34 BULLETIN 1G3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



frontier, and in 1815 he received an honorable discharge from the 

 Army. In 1828 he was elected a member of the New York Legisla- 

 ture, and he served five terms in that capacity. He died in Schenec- 

 tady, N. Y., in 1870. His saber was bequeathed to the National 

 Museum in 1923 by Mrs. Julian James. 



DRAGOON SABERS OF GERMAN TYPE 



The National Museum collection includes a number of sabers of 

 the types carried by the United States Dragoons between the time of 

 the establishment of the Light Dragoons in 1792 and the change in 

 the designation of this organization from dragoons to cavalry in 

 1861. The earliest dragoon sabers in the National Museum collec- 

 tion are heavily made weapons based upon German models. Two ^* 

 of this type in the Alfred F. Hopkins collection have thick, heavy, 

 curved blades with a single narrow deep groove on each side near the 

 back. The grips, which are unusually large and flat, are covered 

 with black leather and are wound spirally with five turns of steel 

 wire. They are surmounted by convex steel strips, which terminate 

 in plain convex pommels. The knuckle guard consists of a plain 

 steel strip curving below the blade in the shape of a reversed P and 

 terminating above the blade in a plain quillon with a circular disk 

 on the end. 



DRAGOON SABERS MADE BY NATHAN STARR 



The National Musemn collection contains two types of dragoon 

 sabers manufactured during the early part of the nineteenth century 

 by Nathan Starr, of Middletown, Conn. One type includes sabers ^^ 

 with long, heavy, plain, flat blades without grooves. The grips, 

 which are covered with black leather, are wound with steel wire and 

 the tops are covered with convex steel strips, which terminate in 

 convex pommels. The knuckle guards consist of plain, flat, steel 

 strips, which are continued to form narrow oval quillons terminating 

 above the blade in plain disks. The scabbards are made of steel 

 and bear two rings. The collection also includes a saber of this type 

 that was carried during the war with Mexico by Serg. Michael 

 McEnnis. It was lent to the National Museum in 1905 by the 

 National Society of the Dames of 1846. The Alfred F. Hopkins 

 collection includes two sabers of this type. A second tyj^e of Nathan 

 Starr dragoon saber ^"^ in the collection has a hilt of the same type as 

 the sabers just described. The blade in the case is not so heavy, and 

 each side bears a wide deep groove. 



^ Length, 94 cm. Blade, 80.3 cm', long, 3.5 cm. wide. PI. 7, figs. 1, 2. A third saber 

 of this general type but of American design was presented to the National Museum in 

 1911 by Mrs. J. W. Reilly (pi. 7, fig. 3). 



•^ Length, 98.2 cm. Blade, 85.2 cm. long, 3.5 wide. PI. 7, figs. 4-6. 



38 Length, 94.5 cm. Blade, 81.5 cm. long, 3.3 wide. PL 8, figs. 1-3. 



