This is a neat piece! It is an original Civil War cavalry picket pin. This long piece of iron would be driven into the ground and you would tie the reins of the horse to the ring to keep your horse tied up. This one is hand forged and is not the standard pattern. It still has the original ring present on the tope. It measures 17 inches long with the bend as you see. When I got this piece, it had a note that they had bought it from me in the 1990's and that was excavated in the Shiloh, Tennessee area. It is a fine excavated piece of Civil War horse history!