This 31 1/2″ replica sword with a highly polished 25 1/2″ high carbon steel blade recreates the familiar sidearm of U.S. Marines, Naval officers, and Cavalry, last seeing extensive use in the American Civil War. A brass full hand guard, wire wrapped handle, and polished brass fittings on hilt and scabbard strive to match the look of this common weapon of the late 1800’s. The leather frog allows the owner to wear the black leather wrapped sheath at the belt in the military style.
This lighter version of the cutlass was more commonly used by officers and cavalry than by common sailors and soldiers. Officers and horsemen were better trained in the use of fighting blades and favored a more refined weapon with a longer reach. The full tang construction of this replica is durable, but not equal to the cutlass of that era.
Although training in the use of this sword officially ended in the U.S. in the 1930’s, the cutlass was still being manufactured in World War II and was an official part of the arsenal until 1949. The last official design, little changed from the sword that inspired this recreation, saw its last use on the battlefield during an incident at Inchon in the Korean War.
Today its most common use is the one this sword will likely see–as a piece hanging on a collector’s wall, or as part of a re-enactment uniform.
