This foot officer's sword belonged to 2nd Lt. David Potts, Company I, 26th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, who was killed in action on the afternoon of August 29, 1862, during the Second Battle of Manassas. His regiment, part of Brig. Gen. Cuvier Grover's brigade, made a classic charge with fixed bayonets through dense woods against the position held by Maj. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson's forces along an unfinished railroad. Initially successful in overrunning the Confederate line, they soon met overwhelming opposition in front and flank. Without supporting troops, the brigade was forced to withdraw. In less than an hour, the 26th Pennsylvania suffered 65 casualties, including 2nd Lt. Potts.

Potts purchased his Model 1850 foot officer's sword from W.H. Horstmann's & Sons, a Philadelphia dealer, and inscribed his name on the brass throat of the scabbard. He is thought to have damaged the sword and scabbard when he fell in the Second Battle of Manassas. The family donated the sword, scabbard, and a photographic portrait of Potts in uniform to Manassas National Battlefield Park in 1982.

The Manassas National Battlefield Park museum collection includes over 162,800 items.