For sale is an original Confederate Bowie knife that was made from a blacksmith file. With the Union naval blockade making it difficult to import European edge weapons or the material to make edge weapons the south had to find an alternative means to produce these weapons. One such way was to recycle old worn out blacksmith files and forge them into knives of various size and design. Examples of knives in this same style can be seen in the book “Confederate Bowie Knives” by Josh Phillips, John Sexton, and Jack Melton. The knife came out of a home located in southwest Virginia close to the Virginia and North Carolina border, it measures a hair over 12 inches with the blade being 1 3/4” at its widest point. We know it was made from an old file from the cross hatch lines still visible in the blade. The tang of the blade goes all the way through the wood handle and is pinned at the end with a square washer. The cross guard is 2.5” in length and is made from iron. Upon examining the handle you can see the bleeding of the iron cross guard and square washer into the wood handle being a clear indicator of the knife’s age making it easy to identify it as an original. This knife has little to no damage and is in outstanding condition, a prime example of the early war efforts by the southern states to arm and equip our soldiers! And will make for a wonderful addition to your collection!