Swords and Sabers
"Many swords sabers and knives were used in the civil war, including: Model 1832 Foot Artillery Sword, Model 1832 Dragoon Saber, Model 1840 Light Artillery Saber, Model 1840 Army Noncommissioned Officers’ Sword, Model 1840 Cavalry Saber, Model 1860 Light Cavalry Saber, M1860 Cutlass, Model 1850 Army Staff & Field Officers’ Sword, the Mameluke sword as well as the Bowie knife." - History.net Swords in the civil war were used as the 'honorable' form of combat. Young men romanticized the idea of fighting with swords like pirates, as they grew up with stories of famous pirates, and had heard of "legendary" instances during the revolutionary war where soldiers dueled one another when they ran out of ammunition. There is no way of knowing whether or not these duels were real, but they influenced the decisions of the young men nonetheless.