UNION COLONEL'S BULLET-STRUCK SWORD A very ornate Model 1850 field officer's sword once belonging to Col. William P. Richardson of the 25th Ohio Volunteers. The sword measures 40" overall with a 33" blade bearing a U.S. motif thereon, with a brass guard that also bears a "U.S." cast into it. The scabbard is metal with brass mounts and drag, and the top mount engraved with a shield and "U.S." along with a contemporary inscription: "Col. W. P. Rds. 25th O.V.I. ". The middle mount bears a floral design, and the drag has been engraved with a scroll containing the motto: "One Destiny". Richardson was severely wounded in the right shoulder at Chancellorsville, and he was wearing this sword when another bullet hit the scabbard, most likely saving his leg. The scabbard shows the impact of the bullet that damaged the lower hanger mount, and a small 3/8" x 1/2" square outline of cloth pattern is actually embossed in the metal, caused by the weave of his sash! The force of the bullet was so great that it split the metal of the scabbard from the drag all the way to the top and bent the lower hanger support. A solder repair was done to the scabbard in an attempt to save the battlefield memento. Richardson must have also had the sword unsheathed while directing his troops when the bullet hit as there is no damage to the sword itself. He was forced out of the war for eight months as a result of his wound, and was made brevet brigadier general for war service in 1864. Included is an extensive archive containing Richardson's military records, copy photographs of the general, and letters of provenance tracing the sword's history from its purchase from an ancestor to the present. A rare identified item with a battle scarred history. $4,000-5,000