1818 Cavalry Sword
name: label: user
content: Ringgold, Samuel
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description
label: Description
content: U. S. Model 1818 cavalry saber, forged steel with metal scabbard. Scabbard is marked, "Samuel Ringgold Major USA/ Mortally Wounded in the / Battle of Palo, Alto, Mexico / May 8th 1846 Died at Corpus Christi May 10th 1846."
label: Description
content: General History
label: Description
content: Samuel Ringgold was a member of the first graduating class of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Ringgold was an artillery officer on General Winfield Scott's staff. He was later promoted to Major General in acknowledgment of his military innovations including the idea of flying artillery, a tactical concept moving artillery pieces quickly from place to place. In 1846, in the first clash of the Mexican War, Ringgold led a small American force to victory at Palo Alto. However, Ringgold was wounded and died three days later. He was the first American casualty of the Mexican War, and in death, he created an explosion of national pride.
place: label: used
content: United States
topic: label: Subject
content: Edged Weapons
label: related event
content: Mexican War
label: related event
content: Expansion and Reform
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
label: See more items in
content: Military
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Estate of William Woodville VIII
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1996.0267.01
label: accession number
content: 1996.0267
label: catalog number
content: 1996.0267.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Saber
label: Other Terms
content: Saber; Edged Weapons
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)