U.S.N. CIVIL WAR "CAT O' NINE TAILS"
A particularly nasty Civil War relic, a U.S. Navy "cat o' nine tails", an four-stranded piece of braided rope measuring 24" in length, with a 15" handle measuring 1" in diameter, with a lanyard loop at the bottom, lightly lacquered the entire length. Each of the eight (not nine!) "tails" has a knot at the end which does the "business". The "cat of nine tails" is first mentioned in the Royal Navy during the 1690s, and its disciplinary use spread through other navies round the world during the following century. By the nineteenth century, humanitarians raised an outcry against flogging and the Navy abolished the practice in 1850. This Civil War-era "cat" (nicknamed "The Captain's Daughter") is shorter than the earlier sailing era "cats", and was likely kept on board as an intimidating symbol of old-time discipline. Showing little use, if any, it remains in fine condition.