AMERICAN AND EUEOPEAN SWORDS 35 



DRAGOON OFFICERS' SABERS, 1820 TO 1830 



In addition to the sabers of this type intended for the use of en- 

 listed men, the National Museum collection contains two such sabers 

 intended for the use of officers. The blades of these are of foreign 

 make and are decorated with small engraved floral and trophy 

 designs. The grip of one ^^ is solid bronze, and the pommel is formed 

 in the shape of an eagle's head without plumage or eyes. The 

 knuckle guard, which is formed of a single slender bronze strip, 

 terminates above the blade in a quillon of the same type ending in 

 a disk. The grip of the other ^* is covered with black leather and 

 wound with brass wire. The back is covered by a convex iron strip, 

 which terminates in an eagle-head pommel, and the knuckle guard 

 is of the same type as the one described above. A third saber ^^ of 

 this period bears on the reverse of the blade in large gilt script the 

 legend, " Honour and My Country." These three sabers all belong 

 to the Alfred F. Hopkins collection. 



MILITIA OFFICERS' SABERS 



The National Museum collection includes a number of interesting 

 examples of militia officers' sabers made during the early part of the 

 nineteenth century, many of which were used during the War of 

 1812. These sabers ina}^ be divided into three groups with reference 

 to the designs with which the blades are decorated. Group 1 has 

 the blades decorated with small floral and trophy designs but without 

 emblems relating to the United States. The blades of Group 2 are 

 decorated with the United States shield in addition to floral and tro- 

 phy designs. The blades of Group 3 bear the full coat of arms of 

 the United States. 



An interesting saber ^° belonging to Group 1 in the national col- 

 lection has a medium-sized blade with a medium groove ; both sides 

 are decorated in gold with small floral and trophy designs on a dark 

 blue background. The grip, which is made of ivory, is decorated 

 with nine parallel vertical grooves, and the whole is surrounded by 

 a brass strip terminating in an eagle-head pommel. The knuckle 

 guard is a 4-sided brass strip divided into three equal-length scroll 

 designs. The quillons are plain, and the one above the blade ter- 

 minates in a disk and bears a small shield attached to each side of 

 the blade, decorated with the United States arms. A second saber " 

 of this type in the Alfred F. Hopkins collection has a long curved 



=" Length, 82.5 cm. Blade, 68.7 cm. long, 3 cm. wide. PI. 8, fig. 4. 

 38 Length. 83.5 cm. Blade, 69 cm. long, 3 cm. wide. PI. 8, fig. 6. 

 s» Length, 95 cm. Blade, 81.3 cm. long, 3.5 cm. wide. PI. 8, fig. 5. 

 *o Length, 87.7 cm. Blade, 74.5 cm. long. 3 cm. wide. PI. 9, fig. 6. 

 " Length. 87 cm. Blade, 75 cm. long, 3 cm. wide. PI. 9, fig. 5. A saber of the same 

 general type is shown on pl. 9, fig. 4. 



