AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN SWORDS 7 



weapons of this type used by the United States Army. The swords 

 adopted at this time for the use of officers and enlisted men of the 

 Artillery and Cavalry were used both during the war with Mexico, 

 1846-1848, and later during the Civil War. 



(4) During the fourth period, 1850 to 1870, the great conflict of 

 the Civil War strained the military resources of the Nation almost to 

 the breaking point. The various types of officers' swords used dur- 

 ing this period represent their highest point of development.^ The 

 swords used by enlisted men of the United States Army during the 

 Civil War were much the same as those used during the war with 

 Mexico, but many changes w^ere made in the types of swords used 

 by officers during the period that elapsed between these two wars. 



(5) The fifth period of the American military swords extends 

 from about 1870 to 1920. With a few exceptions, the swords used 

 during these years were very similar to those of the Civil War. 

 Subsequent to that conflict, however, the number of types of swords 

 used by the various ranks and branches of the United States Army 

 was greatly reduced. This process of simplification has been con- 

 tinued to the present day, with the result that a single type of light 

 saber is now used by all the officers of the United States Army. 



The swords of each of the five periods mentioned illustrate admir- 

 ably in museum form the military history of the United States. 

 The swords of the Eevolution recall the connection with the mother 

 country prior to that conflict. The swords of 1812-1815 exhibit the 

 rise of nationalism as expressed by the first general use of such 

 national emblems as the American eagle on the pommels and the 

 United States coats of arms on the blades. The swords of the war 

 with Mexico and of the Civil War express in their plain, heavy, 

 substantial design the expansion of American military power during 

 these conflicts. The swords of the late nineteenth century reflect 

 the decline in the value of such weapons for military purposes. 

 The personal and presentation swords of each of these periods are, 

 of course, of exceptional historical interest. 



EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN SWORD DESIGNS 



Three parts of the early American sword are of special importance 

 in connection with the designs of these weapons. These are the pom- 

 mel, the shield, and the blade. Upon the designs that these parts 

 bear must be based the attribution of the individual weapons to a 

 specific period, unless this can be established by the marks of the 

 maker on the blade or hilt. In many cases, however, these marks 

 can only be accepted as confirmative evidence or as establishing the 



2 Some idea of the number of swords purchased by the Federal Government during this 

 period may be derived from House Doc. No. 67, 37th Cong., 2d sess., 1862. 



