The American Revolution (1775-1783) and its participants quickly attained almost mythic status. Americans actively sought to preserve objects associated with the war. Their eagerness led some collectors to include heirlooms that were actually made after the Revolution. This iron-mounted saber belonged to Captain Joseph Stebbins (1749-1816) of Deerfield, Massachusetts. Stebbins served in the Revolution and his descendents claimed that he carried this sword at Bunker Hill. The sword, however, appears to be a cavalry saber from the 1798 United States contract of Connecticut sword maker Nathan Starr.