Civil Arms weaponry is studied and written about ad nauseum, and there’s not much I can say here about this bayonet that hasn’t already been written somewhere else. So instead of offering an exhaustive history of the M1816 bayonet, I’ll instead focus on how it might have come to rest in a northern Granville County homestead.
This is a tale of not one, but two North Carolina towns. And a business. And a rural institution.
Country auctions are a staple of rural communities. Most of them are the same; the estate of a deceased member of the community laid out in rows on their lawn, driveway, and anywhere else there’s space. A troop of local Boy Scouts, the Ladies’ Auxiliary, or some other community group with a stand selling food and drink. An eager throng of potential buyers eyeing the goods for that elusive “treasure”. And the auctioneer’s chanter; part salesman, part showman and on-the-spot expert on anything and everything being sold. If you’ve never been to an auction, I highly recommend it.