26 BULLETIN 16 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Revolutionary period, which were in most cases of English design 

 and manufacture. The officers' swords of the first quarter of the nine- 

 teenth century were usually either made in France or based upon 

 French models. Owing to the various changes in design made during 

 this period and to the fact that the swords under discussion were not 

 specifically described in the Army regulations of the time, it is 

 exceedingly difficult to classify them in a scientific manner. The 

 swords of this period, however, are of special historical significance 

 because they mark the transition in some instances from the use of 

 foreign types to swords of American design and manufacture. 



MILITARY SWORDS, 1800 TO 1830 



The United States military swords of the early part of the nine- 

 teenth century in the National Museum collection may be divided 

 into two general classes: (1) Swords of plain design and American 

 manufacture; and (2) swords of ornate design, which were manu- 

 factured either in part or whole in Europe. The swords of the 

 second type illustrate in a striking manner the similarity in design 

 of the French and the United States military officers' swords of this 

 period. They are accordingly described below as representative of 

 the transitional period of the American military sword when it was 

 necessary for American military officers to resort to a foreign 

 market to obtain weapons of the type desired. 



SWORDS MADE BY NATHAN STARR 8b SON 



The United States swords of American manufacture and belonging 

 to the early part of the nineteenth century in the National Museum 

 collection include five specimens of exceptional interest, four of 

 which were manufactured by Nathan Starr & Son. Two of these ^^ 

 have straight heavy blades with a narrow deep groove near the 

 back. The grips are made of plain hard wood decorated with eight 

 perpendicular grooves and covered with thin leather. The top in 

 each case is covered by a plain convex iron strip, which terminates 

 in a convex pommel. The knuckle guards consist of a plain steel 

 strip, which is continued to form a small oval counterguard terminat- 

 ing above the blade in a quillon with a circular top. The scabbards 

 are made of black leather with plain steel tips. 



SWORDS OWNED BY COL. HERMAN GANSEVOORT 



Two other swords -" of this type in the National Museum collection 

 were owned by Col. Herman Gansevoort, of the New York Militia, 

 eldest son of Brig. Gen. Peter Gansevoort and uncle of Herman 



" Length, 77.5 cm. Blade, 64 cm. long, 3 cm. wide. Fl. 4, fig. 4. 

 ^ Length, 84.5 cm. Blade, 71 cm. long, 3 cm. wide. PI. 4, flg. 5. 



