42 BULLETIN 16 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



much longer period. The Museum collection contains a number of 

 examples of all three types of infantry swords. 



SWORD OWNED BY LIEUT. BALDWIN J. CROSSWAIT 



An infantry sword of much historical interest in the National 

 Museum collection is one ^^ owned during the war with Mexico by 

 Lieut. Baldwin J. Crosswait, of the Ohio Volunteers. The blade 

 is similar in shape to type 1 of the infantry sword just described 

 and bears various designs representing the United States arms, 

 trophies, and floral sprays. The grip is made of brass and is dec- 

 orated with small grooves in imitation of closely wrapped wire, and 

 the pommel is very similar to that of type 1. The counterguard is 

 double-heart-shaped, without decorations, and the reverse side is 

 hinged. The scabbard is made of black leather with two brass 

 mounts. This sword was presented to the National Museum in 1920 

 by Miss Forest M. Crosthwaite. The Alfred F. Hopkins collection 

 contains two examples of the swords of this type.''*' 



FOOT ARTILLERY SWORDS, 1830 TO 1850 



A United States military sword of much historical interest is the 

 weapon of this type used during the period from about 1830 to about 

 1870 by enlisted men of the Foot Artillery. This sword,''^ a copy of 

 one of the same type adopted in the French Army in 1816, was de- 

 signed along classical lines and greatly resembled in its general ap- 

 pearance the short sword of the Roman soldier. The blade was short 

 and heavy with an oval contour. It bore a long shallow central 

 groove near the point and two narrow, deep, parallel grooves near 

 the hilt. The grip was made of brass and was barrel-shaped, and the 

 entire surface was corrugated in imitation of eagle feathers. The 

 pommel was decorated on each side with the American eagle dis- 

 played holding a bundle of arrows in one claw and an olive branch 

 in the other. The National Museum collection contains a number of 

 examples of this interesting type of weapon. The earliest of these 

 was made in 1833 and the latest in 1859. 



DRAGOON SABERS, 1833 TO 1840 



The National Museum collection includes a number of sabers 

 adopted for the use of the enlisted men of the United States dragoons 

 in 1833. These weapons each have a long heavy blade with a very 

 slight curve, and a deep medium-sized groove on each side. The 

 grip is covered with fishskin and wound spirally with steel wire. 



«» Length, 98.5 cm. Blade, 81.7 cm. long, 2.2 cm. wide. PI. 13, flg. 2. 



«" See pi. 13, flgs. 1, 3. 



" Length, 64 cm. Blade, 48 cm. long, 4.3 cm. wide. PI. 15. 



