Found a "U.S" Embossed Pocket Knife Today. Military Issue? WWII? WWI? Any Ideas?

[FreeBirdTim]

Found a "U.S" Embossed Pocket Knife Today. Military Issue? WWII? WWI? Any Ideas?

Found a crusty pocket knife in the woods today. It's 3" long and only 1/4" thick. Looked like the outer wooden handles were rotted off, so I just stuffed it my pocket and didn't really check it out. But when I got home and cleaned it up, I realized it was a very thin knife with "U.S." embossed on the sides. It also has stars going around the outer edges of the sides. Is this some sort of military issue knife? Could be a cool find or maybe it's just junk. Any input would be appreciated.

 

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[gunsil]

There were NO US army government issued pocket knives in the Civil War era. The US army did not issue pocket knives until WW2. The pocket knife found here was a private purchase knife not a military issue knife. It is cool, but not a true military relic as anybody could buy one in a store.

 

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[diggummup]

There were NO US army government issued pocket knives in the Civil War era. The US army did not issue pocket knives until WW2. The pocket knife found here was a private purchase knife not a military issue knife. It is cool, but not a true military relic as anybody could buy one in a store.

Correct. Civil War era, patriotic type knife. If found in context with known troop camp sites, battlefields and/or with other CW relics then one could assume a soldier may have carried it. Still a nice relic.

 

[Oddjob]

There were NO US army government issued pocket knives in the Civil War era. The US army did not issue pocket knives until WW2. The pocket knife found here was a private purchase knife not a military issue knife. It is cool, but not a true military relic as anybody could buy one in a store.

Man that makes the find even better. Who ever purchased this must have had some extra money to want a US pocket knife.

So way back then would it be safe to say that mostly Officers (lifers) would have made such a purchase?

 

[diggummup]

Man that makes the find even better. Who ever purchased this must have had some extra money to want a US pocket knife.

So way back then would it be safe to say that mostly Officers (lifers) would have made such a purchase?

I think it'd be safe to say that any Northerner could have purchased it. No self respecting southerner would be caught dead with it. The "US" logo was a Union thing back then as in Union States. That'd be my take on it anyway. Anyone else have any thoughts on that?

 

[FreeBirdTim]

If the knife in the book was found at a Civil War battle site, then it was carried by a Union soldier. Therefore, logic dictates that it's probably not a souvenir knife that any "Northerner" could buy. The fact that it's paper thin with no wooden handles tells me it was meant to be very lightweight and used as a military knife and not sold as a regular knife or as a souvenir.

The modern version in the photo above is the same design as my knife. Thin, lightweight and sleek. Perfect for military use. Doesn't take up much space, doesn't weigh much, but yet a very important part of any soldier's gear. Just my take on it...

 

[diggummup]

The fact remains that any and all pocket knives carried by all Civil War soldiers were private purchase and could be bought by anyone. There were no pocket knives issued by the US military during that era.
I was more or less referring to the specific Northern relation/use of the knife, not whether or not it was military issue. We already know that it wasn't. This is why there are so many different examples of pocket knives found on battlefields etc. Because they were all private purchase.

 

[Worm-Slicer]

That's right about it being private purchase, but it's 100% Civil War Era and everyone has to remember some knives can be very rare valuable and worth big $$$$. Just look at Confederate bowie knives. Those were private purchases also and even in dug condition some of those bring in the thousands. Now this one wouldn't bring that kind of money, but it's still a very rare knife and very much Civil War era despite who carried this particular knife or not. You never can say for certain it was used by a soldier unless you dig it in the middle of a campsite or on a battlefield. It is indeed a Civil War era knife, though, so that's what is most important.

 

[capsmith]

Question, what are the handles made of . They don't look like steel.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

The handles are brass. I know that because of the patina and the fact that the patina is flaking a bit now that the knife is dry.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

There were no pocket knives issued by the US military during that era

Maybe not, but that doesn't mean it wasn't manufactured for military use. A local business here in RI could have manufactured them for the RI regiments. Our state has a long history of making pocket knives, so that's certainly a possibility.

 

[Steve in PA]

Unfortunately I don't have time to scroll through all the responses, but that is a Civil War era knife, similar to this one I found on a Civil War site.

 

[Worm-Slicer]

Sutlers would have also sold these in the Union camps along side other things like I.D. Badges. My gut feeling is a Union soldier had this knife and after the war was over carried it home and eventually it got discarded or lost.

 

[gunsil]

I am not trying to be a stick in the mud here, but if the knife was found in RI it was likely just purchased and lost there. These were never made for the military, sorry Tim, I repeat NEVER. They were just cheap pocket knives with a patriotic logo and likely made well after the war. I see many many posts here about pocket knives found on battlefields, yet have been able to identify most of them as 1900s knives. Remember, most pants at the time of the CW and for some time afterwards didn't have pockets! I do not recall ever seeing pockets on CW Union GI trousers. Most of those battlefields had plenty of hunting and farming activity before and after the war, and many things lost there before and after the war. We find minie balls regularly here in NY state, doesn't meant they are CW at all.

 

[gunsil]

Unfortunately I don't have time to scroll through all the responses, but that is a Civil War era knife, similar to this one I found on a Civil War site.

Your knife here appears to have aluminum handles and aluminum was not readily available until 1886. There were also companies named American Knife Co., I do not think that is a patriotic logo.

 

[Worm-Slicer]

That's no aluminum handle, that's brass and Civil War soldiers DID carry pocket knives, and LOTS of them. I have many many from Civil War campsites of all types including bone handled. That's just misinformation to say soldiers did not carry pocket knives when MOST had one. And pants DID have pockets too. Just look at the dead soldier photos and you can see the pockets turned inside out where other soldiers searched the bodies. I've even found pocket knives in the very bottom of three foot deep Union huts and silly to say soldiers did not have pockets or pocket knives.

 

[Steve in PA]

Your knife here appears to have aluminum handles and aluminum was not readily available until 1886. There were also companies named American Knife Co., I do not think that is a patriotic logo.

That is a brass handle without a doubt. It was soaked in oil, which is why it's not green. This same brand, American Knife, has been found has been found in many Civil War camps. Mine was found on a skirmish line in West Virginia among numerous Spencer casings.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

These were never made for the military, sorry Tim, I repeat NEVER

Sorry, but you cannot prove that. Maybe the U.S. government didn't make them, but that doesn't mean it's not military. As I stated above, it's certainly possible that a local company made them for the troops here in RI.

They were just cheap pocket knives with a patriotic logo and likely made well after the war

Pure speculation on your part. If this knife is a cheap dime store knockoff, why aren't there any around? There have been ZERO on eBay over the last three months and my endless search on Google got me nowhere. The only other one anyone found was posted in a book of Civil War relics. That's proof enough for me.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Your knife here appears to have aluminum handles and aluminum was not readily available until 1886

Sorry, but that other knife is NOT aluminum. Maybe spelter, but definitely not aluminum.

 

[Steve in PA]

Sorry, but you cannot prove that. Maybe the U.S. government didn't make them, but that doesn't mean it's not military. As I stated above, it's certainly possible that a local company made them for the troops here in RI.



Pure speculation on your part. If this knife is a cheap dime store knockoff, why aren't there any around? There have been ZERO on eBay over the last three months and my endless search on Google got me nowhere. The only other one anyone found was posted in a book of Civil War relics. That's proof enough for me.

The brass handled pocket knives with the name in the recessed panel were popular, inexpensive, pocket knives in use at the time of the civil war. As such they were popular with soldiers and civilians alike. No doubt they were sold by sutlers in the Civil War camps. I have found them in Civil War and Civilian contexts. The top one in this pic was found at a mid to late 19th century house site in Pennsylvania, the bottom one at a Civil War skirmish site in West Virginia.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

I've given myself a headache looking for this knife online! It couldn't have been mass produced or I would have found one by now. Guess there's no way to prove the age or whether or not it was meant for military use...