Civil War Sword From A Federal Officer; History In Hand Is Always An Honour

The transitions of The Bog. Photos by Rob Currie

United States Medical Staff Sword from the American Civil War, owned by Federal Army Surgeon from Illinois. Was worn during battles in the deep south.

THE FEELING OF HISTORY - HOLDING A CIVIL WAR SWORD IS PRETTY NEAT

THE PERKS OF THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION

      A FRIEND OF OURS, AND BUSINESS ASSOCIATE, JUST THIS MOMENT, BROUGHT US IN, BRAND SPANKING NEW, TWO AND A HALF DOZEN, FARM FRESH EGGS. MUSKOKA COLLECTABLES OF THE "EATING-KIND." HE WOULDN'T TAKE ANY MONEY. IT'S CRAZY AROUND HERE. GADS, WE GET ALL KINDS OF FREE STUFF. WE TRY TO OFFER RE-PAYMENT, BUT WE'RE SELDOM EVER SUCCESSFUL. SO WE DO THE ONLY OTHER THING POSSIBLE. SUZANNE OFFERS THEM OUR FRESH BAKED COOKIES AS A MINOR RE-PAYMENT. SINCE WE HAVE BEEN ON THIS MAIN STREET, AS PART OF THE RETAIL COMMUNITY, I CAN'T ADEQUATELY EXPLAIN, THE INCREDIBLE NUMBER OF KIND GESTURES, AND DONATIONS OF ARTICLES, WE'VE RECEIVED. THERE ARE A LOT OF BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND TOWN SITUATIONS WE'RE NOT FUSSY ABOUT, BUT HONESTLY, THE GENEROSITY OF OUR FRIENDS AND CUSTOMERS, IS SOMETHING FANTASTIC, AND THE REASON WE LOVE BEING A HOMETOWN BUSINESS HERE. AND WE DO LIKE TO THINK WE ARE REPRESENTING THIS COMMUNITY, TO THE BEST OF OUR CAPABILiTIES. THE OTHER DAY, WE WERE GIVEN A PUMP ORGAN, FOR GOSH SAKES, BY ANOTHER GENEROUS CITIZEN, WHO HAD GIVEN THE FORMER CHURCH PIECE, TO HIS WIFE, AS A PRE-WEDDING GIFT, MANY YEARS AGO. AS IT WAS IN STORAGE, YET A BEAUTIFUL PIECE TO SHARE WITH OTHER, HE THOUGHT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IT FOR OUR STUDIO. IT'S NOW HERE AND READY TO PLAY. COME HAVE A LOOK. ASK US ABOUT GIVING IT A WHIRL. WHAT NICE PEOPLE WE HAVE IN THIS TOWN AND REGION, WHO ARE ALWAYS WILLING TO SHARE WITH OTHERS.
     IT IS ANOTHER RAINY SPRING DAY. WE DON'T NEED FOR THE WELFARE OF THE WATERSHED. MY LAWN AT BIRCH HOLLOW, FEELS PRETTY MARSHY UNDER-FOOT, AND THE INTERSECTING CREEKS THROUGH THE BOG, ARE SHOWING SOME WHITE-WATER, AS THE VOLUME OF RUN-OFF IS STILL HEAVY FROM THE SPRING MELT OF A MOUNTAIN OF SNOW. IT WOULD BE NICE TO SEE THE SUN FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS, BACK TO BACK, BUT AT LEAST WE DIDN'T SUFFER FROM THE HUNDREDS OF TORNADOES THAT TOUCHED-DOWN IN THE UNITED STATES, THIS WEEK; CAUSING SEVERE DAMAGE AND LOSS OF LIFE. SO WE ARE FORTUNATE AND WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT THIS, WHEN WE START GRUMBLING ABOUT THE GLOOMY DAYS OF SPRING.
      IT DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. SELDOM ACTUALLY. BUT THERE ARE A FEW OCCASIONS, WHEN WE GET LUCKY. SOMETHING IS WALKED INTO OUR DOMAIN, THAT REALLY APPEALS TO OUR INNER HISTORIAN. WHEN IT DOES, WELL, YOU HAVE TO PAUSE FOR A LITTLE HISTORIC RECREATION. TRUE, WE GET OUR JOLLIES FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES THAN MOST OTHERS. WHEN, FOR EXAMPLE, A FRIEND ASKS YOU TO DO A LITTLE RESEARCH ON AN ARTIFACT THEY OWN. NOT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO SELL THE ITEM. RATHER, THEY WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE ANTIQUE OR COLLECTABLE, AND OFTEN, VALUE HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH THE EXERCISE. THEY JUST WANT TO KNOW THE HISTORY OF THE MAKER, THE DATE IT WAS CRAFTED, WHERE IT WAS MADE, WHERE IT WAS USED, AND ANY OTHER RELATED PROVENANCE WE CAN FIND. YOU PROBABLY HAVE HEIRLOOM PIECES THAT YOU KNOW A LITTLE ABOUT, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS YOU WOULD LIKE. WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF CURIOUS COLLECTABLES LIKE THIS, THAT WE'RE STILL WORKING ON. SO, TO SOME DEGREE, WE'VE FAILED OURSELVES, BY NOT BEING ABLE TO NAVIGATE CERTAIN OBSTACLES OF INFORMATION GATHERING. WE CAN'T GUARANTEE, WE'RE ALWAYS GOING TO BE SPOT-ON WITH OUR INVESTIGATIONS. BUT IT SURE IS NICE WHEN YOU CAN RETRIEVE AND RE-ASSEMBLE, THE MAJOR PIECES OF THE PUZZLE. EACH PRESENTS SPECIAL CHALLENGES AND WE LIKE THAT, BECAUSE SUZANNE AND I WERE BORN TO COMPETE. JUST GO AHEAD AND TELL US THERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN'T DO! WE MIGHT FAIL AT IT, BUT WE'VE FALLEN OFF THE PROVERBIAL HORSE MANY TIMES.
     JUST TO BE CLEAR, WE AREN'T RUNNING ANTIQUE APPRAISAL CLINICS, OR CHARGING A FEE FOR OUR SERVICES. IT'S SIMPLY BECAUSE WE'RE NOT EXPERTS OR QUALIFIED APRAISORS, SUCH THAT WE COULD PROVIDE VALUATIONS FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES. AS WE ARE ALWAYS LEARNING, MOSTLY BY IMMERSION, WE, ALMOST DAILY, COME FACE TO FACE WITH OUR LIMITATIONS. WE ADMIT TO OURSELVES OPENLY, AND WITHOUT RESERVATION, THAT WE HAVE SHORTFALLS. ADMITTING WE NEED TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SOMETHING, WE'RE HANDLING AT THE TIME, ISN'T A SIGN OF WEAKNESS. EVEN WHEN WE DO PURCHASE ARTICLES OVER THE COUNTER, WE ALWAYS INSIST ON TIME TO RESEARCH THE ITEM(S), BEFORE WE MAKE A DEAL. I'M CERTAINLY NOT A MIRROR OF PATIENCE, AS A CIVILIAN, YET IN THE ANTIQUE BUY AND SELL, IT'S AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE JOB, TO BE PATIENT AND OBSESSIVE ABOUT PROVENANCE, QUALITY, AND CONDITION. BUT IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A GOOD DEAL, YOU HAVE TO POSSESS ALL THE PERTINENT INFORMATION. AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, THIS IS NOT A PROFESSION THAT HAS A LIMIT TO WHAT YOU CAN LEARN, TO BE A TRUE SCHOLAR OF ANTIQUITIES ETC.
    WE CAN DEFINITELY PROVIDE INFORMATION TO INFILL THE STORY, BUT ALAS, POSSIBLY NOT THE CONCLUDING CHAPTER. WE GIVE IT OUR BEST TRY. WE DO KNOW MUSKOKA COLLECTABLES BETTER THAN MOST, BUT LESS THAN SOME OF MY COLLECTOR FRIENDS, LIKE BOB BOOTH, WHO I CONSIDER A SORT OF PROFESSOR OF ALL THINGS MUSKOKA. FOR BOB, WHO IS AS MUCH AN HISTORIAN AS SOMEONE WITH A FRAMED DIPLOMA, AND UNIVERSITY CREDITS, HAS SUCH A DEEP AND PROFOUND LOVE AND RESPECT FOR REGIONAL AND CANADIAN HISTORY, THAT I CAN'T RESIST ENGAGING HIM IN HERITAGE DISCUSSIONS EVERY TIME WE MEET. SUZANNE SAID YESTERDAY, WHEN HE VISITED, THAT WE SHOULD REALLY TAPE RECORD OUR TALKS FOR THE POSTERITY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS OF HISTORICAL-TYPES. I'VE BEEN MARRIED TO THE WOMAN THIRTY-ONE YEARS, AND I STILL DON'T KNOW WHEN SHE'S MAKING FUN OF ME. I THINK SHE WAS SINCERE ABOUT THIS PART.
    ACTUALLY, I WORKED ON A PROJECT, FOR THE MUSKOKA BOARD OF EDUCATION, BACK IN 1978, WITH THE MANDATE OF RECORDING HERITAGE TALKS, WITH MUSKOKA'S SENIOR CITIZENS; THE IDEA WAS TO CREATE A HERITAGE RESOURCE KIT, FOR LOCAL STUDIES, AND I THINK IT'S STILL BEING USED BY THE TRILLIUM LAKELAND DISTRICT SHCOOL BOARD. SO I KIND OF AGREE, THAT ONE DAY, WE SHOULD JUST PLOP DOWN A MICROPHONE, AND START TRADING SOME COLLECTOR STORIES, LIKE WE DID FOR THREE HOURS YESTERDAY. DO YOU KNOW WHAT? NOT ONCE IN THE MARATHON CONVERSATION, DID WE BRING UP MONEY, OR APPRAISED VALUES. WE DISCUSSED THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SOME OF OUR MOST MEMORABLE FINDS, NOT HOW MUCH WE COULD, OR HAD PROFITED FROM THEM, AT THE TIME OF SALE. MOST OF OUR CHERISHED PIECES, TRUTH BE KNOWN, ARE STILL IN OUR RESPECTIVE COLLECTIONS.
    I ALWAYS ATTACH MYSELF TO PEOPLE, LIKE BOB, WHO HAVE A SIMILAR AFFECTIONS FOR ARTIFACTS, OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS, AND THEIR PLACE IN OUR CHRONICLE. I HAD THESE SAME NO-HOLDS BARRED DISCUSSIONS WITH HISTORIANS LIKE DAVE BROWN, HUGH MACMILLAN, ED PHELPS AND WAYLAND DREW IN THE PAST, AND ALWAYS CAME OUT OF THEM, A LITTLE EXHAUSTED, BUT THOROUGHLY DELIGHTED WITH WHAT NEW INFORMATION I HAD ACQUIRED. TALKING ABOUT THE LEGACY OF BIRCH BARK CANOES, WITH EXPERT, RICK NASH, WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE CASUAL TUTORIALS. WHAT A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE THIS MAN POSSESSES OF THOSE LEGENDARY WATERCRAFT, BUILT BY THE FIRST NATION PEOPLE, OF NORTH AMERICA. THERE'S A LOT TO BE SAID ABOUT LEARNING BY IMMERSION, AND EXPOSURE, TO WHAT WE WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT.
    I MAY NOT HAVE LIKED HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY, BUT EVERYTHING SINCE HAS BEEN A BLAST. I TELL THIS TO STARTING-OUT COLLECTORS, AND SOON-TO-BE DEALERS, WHENEVER I'M AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY. THIS KIND OF LEARNING IS OUTRAGEOUS FUN. SOMETIMES SO MUCH, THAT IT SEEMS FRIVOLOUS. NOT SO! AS A HALLMARK, IT IS HOWEVER, AS MUCH A MEANS OF STABILITY, IN A PROFESSION THAT CAN GO WONKY FAST, THRUSTING ONE DOWN INTO A DEEP PIT OF REGRET. WHEN MISTAKES, SOME MORE CAREER THREATENING THAN OTHERS, ARE MADE, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE, CAN HELP FOSTER A SPEEDY, AND EFFECTIVE RECOVERY. AND BECAUSE KNOWLEDGE IS A LOAD-BEARING PILLAR OF ALL LEVELS OF COLLECTING, THROUGH WHAT COULD BE A LONG CAREER, ONGOING EDUCATION, IN ALL ITS FORMS, PROVIDES A RELIABLE PLATFORM ON WHICH TO BUILD. IT'S JUST PART OF THE OLD BALL GAME. ASK VETERAN DEALERS AND COLLECTORS IF THIS IS THE CASE. ASK THEM ABOUT THEIR MOST SERIOUS ERROR IN JUDGEMENT, AS COLLECTORS, AND THE TIMES THEY MISTAKENLY IDENTIFIED A PIECE, AND SOLD IT OFF FOR A FRACTION OF THE VALUE. WE'VE ALL DONE IT. SPENT TOO MUCH ON ACQUISITIONS, AND GOT TOO LITTLE RETURN ON OUR INVESTMENTS. IN EACH CASE, IT WAS THE RESULT OF NOT KNOWING AS MUCH AS WE SHOULD HAVE, TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS. I STILL WATCH DEALER ASSOCIATES TAKING BIG RISKS, ON CERTAIN ANTIQUE PIECES, THAT I WOULDN'T TOUCH, AS THEY SAY, "WITH A BARGE POLE." SOMETIMES I'M WRONG, AND THEY SELL THE ITEMS FOR A LARGE PROFIT. SOMETIMES, I FEEL VALIDATED, WHEN THEY COME TO ME, TO SEE IF I'LL BUY IT FROM THEM, FOR SALE IN MY SHOP. IT ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN.
    WITH OUR HISTORICAL BACKGROUND, AND RESEARCH SKILLS, WE CAN, IN MOST CASES, IDENTIFY ARTIFACTS AND ANTIQUES, TO A CERTAIN POINT OF CLARIFICATION. WHICH MEANS, SOME INFORMATION WILL NEVER BE KNOWN, BECAUSE A PREVIOUS OWNER TOOK THE STORY TO HIS OR HER GRAVE. IN SOME CASES, THIS MIGHT MEAN "MANY GRAVES" OVER THE GENERATIONS OF PAST OWNERS. WE DO WHAT WE CAN, AND FOR SOME OF THE MORE INTERESTING PIECES, WE ASK, AS PAYMENT, TO BE ABLE TO DO A STORY ON THE ARTICLE FOR THIS BLOG, OR PUBLICATIONS OF WHICH I AM AFFILIATED. CHANCES ARE, WHAT INTERESTS US, WILL BE OF GENERAL INTEREST TO OTHERS. WE LIKE SHARING THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING AROUND THESE HEIRLOOM PIECES. AND BY THE WAY, THE "HEIRLOOM" ASPECT IS USUALLY WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT, SUCH AS IN THE CASE OF THE CIVIL WAR ERA CEREMONIAL SWORD, PHOTOGRAPHED ABOVE. IT'S NOT FOR SALE BUT WE'RE SO GLAD WE HAD THE CHANCE TO EXPLORE ITS RICH LEGACY, WHICH GOES BACK TO THE PRESENTATION YEAR, 1862, AND THE MEDICAL CORP OF THE FEDERAL ARMY.
     IRONIC, THAT I HAVE JUST BEEN WRITING ABOUT A CIVIL WAR BOOK, I OWN, SIGNED BY A CONFEDERATE ARMY SOLDIER, AND WATCHING THE MOVIE "GETTYSBURG," STARRING (IN A MINOR CAPACITY OF SOLDIERING), OUR OLD FRIEND, TOM BROOKS, OF GRAVENHURST, RE-ENACTING THE EPIC BATTLE. KARMA? COINCIDENCE? WHEN OUR FAMILY FRIEND CAME INTO THE SHOP, WITH THE CIVIL WAR SWORD, TUCKED UNDER HIS ARM, AND THE BUTTONS OF THE DOCTOR'S FEDERAL UNIFORM, IN A NICE FRAME, GADS, WE WERE SPEECHLESS. FOR HOURS, THAT FIRST DAY, WE HANDED THE SWORD BACK AND FORTH AMONGST OUR FAMILY MEMBERS, AND HAD OUR RESPECTIVE POINTY NOSES, GLUED TO THE GLASS OF THE SHADOW BOX, TO EXAMINE WHAT A CIVIL WAR COAT BUTTON LOOKED LIKE. WHILE YOU CAN GET A LOT OF INFORMATION FROM MUSEUMS, BOOKS AND ONLINE SEARCHES, SOMETIMES, THE REAL TREAT FOR THE HISTORIAN, IS TO ACTUALLY HOLD THE ARTIFACT; IMAGINING ALL THE IMPORTANT PLACES, BATTLEFIELDS, AND HISTORIC MEETINGS, WITH SOME OF THE LEGENDARY LEADERS OF THE ARMY. WONDERING ALOUD, WHEE THIS SWORD, FOR EXAMPLE, WAS WORN, FOR THE DURATION OF THE CIVIL WAR, FROM THE DATE OF ITS PRESENTATION. YES, WE THINK THIS KIND OF ANTIQUE IS PRETTY NEAT. BUT LET ME TELL YOU, THERE'S AN UNMISTAKABLE VIBE ATTACHED TO THIS SMALL COLLECTION, AND FOR HISTORY LOVERS LIKE US, IT'S LIKE A DOOR OPENING TO THE PAST, JUST TO HOLD IT FOR A FEW MOMENTS. THE SADDEST PART IS GIVING IT BACK. ONE THING WE ALL AGREE, IS THAT WE'RE UNLIKELY TO EVER HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HOLD A CIVIL WAR SWORD, IN OUR OUTSTRETCHED HANDS, EVER AGAIN. SO YES, "THE ONCE IN A LIFETIME" SITUATION IS ENTIRELY RELEVANT, AND WILL HELP US DEAL WITH AUTHENTICITY ISSUES, AND EVALUATIONS, LONG INTO THE FUTURE. ONE THING ABOUT IT, WE'D KNOW IF ANOTHER SWORD WAS THE REAL MCCOY OR A COPY, AFTER THIS RARE OPPORTUNITY, OF HOLDING, WHAT IS A TRUE AND GENUINE SURVIVOR OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
     WE HAVE BEEN KINDLY AFFORDED THIS OPPORTUNITY, TO SHOW THE MILITARY RELIC TO YOU KIND FOLKS.

SPRING RAIN, ALONE IN THE MIST

One moment, I swear that a canoe is passing somewhere close, as I can so clearly hear the thrust and then ease of the paddle against the current. It’s impossible, of course, because the creeks that dissect the Bog are tiny, and the ponds are shallow, dotted with the hazards of fallen trees and large clumps of earth, matted grasses from some previous flood and erosion.

If you stand here long enough today, in this dimly lit environs, you will swear to have heard footsteps coming toward you along the trail, and thought someone, somewhere close, had whispered your name. In the mist and low light in the thickets, you might see a ghost....a shadowy image wavering between the trees and crossed branches. At other times you will only sense a soft, regular heartbeat within, and the touch of damp cold against your skin. There will be an unsettling silence. Not a trace of wind or sound of even a single raindrop falling onto a leaf, or exploding into the stillness of the tiny black pool of water to your left or right. As the mist becomes heavier, as it blows off the expanse of Muskoka Bay, it will become very haunted in this Bog, as if an English moor, where one might expect, at any moment, to see the silhouette of Sherlock Holmes himself, in hunt of the elusive Hound of the Baskervilles. The mood will change many times today as the rainfall becomes heavier, and this fog moves further inland by late morning. Now it is a feast for the imagination, to be standing here pondering what other mysteries and supernatural events might be revealed.

Even after a half hour of wandering this Bogland, I can still hear the sound of that phantom canoe, its hull trickling the water along its invisible traverse......the water droplets falling from the tip of the paddle blade. I don’t know what has been making these familiar sounds yet I know it can not be what I imagine. It is probably a blocked-up cataract, and a diversion of water down a narrow artery, making this pushing, tinkling sound. With the high ridges of matted grasses, and mounds in the landscape created by old stumps, it’s impossible to see all the little creeks and waterfalls that exist throughout this wetland acreage. It is a haven for anyone with a vivid imagination.

There have been occasions in the last few minutes, when the wind has picked up and sent a spray of icy rain over this ridge, causing the voyeur to button up his coat and pull down the hat that was almost raised in flight. A stronger curl of wind tightens across the lake, and soon it will push up over the rock shoreline, and rush across these pine ridges and unthawing bogland. It will push away the rest of the fog and reveal the brown, barren ground of early spring.

Even in the most adverse weather, there is a splendor to these woods, this lowland, that I cherish with every mortal fibre. Even amidst its dull colorations, and matted grasses and fallen over trees, there is a beauty of life that overpowers shallow observation, and narrow, unimaginative contemplation. It is the rebirth of a season, and it is our own time for resurgence and discovery, and this path will take me from here to there in adventure, around the year, till once more, a winter snow will capture my footprints in its icy mantle.

I feel a tug at my coat sleeve and look to see who beckons. I turn quickly to witness who it is that whispers my name. I will swear to having seen some other watcher in the woods, waft as a mist down a distant path into the basin, and I will tremble a wee bit, about my lonely, vulnerable vigil in this grandly haunted place. I trust that some artist will stumble upon this place one day soon, a poet wandering aimlessly along life’s path, a musician plucking at some stringed instrument, and find this tiny parcel of nature a perfectly enchanted place in which to muse....., to create and be delighted by the convergence of all natural and supernatural qualities and quantities.....as if at the very invitation of C.S. Lewis to explore and taste the fruit not forbidden.