Mystery solved and started!

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Victrix

The contemporary picture is very interesting. It seems to indicate that officers were armed with epees, mounted Jäger (wearing riding boots) were armed with hussar sabres, and infantry sharpshooters were armed with plain looking hangers. Whether these hangers can be termed hirschfänger is a technical point but seems to have led to confusion in the past.

I was under the impression that hirschfängers (read hunting knives) were of unequivocal typology, but i am not the correct judge. I take it however as a striking detail, the absence of a knuckle guard in 'typical' examples. Mark's sword would then be a hanger.

[M ELEY]

Yeah. Fernando, I see your point. I'm giving up on the markings for now and hope to at least get a definitive as to whether this little booger is a jaeger hanger or not. More research needed-

Victrix, I moticed that as well. Of course, even the material I read from Peterson and Trioani indicated that there might be other patterns based on rank. Peterson called the pattern exactly resembling mine and described as such (plate 247 pic) as "a Jaeger enlisted man's sword", no use of 'saber', 'hanger' or 'hirschfanger'. I'm wondering if the hirschfanger might have become standard aster 1800? Most of the pics I've seen (granted, all modern), were of 19th c. hunting swords-

[M ELEY]

I've sent pictures of this hanger off to a prominant museum in Germany and await their verdict. Either way I won't be disappointed. Just watched a documentary on a Revolutionary War battle where a column of soldiers led by jaeger troops collided with colonials. What started out as a shooting match degraded into hand-to-hand fighting bringing up the importance of the jaeger's sidearm despite them being marksmen troops.

[M ELEY]

The reference that leads me to believe that it could be a jaeger was Harold Peterson's well researched colonial weapons book. Here is the line drawing I mentioned (plate 247) and a description exactly matcing my sword down to the blade length-

[M ELEY]

Note in the description the fact that some didn't carry the 'accepted' pattern. In most of the paintings of jaeger troops, the subjects are from differernt eras, this elite unit having been around from the 17th to early 20th c. Thus, the hangers they carried would have undoubtedy changed over time as styles changed (even in Peterson's description, he mentions the changing regulation in sword lenghs)

[M ELEY]

I sent detailed pictures off to a museum in Germany who finally confirmed that this sword isn't a Jaeger hanger. The gentleman found a near identical French grenadier sword, matching the details of my hilt. I had originally thought about the brass-hilted grenadier swords, but the typical variety had a different pattern to the hilt. It took this professor digging through the museum archives to find one similar. I am perfectly happy with the outcome and am just glad to have some clarification.

Now, the grenadier swords all had curved blades, so it seems mine is similar, but not an exact fit. Going back to my original argument, this still could be a naval/maritime hanger. The brass hilted naval swords of the 1780-1800 period were Plain Janes like this. The spear-point, double edged blade fits the bill. French merchantmen, privateers and such were very prevalent during this period.

[M ELEY]

And let us not forget this little beauty...

http://swordscollection.blogspot.com...g-cutlass.html