shaun7
Gold Member
i spent the day yesterday cleaning the back of a livery button i found a few weeks ago. I could see letters on it so i did it out of boredom!
Anyway, i found the makers and the date as it has their name and address on the back of the button
Thought i'd try and find out what the shop is today and found this
Firman & Sons, London, England
"In order to obtain military supplies and equipment from Europe the Confederate States Navy sent Commander James D. Bulloch, C.S.N. to England early in the war and his venture was highly successful. One of his main contacts along this line was the old and established house of military outfitters, Firman & Sons, 153 Strand and 12 Conduit Street, London, whose name and address is found stamped upon the backs of the very rare Confederate navy buttons and also etched on the ricasso of a few of the very rare Confederate naval officer's swords. The design of these closely follow those described under Courtney & Tennant and it is probably that Robert Mole & Sons made the weapons for both. Another type sword bearing Firman's name and with Confederate markings recently turned up. Generally it follows the two branched iron guarded British light cavalry sabre of 1822 from which our own dragoon model 1833 was copied. The obverse of the 32 1/2" etched blade contains, as a portion of its decoration, a Stars and Bars flag superimposed over an anchor (identical to the regulation Confederate naval officer's sword)....The iron guard precludes the sword from being navy. The anchor indicates it was not for the army or the cavalry, but related to sea service. This leaves only the marines. We assume the "CM" on the blade back strands for "Confederate Marines". To somewhat strengthen this assumption is an account of the C.S.S. Atlanta, June 17,1863, Port Royal, S.C. "James Thurston (one of the prisoners), 1st Lieutenant, C.S. Marine Corps has a sword and a in one it is, with equipment's, made by Firman & Sons, 153 Strand and 13 Conduit Sts., London...."
William Albaugh, A Photographic Supplement to Confederate Swords
didn't know we got involved!
here's the button anyway![:-\](https://www.treasurenet.com/smilies/undecided.gif "Undecided :-\")
Anyway, i found the makers and the date as it has their name and address on the back of the button
Thought i'd try and find out what the shop is today and found this
Firman & Sons, London, England
"In order to obtain military supplies and equipment from Europe the Confederate States Navy sent Commander James D. Bulloch, C.S.N. to England early in the war and his venture was highly successful. One of his main contacts along this line was the old and established house of military outfitters, Firman & Sons, 153 Strand and 12 Conduit Street, London, whose name and address is found stamped upon the backs of the very rare Confederate navy buttons and also etched on the ricasso of a few of the very rare Confederate naval officer's swords. The design of these closely follow those described under Courtney & Tennant and it is probably that Robert Mole & Sons made the weapons for both. Another type sword bearing Firman's name and with Confederate markings recently turned up. Generally it follows the two branched iron guarded British light cavalry sabre of 1822 from which our own dragoon model 1833 was copied. The obverse of the 32 1/2" etched blade contains, as a portion of its decoration, a Stars and Bars flag superimposed over an anchor (identical to the regulation Confederate naval officer's sword)....The iron guard precludes the sword from being navy. The anchor indicates it was not for the army or the cavalry, but related to sea service. This leaves only the marines. We assume the "CM" on the blade back strands for "Confederate Marines". To somewhat strengthen this assumption is an account of the C.S.S. Atlanta, June 17,1863, Port Royal, S.C. "James Thurston (one of the prisoners), 1st Lieutenant, C.S. Marine Corps has a sword and a in one it is, with equipment's, made by Firman & Sons, 153 Strand and 13 Conduit Sts., London...."
William Albaugh, A Photographic Supplement to Confederate Swords
didn't know we got involved!
here's the button anyway
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