Sword Sunday #27 The Ludicrously cool Bayonet!

Let me start off by giving a shout out to one of my regular stops on Youtube, Forgotton Weapons. Ian does an excellent job of creating an apolitical, historical channel where he talked about the history and function of firearms, with an emphasis on the really cool, and at times weird designs of the past, and present. 

This week, one of his episodes overlapped perfectly with the theme of "Sword Sunday", and I couldn't pass it up. The June 26th episode talks about the  Arcelin Mousqueton, a french design from the 1850 that was at the beginning of the transition of military firearms away from muzzle loader types and towards breach loaders. 

However, this particular weapon was a carbine, a short barreled rifle of the day, designed for cavalry or mounted infantry to use. The idea being that a shorter weapon was better suited for mounted use. What made the Mousqueton different however, was how its designers approached the idea of hand to hand combat. Where most long-arms of the day had bayonets that were ranged from 14 to 20 inches long, the design of the Mousqueton would let the solider literally affix his full- length cavalry caber to the barrel and stock, giving him a thrusting weapon with over seven and a half feet of reach to it. 

The use of the word 'saber' is actually more reflective of the user than the weapon in this case. The almost 4-foot-long sword was straight, with a tapering edge that came to a sharp point. The leading edge, and the last third of the back edge were sharp, but the spin was flat, and engraved with manufacturer. The reach of the 3 foot long weapon would work well from horseback, allowed easy strokes at head, shoulders, and even the chest or mid back. 

The sword itself was fully furnished, with a hilt and metal hand-guard, scabbard, and wire wrapped leather grip. While not the longest, or heaviest weapon to me wielded from horseback by any means, it possessed the balance, weight, strength, and design to make a formidable, and deadly close quarters battle weapon. 

Unfortunately, the Mousqueton itself was a little to ahead of its time. As a breach loading long-arm, the locking bolt required a precise fit to proper open and close. Regrettably, smokeless powder didn't exist yet, and the smoke and soot created by a black powder ignition would very quickly foul the bolt mechanism, rendering the weapon useless. 

However, the weapon was adopted by the a Cent Guard (hundred-man guard) under Louis Napoleon III, who's duties includes royal protection and palace guard duty. There can be little doubt that these men in their uniforms cut an imposing image with their full length, literal sword bayonets affixed and at the shoulder during guard duty.

The Cent Guard
circa 1855
Note the saber scabbard,
and the image of  a man with a fixed bayonet (top right)

Now, go watch Ian's 13 minute video and you can see how out of this world the thing it when its mounted to the carbine. 

Note: this blog is in now way sponsored by, or has any affiliation to Forgotten Weapons. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"