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SWORD BAYONET FOR THE MODEL 1847 SAPPER & MINER
MUSKETOON – EARLY FIRST PRODUCTION BLADE WITH THE FULLER
- SOLID SPECIMEN OF A FAIRLY SCARCE US ARMY EDGED
WEAPON: In 1847 the Ordnance Department
introduced three versions of the Model 1847 Musketoon,
each with their own special features – one for the
cavalry, one for the artillery, and one for the sappers
and miners – the predecessors of what would become
combat engineers. Adhering in principal to the design
of the Model 1842 Musket then carried by the infantry,
the Musketoons were provided a shorter and therefore
lighter shoulder arm for soldiers who did not require
the full length musket.
The cavalry had no need for a bayonet and the artillery
musketoon was fitted with a stud at the muzzle to mount
the standard Model 1835 Bayonet which was issued with
the Model 1842 Musket. The Ordnance Department went one
step further with the Sapper & Miner Musketoon,
equipping it with this sword bayonet which in addition
to serving as an edged weapon, would also provide the
field engineers with a tool more suited to their
mission.
The Model 1847 Sapper & Miner Sword Bayonet was designed
by Nathan Ames, and was likely patterned after the Model
1832 Foot Artillery Sword he was currently manufacturing
for the army. While 1847 Sapper & Miner Bayonet was
primarily an edged weapon, it was also intended to equip
those soldiers with a tool with which to clear brush,
trim and shape logs and tree trunks to build
fortifications, and when necessary, to dig gun
emplacements, prepare bridge approaches and clear enemy
obstacles. With these purposes in mind, the blade and
grip were designed accordingly, resulting in the
impressive and substantial Model 1847 Sapper & Miner
Sword Bayonet.
Much of the detailed history of the design and
production of the Model 1847 Sapper & Miner Sword
Bayonet has been provided by Tim Prince, proprietor of
College Hill Arsenal (a web-based antique arms firm
offering a wide range of very nice antique arms which is
well worth visiting).
The first order for 200 of these special bayonets was
placed by the army in December of 1846, and a second
order for an additional 300 was placed in February, 1847
– all 500 being delivered by May of 1847.
In the College Hill Arsenal description of these
bayonets, Prince cites Paul Johnson, a well known
researcher and author, who acquired of a period piece of
correspondence which documents that the first 200
bayonets were delivered to the army without being
assembled – the blades in one shipment, followed by the
brass hilts in a separate shipment. The reason for
these separate deliveries is obscured by the passage of
time, but Johnson does provide that these first 200
bayonets were assembled at the National Armory in
Springfield, Massachusetts, and it is for this reason
that the blades of these first 200 bayonets are undated
and do not bear the inspector marks found on the later
production Sapper & Miner bayonets.
Ames initially designed these blades with an 8 ˝” long
“V” shaped fuller centered on both sides of the blade.
When the army placed the second order, they specified
that the fuller be eliminated as a cost saving measure.
As the army had indicated they would order more of these
blades beyond the original order, Ames had manufactured
more than the 200 blades for the first order, and those
extra blades were forged with the fuller. The army
allowed Ames to use those blades he had already forged
with the fuller to fill this second order, with the
stipulation that the blades produced from that point
forward would be forged without the fuller.
The design of the Model 1847 Sapper & Miner was grounded
in history – albeit, somewhat ancient history. Favoring
the design of the Gladius of the Roman Legions, this
bayonet featured a wasp-waisted, double edged blade with
a symmetrically shaped spear point, mounted in a cast
brass hilt. The hilt is cast with a fish-scale pattern
to enhance the grip, a guard featuring a matching pair
of quillons, and a prominent muzzle ring with a rotating
steel clasp similar to those on the standard socketed
bayonets of the period. The butt of hilt is slotted to
mount on the corresponding bayonet stud on the
musketoon’s muzzle.
This specimen shows evidence of use and age; however it
survives as a respectable example of a scarce first
production Sapper & Miner Bayonet. The blade measures
21 ˝” long. While the point still retains the original
spear-point shape, the measurement between the tip and
the start of the fuller when compared to the known
dimensions of these blades in their original form,
strongly suggests this blade lost ˝” from the tip during
the course of service in the hands of an engineer. In
keeping with the army’s practice of refurbishing damaged
equipment, this blade’s tip was restored to its original
profile and the bayonet was continued in service. The
blade surface is pitted overall, with some spots deeper
than others, but the blade retains its profile and the
fullers are still distinct on both sides of the blade.
The edges are generally smooth with a few minor
scattered dings along the edge. The hilt retains its
full form, the locking ring is functional and rotates
smoothly, and the brass features a naturally aged
patina.
Two features serve to identify this bayonet as one of
those Ames forged in his first production run. First,
the presence of the fullers is consistent with those
early blades forged before the army decided to omit that
feature. And secondly, the absence of any of the
inspector’s initials or dates normally found on later
blades indicates that this bayonet was one of those
assembled at the Springfield Armory. Given that this
bayonet was one of those produced for the first order,
and it presumably saw service through the Mexican War
and the Civil War, and possibly well after, it is
remarkable that it has survived at all – the odds were
certainly against it.
Despite the evidence of use in service and the effects
of age, this specimen of the Model 1847 Sapper and Miner
Musketoon Sword Bayonet is still a respectable
representative of one of the scarcer bayonets of the
mid-19TH Century US Army, and it has the
added value of being one of the first bayonets of this
model to have been produced.
SOLD
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