Cavalry officer's saber

[pkorzynski]

Would a cavalry officer have used his ornate etched saber in battle?

Paul Korzynski
1st Conn.Cavalry

[Steven Dacus]

Re: Cavalry officer's saber

Paul,

As a general rule, the best thing to do is refer to as many period photographs as possible. Luckily, for your specific question, there are a plethora of photographs of officers in the field. Additionally, there are a few threads on this forum that, while not directly answering this question, would help you with your research.

Below are some examples of some of the most famous pics available:

The picture above is one of the ones that I could find a "decorated" saber. Notice how one is "ornate" and the other two are not



Here is another one that has officers without decorated/ornate sabers


Also go to first hand accounts and diaries. Lastly, the best example I can think of is the comments about Lee when he chose to wear his "Ornate" sword. If it was not usual for him to in the field then that tells you a lot. However, be careful, it is easy to take that example out of context too.

Short answer, is no. Keep in mind what would have been usual for officers. Also, are we talking about Captains, Lt's, majors? or are we talking about general officers?

I strongly suggest going to the Library of Congress (LOC) and looking at all their Cav pictures. They have quite a few of officers. Download the TIFF pics and zoom in. You will learn a lot that way.

Thanks! and always keep researching!

[pkorzynski]

Re: Cavalry officer's saber

Steve,

I was actually asking for line officers, Lt.s & Capt.s. For the record, I doubted that an officer would use his ceremonial saber in battle, but I just wanted to get confirmation that it would be unlikely. Thank you very much for your input, it is much appreciated. And thanks for the pics, they are a great reference.

Cheers!
Paul Korzynski

[Guest]

OK... What about sword knots? Yes or No??? Gold, Silver or Black.

[Redbeard]

Steve, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your use of the word "plethora". It's one of my favorite words and really means a lot.