French Model 1816 Foot Artillery Sword / SOLD

French Model 1816 Foot Artillery Sword - Inventory Number: SWO 210 / SOLD

The 1816 artillery short sword was a sidearm issued to the French foot artillery and saw service on both sides of the American Civil War.  Heavily influenced by the prevailing Neoclassical style of the day, the sword was based on ancient sculptural depictions of the Roman gladius, the standard sword of the Roman legionaries. The short sword would not have been a practical weapon for combat without a shield but served as a fascine knife or a machete to clear fields for the guns. It also served for other practical uses, the French soldiers calling it a coupe-chou ("cabbage cutter"). It was in service until about 1870 and served as the model for the U.S. Model 1832 Foot Artillery Sword. This example has a blade dated 1817 that has aged to gray and has several small nicks. It still retains the original leather washer at the base of the blade. The leather scabbard is solid and in very good condition. A very attractive military sword.

Inventory Number: SWO 210 / SOLD