Naval Figure Eight Pattern Cutlass
date: label: Date made
content: Circa 1780
name: label: maker
content: Dawes
notes: label: Description
content: Naval cutlasses were heavy, short-bladed swords designed for hacking and thrusting. They were not intended for fancy swordplay (like fencing) or dueling, but for close combat on the rolling decks of wooden sailing ships where weight might count more than skill. Because boarding actions were fought on the crowded decks of vessels with tangles of shrouds, spars and equipment, the blade had to be short for control and heavy enough to add momentum to a sailor’s swing. The name of this cutlass type refers to the shape of the bent iron knuckle bow and guard around the hilt. It was a standard pattern for both the British and U. S. navies in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
place: label: associated place
content: United Kingdom: Grand Bretagne
topic: label: Subject
content: Naval History
label: related event
content: Revolution and the New Nation
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
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AF.77235M
label: catalog number
content: 77235M
label: accession number
content: 2008.0151
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Cutlass
label: Other Terms
content: Cutlass; Edged Weapons; Navy; Enlisted Man
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 1/4 in x 33 1/2 in; 10.795 cm x 85.09 cm