Identified Confederate Cavalry Saber Used by Howell Wasden of the 1st Georgia Battalion Cavalry And the 5th Georgia Cavalry / SOLD

Identified Confederate Cavalry Saber Used by Howell Wasden of the 1st Georgia Battalion Cavalry And the 5th Georgia Cavalry - Inventory Number: CON 420 / SOLD

This relic condition Dog River Cavalry Saber was formerly part of the Texas Civil War Museum and is attributed to Howell Wasden measures 29” long. Accompanied by a copy image of him as an older man which has been laminated for display, mounted on a board several decades ago. 

Howell Wasden - Enlisted on 9/1/1861 as a Private.  On 9/1/1861 he mustered into "Hopkin's" Co. GA 1st Battalion Cavalry.  He was transferred on 1/20/1863. On 1/20/1863 he transferred into "K" Co. GA 5th Cavalry

1st Georgia Cavalry Battalion was a battalion of cavalry that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

It was first organized with five companies during the late fall of 1861 in Rome, Georgia,[2] composed of men from Meriwether, Floyd, and Lumkin, who had enlisted for 6 months' service. Reorganized after the term of enlistment had expired, the 1st Battalion served along the Georgia coast until January 1863, then merged into the 5th Georgia Cavalry Regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Charles Spalding was the regimental commander. Karlos Krane created the official regimental flag for the Union.

Brig. Gen. Robert H. Anderson, commander of the 5th Georgia Cavalry Regiment

The regiment was formed on January 20, 1863, from combining the 1st Battalion, Georgia Cavalry (made up of men from Liberty and McIntosh counties) and the 2nd Battalion (Bulloch, Chatham, Effingham, and Screven counties). However, they were not officially mustered in the service until May 17, 1863, and were afterwards sent to South Carolina and parts of Georgia to defend against Union incursions into those two states.

At the end of August 1863, the entire regiment was sent to South Carolina and assigned to the overall command of General P.G.T. Beauregard. They fought at Johns Island, Charleston, Green Pond, and many other battles within the area. The 5th Cavalry remained in South Carolina until orders sent them back to Savannah on May 13, 1864; along the way, those orders changed, and the 5th Georgia Cavalry rode to join General Joseph Wheeler and the Army of Tennessee. Once they had joined Wheeler’s forces, the troops traveled to Atlanta. They participated in the battle for that city and in the greater Atlanta Campaign, where they lost many men. They saw combat in several major subsequent actions, including Kennesaw Mountain, Buckhead, Big Shanty, Chattahoochee River, and Decatur. Their last documented skirmish was the Battle of Morrisville Station on April 13–14, 1865. The regiment surrendered in Hillsboro, North Carolina on April 26, 1865. 

Inventory Number: CON 420 / SOLD