1876 - A rare 6th Battalion Fusiliers (Montreal) NCO Short Sword engraved 6th Fusiliers circa 1874/76 with Model 1831 'Gladius' style French solid brass hilt, stamped with 6 and 1. Manufactured by John Martin & Co. of Montreal.
1876 - A rare 6th Battalion Fusiliers (Montreal) NCO Short Sword engraved "6th Fusiliers" circa 1874/76 with Model 1831 'Gladius' style French solid brass hilt, stamped with 6 and 1. Manufactured by John Martin & Co. of Montreal.
Description
For Museum records only - Part of the Lieutenant Michael A. Hayes-Rivet (MHR) Trust Collection
*** FOR ARCHIVE PURPOSES ONLY - ARTIFACT NOT PART OF MUSEUM COLLECTION ***
A 6th Battalion Fusiliers (Montreal) NCO Short sword engraved "6th Fusiliers" circa 1874/76 with Model 1831 ' Gladius' French solid cast brass ribbed hilt and straight un-fullered double-edged blade., stamped with 6 and 1. Manufactured by John Martin & Co. of Montreal. Missing the scabbard. Blade length is 18 inches (23 inches overall).
ABOUT THE 1831 FRENCH ARTILLERY STYLE SHORT SWORD:
French Model 1831 Artillery Gladius that was an updated issue of issued to the French Army and produced in large numbers throughout the century. The 1816 artillery short sword was a sidearm issued to the French foot artillery. Heavily influenced by the prevailing Neoclassical style of the day, the sword was based on ancient sculptural depictions of the Roman gladius, the standard sword of the Roman legionaries. The short sword would not have been a practical weapon for combat but served as a fascine knife or a machete to clear fields for the guns. It also served for other practical uses, the French soldiers calling it a coupe-chou ("cabbage cutter").
It was in service until about 1870 and was a sword style adopted by many European nations and also carried by military combatants during the American Civil War.
