[Jeff D]

Hi Jim,

I recently came into possession of a Little Bighorn Associates Research Review Volume VIII Fall Number 3. There is an Article by Lawrence Frost Pg 4-8. I think you may find it interesting as this appears to be where Mr Connell obtained his information.
I will quote it here;

' General Custer's famous straight saber was not buried with him. The sword was lent to the national Museum by Mrs, B. Elizabeth Custer in 1912 and was described and illustrated in National Museum Bulletin 163.

This saber, which is now a part of the Elizabeth B. Custer collection at the Custer Battlefield National Monument, is 37 inches long with a blade 1-1/2 inches wide. The weight of the saber is two pounds, eight and three-quarters ounces. The weight is emphasized because of the story Whittaker told of the use of the blade by Custer and in which "men said that hardly an arm in the service could be found strong enough to wield the blade, save Custer's alone"

Comparing Custer's blade to the light cavalry saber Model 1860 - in vogue at that time, the light cavalry saber had a 34 5/8 inch blade that was one inch wide, and weighed one pound and six ounces. This gave Custer an advantage of nearly two and one-half inches in length and a blade 50 per cent wider. The heavier Custer blade was a pound and nearly three ounces heavier than that carried by his men. In the National Museum's description of Custer's weapon it is referred to as a Spanish cavalry saber.

A year or two after the museum at the Custer Battlefield had been opened, Major Edward S. Luce permitted Colonel Brice C.W. Custer and the writer to examine the saber in detail for it was on exhibit there at the time.

This long, straight double edged weapon was indeed heavy and cumbersome to handle. I attempted the various thrusts, cuts and parries, having been accustomed to the light dueling saber used in fencing competition, and found the heavy weapon unwieldly and very tiring to the wrist. It was a cut and thrust weapon made for a powerful man.

One must remember, however, that the movements of cut and parry were quite wide in Custer's day, and the moulinet on attack was the accepted method of making a saber cut. One had to have strong wrists and shoulder muscles to accomplish this movement with any degree of security and certainty. The added weight of the blade gave it a certain authority on either attack or defense.

Using a power glass, and search as we might, there was no evidence that this weapon was a Spanish or Toledo blade as it has been described by some. The engraving on it was in Spanish, but that proves nothing. The engraving might have been in Latin or French but that is no positive association with a country. On the forte of the blade, near the hilt, were some obscure, well-worn letters that formed an incomplete word. I have since misplaced my notes but read into it "Solingen," a well-known German sword-maker. I could be wrong.

This is not the only cutting weapon Custer left to posterity. Colonel Brice C.W. Custer had two of the General's sabers. Both were the 1860 model, light cavalry saber. One blade was stamped "USA" near the hilt, and on the other side, "ACMP", with some fancy scrollwork below. Both now belong to Colonel George A. Custer III.

Colonel Charles Custer, Colonel Brice Custer's brother (both grand-nephew's of general Custer and his nearest lineal descendents), has a saber that belonged to his great-uncle Autie. It is 41 inches long, and is stamped "US--1864--A.G.M. C. ROBY, W. CHELMSFORD, MASS." The scabbard is 36 3/8 inches in length. I have not examined this saber but have seen both of Brice's.'

Mr Frost goes on to list a number of other swords with out much detail. It is interesting to note that the Roby saber was originally attributed to Autie Custer (edit: Autie was Armstrong Reed not Custer, GAC's nephew) rather than George?