Fenian Raid Sword

[Brian Wolfe]

Hello all,

I have posted a couple of medals from the Fenian Raids era today and I wanted to wrap up by showing what I believe to be a sword used in the Battle of Pigeon Hill Quebec, Friday 8, June 1866. I purchased this over 40 years ago (I was a teenager) and I was told, after I made the purchase, that it was a battle field find from Pigeon Hill Quebec. I paid only $5.00 for it at the time and tagged it with the information and put it away. I was, at the time, caught up in collecting anything military and paid little attention to it until quite recently when my wife purchased a Fenian Raid 1866 medal as a gift for me. I have had quite a few swords and other militaria over the past 40 years come and go but always held onto this old rusty piece of history. I'm very happy that I did. I believe it to be a Fenian sword in that I don't recognize it as British. From what I have read the Fenians purchased weapons from many different suppliers. If anyone knows more about this type of sword from the basic shape please let me know. The hand guard is missing and the leather has peeled back from the wooden handle which shows evidence of rot from being in the ground. The blade is heavily rusted but has stabilized and I don't think any further damage will be done. The blade is 28 inches in length.

I posted this under Swords & Edged Weapons so that it would not be in conflict with the Medals section.

Cheers

Brian

[Chris Boonzaier]

It is indeed an evil looking blade !!!

[Paul R]

It is a very interesting piece that you found yourself! It is in great shape!

[Guest Rick Research]

How long is the blade? can you tell if it has been shortened? I ask because it looks much older to me, and if not cut down, I would suspect something like a naval cutlass rather than a cavalry hacker.

That is definitely something made for cleaving "meat" and not swanning about on parade.

[Brian Wolfe]

How long is the blade? can you tell if it has been shortened? I ask because it looks much older to me, and if not cut down, I would suspect something like a naval cutlass rather than a cavalry hacker.

That is definitely something made for cleaving "meat" and not swanning about on parade.

Hello Rick,

The blade is 28 inches long and I do not believe is has been shortened. The fuller tapers out several inches from the tip. Going from what I have read this could very well be a naval sword as the Fenians were stock piling arms for some time before their "invasion" of Canada and they were purchasing these arms from many sources. A lot of the weapons had seen service in the American Civil War. If you need one any old hacker will do in a pinch.

Cheers

Brian

[Ulsterman]

I believe that is a cut down British pattern 1821 cavalry sabre-sans guard. Many were exported to the USA before and during the Civil War.

[peter monahan]

I believe that is a cut down British pattern 1821 cavalry sabre-sans guard. Many were exported to the USA before and during the Civil War.

That makes a lot of sense, because otherwise that is a VERY strange handguard - only half there - but as a cutdown basket or stirrup hilt it looks "right", if I'm making sense.

Peter

[Brian Wolfe]

That makes a lot of sense, because otherwise that is a VERY strange handguard - only half there - but as a cutdown basket or stirrup hilt it looks "right", if I'm making sense.

Peter

Hello fellows,

The sword hilt was broken off by the farmer's plough (a.k.a. plow) and was lost before I owned it. I hope this shows up in the photos. The tip does not appear to be shortened or if it was it was done by someone who knew what they were doing as the fuller tapers out short of the tip. I would think that if it were shortened the fuller would extend all the way to the tip much like the WW I British bayonets that were shortened as trench fighting knives. I have a Japanese sword c.1650 that was shortened and until I was shown that the hamon when through to the tip I was not aware it had been shortened. So, I could be wrong about this one as well. I have used a pencil in the photo to indicate where the fuller stops.

[Brian Wolfe]

Hello fellows,

The sword hilt was broken off by the farmer's plough (a.k.a. plow) and was lost before I owned it. I hope this shows up in the photos. The tip does not appear to be shortened or if it was it was done by someone who knew what they were doing as the fuller tapers out short of the tip. I would think that if it were shortened the fuller would extend all the way to the tip much like the WW I British bayonets that were shortened as trench fighting knives. I have a Japanese sword c.1650 that was shortened and until I was shown that the hamon when through to the tip I was not aware it had been shortened. So, I could be wrong about this one as well. I have used a pencil in the photo to indicate where the fuller stops.