The American Sword 1775-1945

By Harold L. Peterson

The first book devoted exclusively to the subject, this invaluable volume will aid collectors, curators, historians. Enhanced with more than 400 illustrations from rare documents, the book classifies and describes all major types of swords worn by the U.S. armed forces, cadets, and diplomats since the American Revolution to the end of World War II.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Jun 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9780486161334

Book preview

THE TERMINOLOGY OF THE SWORD

THROUGH THE COURSE of history the terminology used to describe swords has been exceedingly fluid. Aside from such standard general terms as blade, hilt and scabbard, which have remained fairly constant, the various words used to denote the minor parts of swords have been used differently by different writers. It is necessary therefore to indicate clearly at this point the exact meaning of the technical words used in this survey.

The sword is described throughout as if it were seen in a horizontal position by the viewer with the blade to his right and the hilt to his left. This establishes the relative positions of structures described as above or below the blade. The side of the sword toward the viewer is called the obverse; the side away from him is the reverse.

The term sword is generic. It refers to the whole classification of edged weapons in which the blade is longer than the handle, and the total length is greater than that generally associated with the knife. Within this overall category there are a number of smaller groups, each distinguished by a specific term. Most prominent among these for American swords is the saber, a sword with a single edge designed primarily for cutting. Usually there is also a short edge along the back near the point which is termed the false edge. Some saber blades are sharply curved and some are only slightly curved or absolutely straight. These straight or only slightly curved blades are frequently denominated cut and thrust blades.

The great majority of all American swords have been one of these forms of sabers. The remaining swords fall into two other classifications. The first of these is the small sword, which was characterized by a straight, relatively light blade designed primarily for thrusting. Sometimes this blade was triangular in cross section. At other times it was hexagonal, elliptical, or diamond-shaped. The final group of American swords comprises the naval cutlasses. Technically these weapons were also sabers, but during the period under consideration the term had definitely come to connote a short naval sword, and so the distinction has been maintained.

In describing sword blades several technical terms are used which require some clarification. There are the edge and false edge which are defined above. Then there is the forte, the stronger part of the blade nearest the hilt, and the foible, the weaker portion nearest the point. The two areas are divided by the point of percussion, the theoretical spot at which a blow should be struck to achieve the greatest force. Most blades have grooves cut into their surfaces in order to lighten their weight and so improve the balance. These are known as fullers. Often also there is a squared area without an edge just before the hilt. This is called the ricasso. There is no historical justification for this application of the term which originally was used to denote the exposed portion of the tang of a rapier blade. Also it is a bit confusing since the same term is used to refer to a portion of the hilt of a small sword. Nevertheless, the word has been accepted by students, and so it is used here for both the squared section of the blade and the stem of the small sword hilt. There is also one type of point found on some saber blades in which the back of the blade sweeps to meet the edge in a sharp concave arc, and this has been designated a clipped point. The final section of the blade is the tang, that portion which passes through the hilt.

The description of hilts is somewhat more complicated. Generally speaking there are three major parts of each hilt, the grips, the pommel, and the guard. The grips are that portion grasped by the hand. The pommel is the termination of the grips farthest from the blade, and the guard comprises those devices added for the protection of the hand.

NOMENCLATURE of the HILT

The guard itself is broken down into several component parts, of which the knuckle-bow, quillons, counter-guard, and langets are the most important. The knuckle-bow, as might be suspected, is that portion of the guard which protects the knuckles. Usually it takes the form of a bar which connects with the pommel at one end and sweeps below the grips to join the quillons at the other end. The term quillons applies to the bar which is placed in a perpendicular position between the grips and the blade. The word is plural; each half of the bar from the center of the grips to its terminus being considered separately. If only one quillon is mentioned, it is always the one above the blade. The counter-guard comprises those structures in addition to the quillons which are interposed between the grips and the blade. It may take the form of a solid plate or of a network of bars. On some hilts there are devices fastened to the quillons opposite the center of the grips which project forward along the blade and parallel to it. These are known as langets and are designed to bear against the throat of the scabbard and hold the sword more tightly in place when it is inserted.

The scabbard consists normally of four major parts, the body, the throat, the middle band, and the tip. The terms are self-explanatory. Sometimes there is an extension of the tip designed to protect it from injury should it strike the ground, and this is called the drag.

These are the principal technical terms used in describing swords. The accompanying diagrams are included to make these brief definitions still clearer and also to indicate a few of the minor structures.

ENLISTED MEN’S SWORDS

THE SWORDS USED by enlisted men have always held a great appeal for the student and collector of edged weapons. For the majority of such enthusiasts the basis for this appeal lies in the fact that these were fighting weapons. Never mere gilded gewgaws fabricated to please an individual’s fancy or to indicate a specific rank, these swords were designed for use. The workmanship on them is seldom fine, and often it is crude; but the honesty of purpose behind the strong simple lines creates a character that is lacking in the more sophisticated and often more decadent types.

Enlisted men were normally issued their swords. At the beginning of the American Revolution the men enrolling in the Regular Army brought along their own weapons, but they were theoretically granted an allowance for them. As the war continued and supplies were accumulated, the Continental Government began to provide the weapons for regular troops from central storehouses, and the enlisting soldier no longer had to bring his own weapons with him. After the Revolution, the Federal Government continued to supply arms to the small Regular Army, and then in 1808 started to issue small quantities of arms to individual states for the use of the militia. Most of the states supplemented this federal assistance with sword contracts and purchases of their own, and a few states, such as Virginia, even maintained their own armories for various periods of time.

The exception to the common practice of issuing arms to enlisted men is found among the elite militia companies of some of the larger cities. These companies were organized among men of means who took pride in the splendid appearance of their uniforms and arms and who purchased all such articles themselves. Among these companies the enlisted men’s swords were not always so plain and purposeful, but were frequently adorned and decorated to the taste of the members who selected the pattern for their organization. Since the complement of such companies normally ranged only between 30 and 50 men, however, these swords do not bulk large in the overall picture.

Except for the model 1913 cavalry sword and the model 1918 naval cutlass, no enlisted men’s swords were manufactured in federal arsenals. All were produced by private sword-makers under contract or purchased abroad. Although there were a number of makers who had minor contracts for one or two of the various models of enlisted men’s swords, two great firms supplied the bulk of all such swords ever purchased by the United States Government. From 1798 to 1830 Nathan Starr of Middletown, Conn., was America’s leading sword-maker. After 1830, the Ames Manufacturing Company founded by Nathan P. Ames of Chicopee Falls, Mass., developed into the foremost manufacturer of American swords. Collectors who confined their activities to the products of these two establishments alone could still acquire every major type of official American enlisted men’s sword except the early sergeant’s swords made by Joseph Rose of Philadelphia and the last official cavalry sword and naval cutlass.

Infantry Swords

Behind the infantry sword stands a distinguished tradition of centuries of use. The Roman legionary first brought the infantry sword to great prominence, but he was by no means the first to prize it as a weapon. For centuries previous it had been cherished by less well-organized peoples, and many centuries later, even after the invention of gun powder and the appearance of truly portable firearms, the infantry sword retained its position of importance. In fact, the musket did not displace the sword for nearly 300 years. This was true because these guns were capable of firing only one shot at a time, and a considerable interval was required for reloading. Thus, when the gun was discharged, the soldier had only his sword to rely upon to defend himself against a charging enemy or to press home his own attack.

The beginning of the downfall of the infantry sword came with the invention of the bayonet early in the seventeenth century. This new device served to make the musket an effective weapon whether it was loaded or not, and so the importance of the sword declined. Although the bayonet first made its appearance in Europe in the seventeenth century, it was the beginning of the eighteenth century before it became standard in European armies. In America the change was even slower. Throughout the entire first half of the eighteenth century the militia laws of all the English colonies in North America allowed the individual militia-man to provide himself with a musket and either a bayonet or a cutting sword or hatchet. By the beginning of the Revolution some of the colonies had already made the bayonet mandatory, but many of the militia-men who answered the call to arms in 1775 and 1776 still carried the short cutting sword. Except for a short period in the 1830’s when infantrymen carried the short artillery sword, these were the last private soldiers to serve in the American infantry still armed in the ancient tradition, for the bayonet soon completely supplanted the earlier weapon.

Despite the fact that the great period of the infantry sword was closing just as the United States Army was formed, there were still some enlisted men who continued to carry it. These were the sergeants, and through them, the tradition of the infantry sword was maintained, in token fashion at least until they, too, abandoned it at the beginning of World War I. Their counter-parts in many National Guard units, however, continue to wear the sword at the present time.

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1. 1742 British Infantry Sword

During the period of the wars with France in the early eighteenth century, the British government supplied arms to its American colonies to help equip the troops raised in this country. Many of these arms remained in America, both in public arsenals and in the possession of private individuals. Thus these weapons were available for American troops at the outbreak of the Revolution. Many of the privates who still carried swords and a large percentage of the sergeants probably used either this model or the one described below. The date 1742 is ascribed to this sword because it is shown in the Representation of Cloathing of His Majesty’s Forces prepared in that year for the Duke of Cumberland. It may well have been used for some years before that.

In the specimen illustrated, the blade is slightly curved, single-edged, with a false edge extending 6½ inches back from the point. There is a single, deep, relatively narrow fuller at the back of the blade which runs to the beginning of the false edge. The entire hilt is brass. The grip is cast with a spiral pattern. The pommel is large and urn-shaped with a capstan rivet. The knuckle-bow is a four sided strip which expands to form a heart-shaped counter-guard. The quillon terminates above the blade in a slightly bulbous down-turned finial. Some examples of this sword are found with wooden grips wrapped with brass wire. The scabbard is of black leather with a brass throat and tip. A stud for attachment to a frog is mounted on the obverse side of the throat.

31½ inches overall, blade 25½ inches by 1¼ inches wide at the hilt.

2. 1751 British Infantry Sword

As was stated above, the British infantry sword of 1751 like the infantry sword of 1742, was present in the Colonies at the outbreak of the Revolution and so was used by many American soldiers. The date 1751 is applied to this sword because the first representation of it is found in the paintings of that date by David Morier, an artist who had been hired by the Duke of Cumberland to record the uniforms and equipment of the British troops.

There are many minor variations to be found in swords of this general pattern. Overall measurements vary slightly. Sometimes there is only one branch of the guard instead of two, and sometimes there are two fullers in the blade instead of one. The specimen selected for inclusion here has a slightly curved, single-edged blade with no false edge. There is a single relatively narrow fuller at the back running to within 6 inches of the point. The entire hilt is cast brass, with the grip molded in a spiral pattern. The pommel is ball-shaped, and the very large capstan rivet gives it the appearance of a vase. The knuckle-bow is a four-sided strip which expands on either side of the blade to form a heart-shaped counter-guard. Two branches bear off from the obverse side of the knuckle-bow below the blade and join the counter-guard at a height parallel with the grip, thus forming a half-basket guard. The quillon terminates above the blade in a slightly bulbous down-turned finial. The scabbard is of black leather with a brass throat and tip. On the obverse side of the throat is a stud for attachment to a frog.

30 inches overall, blade 24¾ inches by 1 inches wide at the hilt.

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3. 1767 French Grenadier Sword

After the entry of France into the Revolutionary War on the side of the Colonies some French infantry swords undoubtedly were brought over for the use of American sergeants. These swords were never used in anything like the quantity that the British swords just described were, but in recognition of what service they did see in American hands during the War and in the years immediately following, the type has been included here.

The short curved blade is single-edged with a false edge which extends about five inches back from the point. There is a single fuller at the back of the blade which runs from the hilt to the beginning of the false edge. The grips, pommel, and capstan for the rivet are cast in one piece. The grips are ribbed, and there is a simulated backstrap. The knuckle-bow, ears, and quillon are also cast as a single unit, and these two pieces make up the entire hilt. Both pieces are brass. The scabbard is missing from this present specimen, but the standard pattern for such swords had a leather body with a brass throat and tip. The throat had a small staple on the obverse side, through which a strap on the frog was passed and then buckled.

Collection of Richard K. Sprague

30 inches overall, blade 25 inches by 1½ inches wide at the hilt.

4. Infantry Sword, 1775-1780

Although it is quite obviously a local blacksmith’s product, the sword illustrated in the accompanying plate represents a type that apparently won quite widespread acceptance during the Revolution. Four swords of this pattern have thus far been found. All are exactly alike except that one has a curved blade instead of the more common straight blade and although all blades were made in Solingen, the etching is apt to differ. The sword described was found in Syracuse, N. Y., another was located in Yonkers, N. Y., a third in Morristown, N. J., and a fourth, which is known to have been carried by a private in a Delaware infantry regiment during the Revolution, is in the Zwaanendael Museum, Lewes, Del.

The straight blade is double-edged and tapers evenly to within two inches of the point. It is etched on the obverse side with a crown over an unidentified monogram and the word Solingen in script. The reverse side bears a crown over a double-headed eagle and the word VIVAT. The grips are wood covered with leather and are absolutely smooth. There are brass ferrules at both ends. The pommel is made by simply flattening the iron strap from which the knuckle-bow is made. This bow bends evenly below the blade and is attached to the oval, slightly dished counterguard by a screw which has its head on the blade side of the guard and passes first through the counter-guard and then the knuckle-bow. The counter-guard, like the knuckle-bow, is iron. No scabbard is known.

31 inches overall, blade 26 inches by 1¼ inches wide at the hilt.

5. Noncommissioned Officers’ Sword, 1790-1810

The noncommissioned officers’ swords of the years immediately following the Revolution were not rigidly specified. There are allusions to them in the General Orders of March 30 and September 22, 1800 indicating that the pattern then in use and still preferred was a cutting sword with a brass mounted hilt and a blade about 30 inches long and at least an inch in breadth at the hilt. The distinction between infantry and artillery sergeants’ swords on the basis of iron or brass mounts was not specified until 1801, although officers’ swords had been bound by this difference at least since 1787. The sword here illustrated fits the specifications well, and is found with sufficient frequency to indicate that it could well have been a fairly standard pattern for a sergeant’s sword at the turn of the century.

The broad curved blade is single-edged with only a rudimentary false edge. A broad fuller runs from the hilt to within six inches of the point. The grips are horn tapering towards the pommel and reeded. There is a plain ferrule at the base of the grips, and the base of the pommel is banded to resemble a ferrule at the top. The pommel itself is six-sided and flares outward before flattening off in a slightly concave swing to the tang rivet. The knuckle-bow is a brass strap with chamfered edges bent in the stirrup pattern, and the quillon terminates above the blade in a disc finial. All metal parts of the hilt are brass. The scabbard is missing, but it was undoubtedly leather with a brass tip and throat with a stud for attachment to a frog.

Collection of Robert F. Wheeler

33 inches overall, blade 27½ inches by 1 inches wide at the hilt.

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6. Militia Noncommissioned Officers’ Sword, 1800-1810

The regulations of 1801 continued the same general pattern swords for noncommissioned officers that had been first required in 1787 as they called for cut and thrust blades, two feet four inches long, brass mounted for artillery, steel or iron mounted for infantry. Although the present specimen is almost two inches longer than the prescribed length, such variations were not unusual. Its iron mountings are exactly as prescribed, and the general plainness of its design proclaim it as the sword of an enlisted man. It has been designated as a militia sword because there are no inspector’s marks or other indications of government ownership.

The curved blade, which closely resembles that found on the non-commissioned officers’ swords made by the Roses, is single-edged with a false edge that extends back 7¼ inches from the point. A relatively narrow fuller runs from the hilt to the beginning of the false edge. The grips are wood carved into a series of narrow parallel ridges and shaped to fit the hand. The mounts are all of iron, and these comprise a ferrule at the base of the grips, a backstrap which surmounts the grips and expands to form a covering for the flat pommel, a knuckle-bow with chamfered edges bent in a very early version of the reverse P form which is still almost a stirrup, and a short quillon which terminates above the blade in a disc. No scabbard is known.

Collection of Col. B. R. Lewis

35¼ inches overall, blade 30 inches by 1½ inches wide at the hilt.

7. Noncommissioned Officers’ Sword, Starr Contract of 1813

On January 11, 1813, Nathan Starr contracted with the Commissary General to produce 2,000 noncommissioned officers’ swords. These swords were completed and delivered in small lots from June, 1813, to March, 1815. Thus they were in time for some actual use during the War of 1812. The first 700 were made with leather scabbards. These were inspected by Henry H. Perkin and Charles Williams. The rest, the remaining 1,300 plus an additional hundred, had iron scabbards. These were all inspected by Perkin except for one group of 200 delivered April 13, 1814, which were inspected by Marine T. Wickham.

The straight blade is single-edged, with a false edge extending back six inches from the point. A single narrow and deep fuller runs from the hilt to the beginning of the false edge. The obverse of the rudimentary ricasso is stamped P / HHP, indicating that the inspector was Henry H. Perkin. The reverse of the blade is stamped N. STARR slightly forward of the ricasso. The grips are smooth wood, with a ferrule at the blade end. A convex backstrap surmounts the grip and terminates in a covering for the rudimentary bird’s head pommel. The tang of the blade is secured by a nut. The knuckle-bow, which fits into a slot in the pommel cap, is a simple strap of iron bent in the stirrup pattern. As the quillon crosses the blade, it expands on either side to form a bilobate counter-guard, then terminates above the blade in a simple disc. These swords are frequently found with the inner lobe of the counter-guard removed so that the sword would lie closer to the body and be more comfortable when worn. The scabbard is black leather with an iron throat and tip. The throat has an oval stud on the obverse side for the attachment of a frog.

35¼ inches overall, blade 30 inches by 1 inch wide at the hilt.

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8. Militia Noncommissioned Officers’ Sword, 1813-1818

The sword shown in the accompanying plate is of a type half way between those made by Nathan Starr in 1813 and 1818. The blade resembles that on Starr’s 1813 contract, and the hilt is closer to that of the 1818 contract although not so fully developed. It is completely unmarked, and the lack even of inspectors’ initials or proof marks would seem to indicate militia use.

The straight blade is single-edged with a false edge extending back about eight inches from the point. A relatively narrow and deep fuller begins at the hilt and terminates at the beginning of the false edge. The grips are wood carved with parallel grooves and ridges and covered with leather. There is a ferrule at the base of the grips, and they are surmounted by a backstrap which expands to cover the rudimentary bird’s head pommel. The tang of the blade is secured at the pommel by a nut. The knuckle-bow is generally of the stirrup pattern but very straight and angular, almost ready to develop into the reverse P form. The quillon expands as it crosses the blade, then narrows again and terminates in a disc finial. All metal parts of the hilt are iron with traces of the original black japanning still visible. No scabbard is known.

35½ inches overall, blade 29¾ inches by 1 inches wide at the hilt.

9. Noncommissioned Officers’ Sword, Starr Contract of 1818

On December 28, 1818, Nathan Starr signed a contract with Decius Wadsworth, Colonel of Ordnance, for four thousand infantry non-commissioned officers’ swords conforming to a pattern he had made and submitted in November of that year. The swords were delivered during 1819 and 1820. Those finished in 1819 were inspected by Luther Sage, and those completed in 1820 were inspected by Elisha Tobey and John Newbury. These swords were also used by the artillery, and thus are often referred to as artillery swords in contemporary records.

inches as it crosses the blade. At the quillon, it tapers rapidly above the blade and terminates in a disc finial. The scabbard is of iron, japanned black. There is a rudimentary drag, and on the obverse side 2½ inches from the mouth there is fixed a stud for attachment to a frog.

31 inches overall, blade 26 inches by 1¼ inches wide at the hilt.

10. Noncommissioned Officers’ Sword, Model 1840

The noncommissioned officers’ sword adopted by the War Department in 1840 was based principally upon a type used in the French Army, but was reminiscent also of some models used in Great Britain. It was a handsome and graceful appearing weapon but somewhat heavy in the hilt and ill-balanced. Nevertheless, it was worn by American sergeants for over 70 years which included such great conflicts as the Mexican War, the Civil War and the Spanish American War.

The specimen illustrated has a long straight and heavy single-edged blade with a rudimentary false edge. There is a single broad fuller running from the ricasso to within 1½ inches of the point. The obverse side of the ricasso is stamped U.S./ DFM/1863 in three lines. The hilt is cast brass. The grip is ribbed in imitation of wire wrapping. The pommel is globular with a capstan rivet. The knuckle-bow is a flattened strip, stamped DFM on the obverse side about midway below the blade. At the point where the knuckle-bow-quillon crosses the blade there is a double kidney-shaped counter-guard, cast integrally with it. The quillon terminates above the blade in a slightly flared finial. The scabbard of this weapon is iron, japanned black, with brass throat and tip. Black leather, however, was more commonly used. There is a hook for the attachment to a frog on the obverse side of the throat, and there is a well developed drag on the tip.

37½ inches overall, blade 31¾ inches by inches wide at the hilt.

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11. Militia Noncommissioned Officers’ Sword, 1850-1870

The sword illustrated here is a type which was purchased by many of the more elite state militia organizations about the middle of the nineteenth century. These swords were in their possession at the opening of the Civil War, and thus many of them saw service in that conflict as witnessed by contemporary photographs. There are several variations of this pattern, but all are remarkably alike. The principal deviations are encountered in the blade. Some are etched. Some are plain. Some are single-edged. Some are elliptical in section like the present specimen but with a central fuller; and there is a considerable variation in length. They are advertised in the catalogues of Schuyler, Hartley & Graham and similar military outfitters.

The straight blade is elliptical in section and tapers evenly to a point. It is etched on both the obverse and reverse sides with floral sprays and a military trophy. The grips are bone fluted horizontally. There is a ferrule at the base of the grips, and the pommel is cast in the form of a stylized helmet facing downward. The guard consists of cross quillons which flare outward with sunken panels in their centers. Cast integrally with them is a central sleeve with shield-shaped langets bearing U. S. shields with 13 stars and 17 stripes. All metal parts of the hilt are brass. The scabbard is black leather with a brass throat and tip. An oval stud on the obverse side of the throat provides the means of attachment to a frog.

31 inches overall, blade 24½ inches by inch wide at the hilt.

12. Militia Noncommissioned Officers’ Sword, 1850-1870

The present specimen closely resembles the sword just described, but it differs in that it does not have the helmet pommel and also in the decoration of the hilt.

The straight blade is elliptical in section and tapers evenly to within an inch and a half of the point. It is decorated on the obverse side with etched designs which include floral sprays, a military trophy, and an American eagle bearing a ribbon