Presentation Sword of Major Bedan B. McDonald 101^st Ohio Infantry   

SOLD $9,600.00 SOLD

McDonald enlisted on August 30, 1862 as Captain and was commissioned into "C" Company. He became Major in December of 1862, was a POW at Chickamauga September 1863, promoted to LT. Col. in February 1864 (just after his escape from Libby Prison), was wounded at Franklin, Tennessee November 1864, and mustered out June 12, 1865. 

Excerpts from IN AND OUT OF LIBBY PRISON by Charles Warrington Earle in the book MILITARY ESSAYS and RECOLLECTIONS Vol. I, lists Major McDonald as one of the working party who worked on the tunnel from which the men escaped Libby Prison on February 9, 1864.   According to Earle:

They removed a brick from the fireplace in order to gain access to the cellar that was under the next room which would give them a way to the to an outside wall and a chance for tunneling.  They first made a tunnel with the intention of tapping the sewer between the prison and the canal.  This proved to be too odorous.  A new working party began a new tunnel, and Earle listed Major McDonald as one of the 14 men in this group (page 275).  "The distance to be tunneled was from 70 to 80 feet, although it has been estimated by some at 100 feet.  The man at work was obliged to recline face downward; and the tools at his command were only common knives, small hatchets, sharp pieces of wood, and a broken fire-shovel...The time required for the construction of this tunnel was nearly three weeks..."  The tunnel was opened on the night of Feb. 8, 1964 but it was on the wrong side of the fence, and in plain sight of the guards with loaded muskets! The tunnel was immediately closed, and continued another two feet, where an opening was made in a safe place.  The next night the exodus began.  Only one man could go through the tunnel at a time as it was just barely large enough to worm through.  Once out they were in the middle of the Confederate capitol and had to walk down a carriage-way less than 300 feet from 6 armed men.  Earle writes: "This was one of the most dangerous points we passed during the escape, and in many respects the most wonderful.  How these guards could stand there and see the number of persons on Canal Street walking away from them, and not passing, and not have their suspicions aroused, is almost a miracle...109 men passed out, and not one, so far as I am informed, was even halted by the prison guards."

This sword was presented to Major McDonald by the Masons in honor of his bravery.  It is 37 3/4" long with a 32" long etched blade (see photos below).  The grip is beautifully crafted of silver wrapped with tiny, bright copper wire.  The guard and pommel cap are brass.  The sword was made by Virgil Price who  specialized in quality presentation swords during the Civil War.  The blade was imported from W. Clauberg, one of the fine producers of edged weapons located in Soligen, Germany.

The presentation reads:

 "Presented to Major McDonald by the undersigned as a small token of their esteem for him as a Brother and admiration of him as a brave Soldier. R Kelley, CG Gottschall, GW Morgan, M Kelly, JA Lindsey, J Robinson, J Mathers, E Brown, WG Raynor, EW Bishop, J Green, J Valentine."