The Pattern 1796 Heavy Cavalry sword was produced from 1796-1821,
and it is one of the most iconic swords of the Napoleonic period. The sword was
used by all regiments of British heavy cavalry regiments. The Life Guards,
Royal Horse Guards, Dragoon Guards and Dragoons and even used in the King’s
German Legion Dragoons, throughout the Napoleonic Wars. The 1796 heavy cavalry
sword played a big part at the battles of Salamanca and Waterloo. The Swedish and
Portuguese also adopted the sword in their cavalry.
The British 1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword was copied from the Austrian
Pallasch sword of 1769 in their heavy
cavalry regiments. It was John Le Marchant, a cavalry officer who had already
designed the 1796 light cavalry sabre, saw the Austrian sword in action during
the low Counties Campaign from 1793-95. His first design was rejected by the
board of general officers to arm the heavy cavalry with a straight sword but
when they finally agreed to use a straight sword, he suggested at the Austrian
sword was to be used as a design.
The 1796 pattern sword was technically a backsword which is
a sword with a straight blade with one cutting edge with the opposite back edge
of the blade was thickened for most of its length to git the blade added
strength. The steel blade was 35 inches (890 mm) in length it had a single
broad fuller on each side. The grip was of ribbed wood bound with cord and
covered in leather. The iron back-piece of the grip had ears which were riveted
through the tang of the blade to give the hilt and blade a very secure
connection. The hilt had a disc guard pierced with two semi-circular and six
oval holes, with a single knucklebow and two slim 2 inch (51 mm) long langets
extending from the front of the guard. The langets were often removed on the
left hand side of the guard to reduce wear to the uniforms. The modification
also made it more comfortable to wear on horseback.
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| Officer Sword |
The sword was often modified by its owner as the point was
originally a ‘hatchet point’, a curved diagonal front edge similar to that of
the Japanese Katana sword, but most were changed to a ‘spear point’, which was
more common at the time. (Due to the sword's broadness this type of point would
be very poor at piercing heavy clothing or rolled cloaks, making a thrust a
largely unprofitable exercise)
This was done in order to improve the sword’s ability to
thrust. They are a very large number of spear-pointed swords that exist with 33
inch (840 mm) blades converted from the original 35 inch (890 mm) blade with
shorter modified scabbards to match.
The sword was carried in an iron scabbard with wooden
liners. The scabbard hang from the trooper’s waist via the sword-belt sling
attached to two loose suspension rings.
In the Household Cavalry there were several sword types with
the standard trooper’s blade with a bowl hilt which was similar to the
officers’ pattern, with the hilt in brass with a brass scabbard as for the
Life-Guards, or iron with iron scabbard for the Horse Guard. Most cavalry
troopers used the blades like bludgeons and the guards as knuckle dusters.
The cavalry officer John Gaspard
Le Marchant, who was later to be killed leading a brigade of British heavy cavalry
to victory at Salamanca in Spain 1812, wrote that the British cavalry were
prescribed a method of sword fighting where the cut was emphasised above the
thrust. This method had some advantages which were thought to outweigh the fact
that cuts tend to be less fatal than thrusts. The cut is a more instinctive
blow than a thrust, and in melees the average cavalryman will tend to cut even
if his sword is more suited to the thrust. Also cuts can be directed to any
part of the body, whereas thrusts must be delivered to the torso or head if
they are to have a reasonable chance of striking home. Lastly an enemy
incapacitated by a cut to a limb, particularly an arm, is as useless in battle
as if he had been killed. Given that the cut was the preferred method of sword
fighting in the British cavalry, then it would be logical that swords optimised
for cutting should be adopted, which is indeed what happened.
Another description with the use
of the sword was made by Sgt.Charles Ewart of the 2nd Dragoons (Scots
Greys) while capturing the Imperial Eagle at Waterloo.
“It was in the charge I took the
eagle off the enemy; he and I had a hard contest for it; he made a thrust at my
groin, I parried it off and cut him down through the head. After this a lancer
came at me; I threw the lance off my right side, and cut him through the chin
upwards through the teeth. Next, a foot soldier fired at me, then charged me
with his bayonet, which I also had the good luck to parry, and I cut him down
through the head; thus ended the contest.”
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| Painting of Charles Ewart at Waterloo |
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