Original Item. Only One Available. This is an extraordinary example of an American Revolutionary War “Rappahannock Forge” style dragoon saber. This saber was based on a captured British specimen produced by James Potter in occupied New York City, which was then taken to James Hunter at the Rappahannock Forge in Virginia, who produced several of these iron-mounted sabers. The biggest “tell” of this style is the slotted "stirrup" shaped guard clearly copied from that made by Potter. This is a more simplified version with a basic wooden grip and a simple flat disc pommel instead of Potter's high domed version.

The curved 32¾” blade features a triple-fuller toward the middle as shown. This example has been very well-preserved, with very little damage to the blade outside of what age has done to it. There are very few chips and the chips that are there are not very noticeable. The hilt is in similar condition with heavy oxidation but little damage otherwise. The crossguard is in its original configuration with the end tipped up, and the original wooden grip is still well-retained.

By 1778, there was an explosion of newly formed cavalry units fighting on both sides of the Revolutionary War. While the British and Loyalist light dragoons were largely armed with swords made by James Potter of New York City (see 2004-15), the Continental Army was left scrambling to equip their mounted troops with these necessary weapons. While it is known that Patriot units like "Light-Horse Harry" Lee's Legion and Francis Marion's Brigade preferred captured Potter swords, there weren't enough taken to entirely outfit the Continental Light Dragoons.

To fill the void, the Continental forces sought to have dragoon swords made, and turned to James Hunter of Rappahannock Forge in Falmouth, Virginia. Before the Virginia campaign of 1781, Hunter's works were amongst the only sizable arms-making operations out of the reach of British raiding parties. Thus, he was the natural choice for such production, and could certainly handle the various contracts for different sorts of arms needed for the cause.

Although we don't know when Hunter made his first dragoon swords, it is significant that a Potter sabre, taken from a dragoon of Tarleton's British Legion at Guilford Courthouse, was sent to him as a pattern in early 1781.

This is a phenomenal example of a well-known variation of American Revolutionary War Dragoon saber. It will become the centerpiece of any Revolutionary War collection.

Approximate Dimensions:
Blade Length: 32 3/4"
Blade Style: Single Edged Curved Saber with Triple Fuller
Overall length: 37 3/4“