This Model 1850 Foot Officers Sword was used by Lieutenant Joseph W. Brooks, Company G, 33rd Missouri Infantry. The scabbard is inscribed “Presented to Lt. J. W. Brooks, 33rd Missouri Vol. Inf. by a few of his friends.”
Lieutenant Brooks was mustered into service in September 1862 in St. Louis as a second lieutenant. Brooks received a fatal gunshot wound to the head on July 4, 1863, at the Battle of Helena, Arkansas. His possessions, including his sword, were delivered to his uncle, Rev. Joseph Brooks, the regiment’s chaplain.
Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 30201