Roger Brothers
Re: Civil War Sword
Thu May 31 21:35:45 2001


It would have been highly unusual for a private in an infantry regiment to carry a sword of any description (except for the "sword" bayonet that some rifles were equipped with) Enlisted were discouraged and sometimes prohibited from carrying and type of sidearm. They were supposed to depend on the musket and ultimately the bayonet. Besides it became clear to the average private very early that more than this was mostly unnecessary weight that would contribute little to his chances of survival. Most of the vicious looking bowie knives that you see Confederate soldiers brandishing in photos were discarded before the war was a year old.