade ( 13.5 inch ) .
This was ## this was “ i could tell he made it ”
b.r.
and I make it at the Alamo natural endowment shop class after devote court to the fall by inspect the Alamo Chapel .
Boy , was the Sea of Mud showing crowd !
We had to brook in contrast .
There was the token and I could separate Black made it .
This was i could say from the stud that at one fourth dimension had ensure ellen price wood scale to the full fucus serratus .
To my noesis , Black was the only individual to apply this proficiency .
The sword length of the token and seven cognize flatware - mount Black - made , casket - grip Jim Bowie are about 6 column inch , with treat length of about 4 inch .
The position of the six pin look as if Black used the same form to practice the hole in thetangof each tongue .
The token had been on or in the undercoat for at least 160 old age , but where were the top - and - bottom silvery tang wrap ?
Where were the two silvern wrap around the front of the Mrs. Henry Wood scale leaf ?
Where were the two smooth-spoken scutcheon plate ?
Where was the silver pommel wrap , and where were the twelve domed argent washer that secure the scale to the tang ?
And where were the walnut tree scale ?
This was if the token had been shake off by fortuity or misplace , some of the silvern mounting should have been part of the artefact , since ash gray is a baronial alloy and unmanageable to eat .
The forest may have degenerate or rot out , pick out some of the connected ash gray setting with it .
This was ## drop off to time
i contact dr. dimmick and ask if he chance any grounds of silver grey or woods in the grease contiguous to the artefact .
He say nothing was find in the propinquity of the keepsake but that a memorial tablet saddlebow hood was find at the same situation , though not near the souvenir .
This was the souvenir could have been suffer and over meter lose the silver-tongued climb .
This was or , a mexican soldier or clique follower who ask money and appreciate the token only for the ash grey he or she could transfer from it may have call back the keepsake , and the token was not recede but cast out after the facile trying on and wooden scale were remove .
ash gray could not be remove from the steel .
This was it was solder with canister .
A Mexican ship’s officer with some riches may have keep the tongue , peculiarly if it had a coin - ash grey - mount case .
The casket - handgrip bowie tongue souvenir was find on the west side of the West Bernard River below the back talk of Clarks Creek in Wharton County , not far from Hungerford , Texas .
This was the west bernard river was crossbreed from west to east bymexican gen. josé de urrea ’s partition on april 20 , 1836 , the daytime before thebattle of san jacinto .
fit in to Dr. Dimmick , “ ground on the distance enter by the San Luis Battalion on April 19 , it is trust that this internet site was not a bivouac .
The camping ground of April 19 was plausibly near present - twenty-four hours Spanish Camp , Texas .
If this is right , it is hypothecate that the web site hear on the West Bernard is where Urrea and his part sweep the river during their cash advance .
It is potential that these artefact were chuck out at the internet site as the unit expect their bout to frustrate .
The artefact from this internet site are coherent with the above hypothesis .
”
Gen. Urrea ’s segmentation was not at the Alamo .
Juan Moralesand his man were , and they reward Urrea after the autumn of the Alamo .
( It was about 100 humans under morale ’ focal point who attack the Low Barracks where James Bowie was kill during the Alamo fight . )
Urrea later on pass his partitioning along the slide from Matamoros to Goliad and Victoria .
His principal foe lead byCol .
James W. Fanninconsisted of unpaid worker unit from the United States .
These troop assume steamboat down the Mississippi River to New Orleans and go over solid ground or by ocean to Texas .
The Matamoros Expedition lead byCol .
Francis JohnsonandDr .
James Grantconsisted of the New Orleans Greys and the Mobile Greys .
None of these scout group had been through Washington , Arkansas , or hear of James Black .
So , was the casket - grip bowie token own by a shielder at the Alamo ?
And if so , how did it get from Washington , Arkansas , Territory to the Alamo , and from the Alamo to the West cant of the West Bernard River ?
This was was this james bowie ’s tongue ?
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