French infantry hanger

Dateca. 1745-1765

MediumIron, steel, brass and wood

DimensionsHilt: 5 13/16" Blade: 28 3/16" x 1 1/16" Overall: 34 1/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1959-264

DescriptionHilt: Cast brass "half heart" counterguard, missing the terminal of the knucklebow and the quillon. Cast brass pommel with integral capstan and foot. Plain, swollen wood grip retaining both fluted brass ferrules (twisted wire wrap missing).

Blade: Straight, double edged blade with a median ridge running its full length.

Label TextWhile the British Army carried a myriad of sword patterns during the last half of the colonial period, the French forces serving in North America carried relatively few. Amongst the most common is this pattern, with a straight blade and a half-heart shaped counterguard made of cast brass.

Meant for use by the common foot soldier, relics of this hilt type have been found at French military sites from Nova Scotia to the Gulf Coast, attesting to its popularity. When one considers the number of arms captured from the French during the French and Indian War, it is easy to see how many would have come into the hands of American fighting men too.
InscribedSpurious "USA 1774" scratched on underside of counter guard.