1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword The pattern 1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword was the sword used by the British heavy cavalry ( Lifeguards , Royal Horse Guards , Dragoon Guards and Dragoons ) , and King ' s German Legion Dragoons , through most of the period of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars . It played an especially notable role , in the hands of British cavalrymen , at the battles of Salamanca and Waterloo . The pattern was adopted by Sweden and was used by some Portuguese cavalry . Background . The British " 1796 Heavy Cavalry Trooper ' s Sword " was a direct copy of the Austrian " pallasch " sword pattern of 1769 for heavy cavalry ( it later received an iron scabbard ( 1775 ) , in which form it was adopted by the British ) . John Le Marchant , a cavalry officer who designed the curved 1796 pattern light cavalry sabre , undoubtedly saw the Austrian weapon in use during the Low Countries Campaign of 1793 - 95 , when he also made many drawings of Austrian cavalry equipment . His initial intention was that his own sword design should be adopted by all the cavalry ; however , this was denied by the decision of the board of general officers to arm the heavy cavalry with a straight sword . It is probable , once a straight sword had been decided upon , that he then suggested the Austrian sword as a model . Design . Trooper ' s pattern . Technically the 1796 heavy cavalry sword was a backsword , that is a sword with a straight blade with one cutting edge and the opposite edge of the blade ( the " back " ) thickened for most of its length to give added strength . The blade was in length , with a single broad fuller each side . The grip was of ribbed wood , or wood bound with cord to resemble the same , and covered in leather . The iron backpiece of the grip had ears which were riveted through the tang of the blade to give the hilt and blade a very secure connection . The hilt combined a disc guard pierced with 2 semicircular and 6 oval ( never circular ) holes , with single knucklebow and two slim long langets ( projections from the guard , which gripped the throat of the scabbard ) extending from the front of the guard . The langets were often removed and the left side of the guard ground away so as to reduce wear to uniforms . This would also have made it more comfortable to wear , especially on horseback . The sword was often modified by its users . The point was originally a ' hatchet point ' , a curved diagonal front edge similar to that of the Japanese katana , but most were altered to a symmetrical ' spear point ' , more common at the time , or alternatively made more acute whilst retaining the asymmetry of the tip . This was done in order to improve the sword ' s ability to thrust . Quite large numbers of spear - pointed examples exist with blades , along with an appropriately shortened scabbard . These may be conversions of the original standard blade , although many appear to have been manufactured to this shorter length . The sword was carried in an iron scabbard with wooden liners , and hung from the waist via sword - belt slings attached to two loose suspension rings . Household cavalry other ranks . Variant sword types with the standard trooper ' s blade , but a bowl hilt similar to that of the officers ' pattern , in brass with a brass scabbard ( for the Life Guards ) or iron with an iron scabbard ( for the Horse Guards ) , exist and are believed to have been issued to the other ranks of the Household regiments for use when on home ( ceremonial ) service . The scabbards of these swords did not usually have suspension rings , but were fitted with a button or slide for use with a ' frog ' - a type of baldric or belt attachment . It is known that the Household regiments employed the standard trooper ' s pattern swords on active service . Officer ' s patterns . Officers carried a service sword , also termed an " undress sword " , with a blade of identical general form to that of the trooper ' s pattern detailed above . However , many officers ' blades bore etched , or blued and gilt , decoration . The guard , in contrast , was entirely different to the trooper ' s pattern , being of bowl form , and incorporating an elaborate pierced honeysuckle design with a prominent rear quillon . This hilt form is often referred to as a ' ladder hilt " . The dress sword for Heavy Cavalry officers was a much smaller and lighter weapon , having a knucklebow , ovoid pommel and boat - shell guard in gilt brass or gunmetal . The blade was much shorter and narrower than the service sword ' s , and usually double edged with a short narrow central fuller each side . The dress sword usually had a leather scabbard with gilt brass mounts , however , a number of examples exist of swords with iron service scabbards , suggesting that some officers may have employed the dress sword in the field . Use . The trooper ' s sword , and the officer ' s undress sword , was a dedicated cutting weapon with a broad heavy blade and was renowned as being completely unfit for delicate swordsmanship . This was also the foundation for respect it gained from those who appreciated it ; most cavalry troopers used the blades like bludgeons and the guards as knuckle dusters ( as Le Marchant observed ) and the 1796 was significantly more suited for this than most other swords . A well - known description of the brutal power of the weapon was made by Sgt . Charles Ewart , 2nd Dragoons ( Scots Greys ) concerning how he captured an Imperial Eagle at Waterloo : Fame . The sword is invariably most famous for its role in the " Sharpe " books . Bernard Cornwell describes it as ' heavy and ill balanced ' , ' crude and mass - produced ' , a ' brutal blade that will hammer through lighter swords and finer techniques ' ' the mere weight of which can crush a man ' s skull " . It is deemed as the character ' s signature weapon .