Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely patinated example of an Ames Model 1832 Artillery Short sword, dated 1836. This design of foot artillery sword has a straight, heavy double-edged steel blade. There are two side-by-side fullers, starting just below the hilt. Then, after a space of 11/16", there is a single center fuller that extends toward the blade's spear shaped point. The overall blade length is approximately 19 1/4''.
The blade is stamped on the reverse, near the hilt:

UNITED
STATES
1836
TW

"TW" is the marking of U.S. Army inspector Thomas Warner, who worked 1833 to 1837, so this is completely correct. On the obverse, near the hilt stamped under an American Eagle, is:

N. P. AMES
SPRINGFIELD

The hilt and cross guard are cast and partly machined brass, and are marked on top with ORD. and H.K.C., for inspector Maj. Henry K. Craig, who had served during the war of 1812 and would later serve in the Mexican-American war and Civil War. He was made a Major in 1932, and served with the ordnance department after that. From 1848 until 1851, Craig served as an inspector of arsenals, and on July 10, 1851, Craig was appointed Chief of Ordnance with the rank of full colonel.

The grips have been molded in a scalloped eagle feather design. Three transverse iron rivets secure it to the tang of the blade. The pommel is decorated on each side with a heavily incised American eagle, with shield, holding arrows in his left talon and an olive branch in his right talon. The eagle's head faces towards its right. The straight cross quillons terminate in disk shaped finials, which are in great shape. Overall the grip has a lovely aged patina, with no signs of aggressive cleaning.

The blade on this example looks to have seen long service and some past oxidation, which was then cleaned away. There also looks to have been some water rust staining near the point of the blade. It was not heavily cleaned, and original grind marks can still be seen in the fullers and elsewhere on the blade. There are some nicks on the edge of the blade, so it definitely did see some level of use in service.

The black leather scabbard is in very good condition, with a great look and mellow gold color on the brass fittings. The leather still retains much of the black finish, though it is cracked in areas and the leather has become hard, pulling out all of the original seam stitching. There also is an area on the front that was repaired, probably a split, as we can see creasing on the reverse. There is some minor denting on the brass drag, but nothing too extensive.

Comes more than ready for display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 19 1/4"
Blade Style: Double Edged "Gladius" style
Overall length: 25 1/4“
Crossguard: 4 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 20"

Model 1832 Foot Artillery Sword
The U.S. Model 1832 foot artillery short-sword has a 6-inch (15 cm) solid brass hilt, a 4-inch (10 cm) crossguard, and a blade usually 19 inches (48 cm) in length. This model was the first sword contracted by the U.S. with the Ames Manufacturing Company of Springfield (later Chicopee), Massachusetts, with production starting in 1832. In later years, it was also imported and supplied by W.H. Horstmann & Sons of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a personal side arm, it was intended for use by the regular or foot artillery regiments of the United States Army and remained in service until 1872 for use by foot artillerymen. It was the issued sword for sergeants and musicians of infantry regiments from 1832 until 1840. As most artillery regiments were trained and equipped as infantry prior to 1861 a single weapon for both types of troops made sense. It replaced the earlier Starr pattern sword used throughout the 1820s. While the design was impractical for actual combat, it is believed that artillerymen put this weapon to other uses, such as clearing brush or creating trails. It was an effective tool for cutting paths through the Florida swamps during the Second Seminole War, which occurred during the time it was issued to infantry sergeants, drummers and fifers. This is somewhat corroborated by the French nickname for their version of the sword, coupe choux (cabbage cutter). The last Ames contract for this sword was completed in 1862, although as a stock item it continued to be listed in company catalogs for decades afterwards.

The design was based on the French foot artillery short sword of 1816, which with minor changes was basically repeated in 1831. The French model was based on the Roman gladius, the standard sword of the Roman legionaries.

French versions can be distinguished from American versions by the hilt design, manufacturers' marks (French manufacturers include Châtellerault, St. Etienne, Talabot, and Thiebaut), and the lack of U.S. markings. Swords supplied by Ames typically bore an eagle on the blade until the Mexican–American War, whereas those made during the civil war by Confederate arsenals were typically unmarked. The Ames Model 1832 has a hilt with an eagle cast into the pommel and a scaled grip surface. French versions have either textured grips (model 1816) or ringed grips (model 1831), and like later English models a plain or smooth pommel on the hilt.