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Germanic Prussian-styled bayonet

Dateca.1750-1780

OriginEurope, Germany, City-States

MediumIron & steel

DimensionsSocket: 3 1/8" Blade: 13 3/8" x 1 1/8" Overall: 17 1/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2005-65

Label TextThe so-called "Hessian" soldiers fighting on the side of the British during the Revolutionary War often carried their own distinctive weapons. Since Prussia had the strongest and best equipped army on the Continental during the mid-18th century, it is not surprising that their arms served as prototypes for other Germanic states. Brunswick was amongst them.

Patterned on the standard Prussian Model 1740 bayonet, typical Germanic features include a heavy socket engraved with a ring around end, a chamfered shank, and a fullered triangular blade with sloping shoulders.

An identical example, still retaining its original musket, resides in the collection of the Massachusetts State Archives. A memento of the Patriot victory over the Brunswickers at Bennington in 1777, it was donated to the Commonwealth by General John Stark, the American commander at the battle.

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