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Re: Why those long wide Bowie knives?
Knives and knife fighting were a big part of southern and western U.S. culture in the antebellum era, and northern culture too to some extent. No doubt about that. It was considered cool in the same way that the various martial arts are today. So I think it's not really surprising that there was a lot of talk about knives, a lot of training centered around them, etc. Whether or when it was actually applied in the field also probably is similar to how much martial arts are actually applied in real-life self defense today.
A good modern book with both research and practical how-to instruction on historic Bowie knife techniques is Dwight McLemore's Bowie and Big Knife Fighting (link is to a review of it). He puts on training seminars very occasionally and I've wanted to attend one but have never been at the right time and place. Bill Bagwell and James Keating are another couple of names in the Bowie knife technique world today.
Though there's some controversy about it, the brass strip along the back of the blade, on some early Bowie knives, is thought to have been for the purpose of protecting the blade when it was used defensively, either to protect the blade from the shock of being struck by an opponent's blade since the brass would be softer, or to catch the edge of another blade in the softer metal to slow it from sliding down the knife.
That said, though...
I need to look at McLemore's book again, but it sticks in my mind that he contends that knife fighting in the early 19th century relied more heavily on sword fighting technique and thus tended toward a more open stance. Picture the fencer "en garde" with the left hand behind. For example, skim through these images from a 1940ish instruction book on knife fighting (about halfway down), and note how non-defensive the stances are. This is the older Styers-Biddle school of knife combat, and it has a different look than the Fairbairn- Applegate style that followed (which is still old fashioned today). Note the Applegate drawings here , where now there's a more defensive stance, with the left hand forward of the knife.
I think the Styers-Biddle method was a direct descendant of 19th century knife fighting, which descended in turn from sword fighting. But needless to say, there wasn't one way to do it, and the population who actually fought with knives in the period probably had very little overlap with the students of the kewl knife/sword instructors in New Orleans or wherever in the period. But still, if a person in the period was actually trained in knife fighting, or was interested in it enough to actually talk about technique, I think that one can't assume that modern techniques or mindset applied backward; there really was a shift somewhere in the mid to late 20th century.
Also, again, it's worth keeping in mind that something called a Bowie knife in the period might not have a wide blade, might not have even a cross-guard (especially earlier in the antebellum era), and might not be more than six inches long in the blade. "Bowie" was not necessarily synonymous with a machette-style all-purpose hacking broad-bladed knife, though that could also be called a Bowie knife too.
Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com
Knives and knife fighting were a big part of southern and western U.S. culture in the antebellum era, and northern culture too to some extent. No doubt about that. It was considered cool in the same way that the various martial arts are today. So I think it's not really surprising that there was a lot of talk about knives, a lot of training centered around them, etc. Whether or when it was actually applied in the field also probably is similar to how much martial arts are actually applied in real-life self defense today.
A good modern book with both research and practical how-to instruction on historic Bowie knife techniques is Dwight McLemore's Bowie and Big Knife Fighting (link is to a review of it). He puts on training seminars very occasionally and I've wanted to attend one but have never been at the right time and place. Bill Bagwell and James Keating are another couple of names in the Bowie knife technique world today.
Additionally he made a point of teaching his men how to defend themselves using the Bowie knife as a weapon and a shield, widely recognised by New Zealand historians as the knife being swivelled in the hand and laid along the outer length of the lower arm between the wrist and elbow to ward off blows or cuts.
It's still taught today and is an easy manouvre to perfect with practice.
My Questions.
Had such a protective manouvre been introduced earlier in America by James Bowie or someone subsequently.
Was it an intentional design feature of the Bowie knife, it being long, strong and wide bladed?
It's still taught today and is an easy manouvre to perfect with practice.
My Questions.
Had such a protective manouvre been introduced earlier in America by James Bowie or someone subsequently.
Was it an intentional design feature of the Bowie knife, it being long, strong and wide bladed?
That said, though...
I need to look at McLemore's book again, but it sticks in my mind that he contends that knife fighting in the early 19th century relied more heavily on sword fighting technique and thus tended toward a more open stance. Picture the fencer "en garde" with the left hand behind. For example, skim through these images from a 1940ish instruction book on knife fighting (about halfway down), and note how non-defensive the stances are. This is the older Styers-Biddle school of knife combat, and it has a different look than the Fairbairn- Applegate style that followed (which is still old fashioned today). Note the Applegate drawings here , where now there's a more defensive stance, with the left hand forward of the knife.
I think the Styers-Biddle method was a direct descendant of 19th century knife fighting, which descended in turn from sword fighting. But needless to say, there wasn't one way to do it, and the population who actually fought with knives in the period probably had very little overlap with the students of the kewl knife/sword instructors in New Orleans or wherever in the period. But still, if a person in the period was actually trained in knife fighting, or was interested in it enough to actually talk about technique, I think that one can't assume that modern techniques or mindset applied backward; there really was a shift somewhere in the mid to late 20th century.
Also, again, it's worth keeping in mind that something called a Bowie knife in the period might not have a wide blade, might not have even a cross-guard (especially earlier in the antebellum era), and might not be more than six inches long in the blade. "Bowie" was not necessarily synonymous with a machette-style all-purpose hacking broad-bladed knife, though that could also be called a Bowie knife too.
Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com
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