N
athan Starr (April 14, 1755–July 29, 1821) was a major in the Continental Army from Middletown, Connecticut, and as part of his service he forged and repaired swords.
His forging abilities during the war would pay off in the years to follow. In 1798, Starr was awarded the first federal government contract for sword production due to increasing tensions between the United States and Great Britain that ultimately led to the war of 1812. The U.S. Government engaged Starr to create two thousand cavalry sabers. To meet his quick deadline, he employed a wide variety of local craftsmen who performed different stages and processes in the fabrication of each sword. These were all men he was familiar with and whose quality of workmanship met his high standards.
For producing these swords, Starr received payment on December 31, 1798, in the amount of two thousand dollars—one dollar per sword. With his proceeds from this contract, Starr purchased a parcel of prime land on the banks of the Coginchaug River in Middletown where he built a factory to house his ever-growing sword manufacturing business.
In 1808, Starr received another large government contract to produce two thousand more cutlass swords and two thousand pikes for the United States Navy. He delivered this order far ahead of schedule. Starr’s naval swords came to be known as “The Cutlass that Fought the War of 1812.”
Shown here, as part of the collection of the Greene County Historical Society, is a 1799 Nathan Starr sword, made in the factory he built after his first government contract. For being over two hundred years old, this sword is still in remarkable condition, with a heavy patina and parts of the leather handle covering intact.
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