Francis Henry Thomson
"The Sword Maker of the Confederacy"
By D Colin Young and/or Gordon B. Smith
Fall, 1994 Footstones, page 3

At the outbreak of the War for Southern Independence in 1861 the South was primarily an agrarian culture with few factories. Prior to hostilities, weapons had been supplied by Northern factories. The Southern armies were forced to rely on stockpiles already in the south and upon arms smuggled through the Union blockade. The majority of these "blockade run" weapons were of English origin. However a few factories were established in Georgia, and among those was the firm of Louis Haiman and Brother in Columbus. The swords produced by this firm were noted for their beauty and quality. The blades for these weapons were wrought by a Savannahian named Francis Henry Thomson.

Francis Thomson was born on May 31, 1836 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, and as a young man moved to Savannah. He was a student of theology but upon the advice of Dr. Richard Arnold he took a position in the blacksmith shop at the Central Railroad. There he completed a five year apprenticeship, becoming a fine steel worker. Following the path of many young men of his day he joined the newly formed Oglethorpe Light Infantry, one of many Savannah militia units. In October of 1859 he married Miss Annie Helen Blance, a fruitful union which bore them nine children, five sons and four daughters.

(missing text)Â… companies were being formed in the area and there was a shortage of swords and sabers. Thomson was asked to try his hand at forging and tempering a sword blade. His first attempt was such a success that two days later he was contracted by the local firm of Louis Haiman and Brother to work for them exclusively. Thomson would make the blades and Haiman would do the finishing and furnish the fittings and scabbards.

It became necessary to enlarge the facilities. Thomson began by building a larger wooden shed to house ten new forges. New equipment, such as bellows, anvils, and sledges, were obtained. Ten Negro blacksmiths were hired and began work on the cast iron bars. Thomson along with other skilled workers ground and finished the blades.

The first large order came from the State of Alabama for one hundred sabers for a cavalry company being formed. Next came orders from the Confederate government for swords and sabers. A second shop with twenty forges was constructed and placed under the superintendence of James McCann, a member of the Savannah Volunteer Guards and a fine blacksmith of the Central Railroad shops. In 1863 there were four hundred workers at the sword plant producing two hundred and fifty swords per day, making the plant the largest of its (missing text)...

Realizing that the large circular saws used by lumber mills were made of high quality steel, the factory dispatched agents to scour the countryside for circular saws to be forged into sword blades. The blades Thomson produced during the war were stamped with his name, "F.H. THOMSON". By this time, Columbus had become a major Confederate Army depot, supplying uniforms, weapons and all manner of accoutrements to the troops. Thomson was named the "Sword Maker of the Confederacy" by Brigadier General Josiah Gorgas and the War Department. His factory, like so much of the South was burned and destroyed by Union troops in April of 1865.

Thomson returned to Savannah in 1870 and six years later was appointed auditor of the Central Railroad and Banking Company, serving in that capacity until 1892. Later he moved to St. Mary's, but once again returned to Savannah in 1911. He took up residence at his son's home in Thunderbolt and it was there that he died on April 1, 1927. At the time of his death, being in his 91st year, Thomson was the oldest member of St. John's Episcopal Church. Francis Henry Thomson was laid to rest in Lot 1886 of Laurel Grove Cemetary.

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