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Cutlass

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This article is about the sword. For other uses, seeCutlass (disambiguation).

Cutlass
TypeSword(short sabre, single-edged)
Place of originEurope
Service history
In service17th, 18th, 19th, and early 20th century
Used bySailors,pirates,andprivateers
Specifications
Length28 to 32 in (71 to 81 cm) (leadcutter cutlasseswere up to 36 in (91 cm) in length).
BladetypeSingle-edged
HilttypeCup hilted guards, half-basket cup guards, and branch guards were commonly seen with cylindrical hilts and wire-wrapped hilts which are common and found on most cutlasses.

Acutlassis a short, broadsabreor slashingsword,with a straight or slightly curvedbladesharpened on the cutting edge, and ahiltoften featuring a solid cupped orbasket-shapedguard.It was a common naval weapon during the earlyAge of Sail.

Etymology[edit]

The word "cutlass" developed from the 17th-century English use ofcoutelas,a 16th-century French word for amachete-like mid-length single-edged blade (the modern French for "knife", in general, iscouteau;in 17th- and 18th-century English the word was often spelled "cuttoe" ). The French wordcoutelasmay be a convergent development from a Latin root, along with the Italiancoltellaccioorcortelazo;[1]meaning "large knife". In Italy, thecortelazowas a similar short, broad-bladed sabre popular during the 16th century.[2] The rootcoltello,for "knife", derived ultimately from the Latincultellusmeaning "smaller knife"; which is the common Latin root for both the Italian and French words.[3]

In theEnglish-speaking Caribbean,the word "cutlass" is also used as a word formachete.[4][5]

History and use[edit]

Cutlasses aboard thefrigateGrand Turk
François l'Olonnaiswith a cutlass

Origin[edit]

The cutlass is a 17th-century descendant of the edged short sword, exemplified by the medievalfalchion.

Woodsmen and soldiers in the 17th and 18th centuries used a similar short and broadbackswordcalled ahanger,or in German amesser,meaning "knife". Often occurring with the fulltang(i.e. slab tang) more typical of daggers than swords in Europe, these blades may ultimately derive through thefalchion(facon, falcon) from theseax.[citation needed]

In England, about 1685 the rather long straight-bladed sword formerly in use began to be superseded by the "hanger". This weapon had a short and more or less curved single-edged blade with a brass hilt of a rather flat double-shell and knuckle-bow. The grip was generally of wood, bound with wire, but some specimens show a brass grip with spiral grooves. These are probably early models. The length of the blade is usually about 24 inches (61 cm).[6]

History[edit]

Although also used on land, the cutlass is best known as the sailor's weapon of choice. As a naval side-arm, it remained popular not only because it was robust enough to hack or cut through heavy ropes, thick canvas, and dense vegetation, but short enough to be used in relatively close quarters combat, such as duringboardingactions, in therigging,or below decks. Another advantage to the cutlass was its simplicity of use. Employing it effectively required less training than that required to master arapierorsmall sword,and it was more effective as a close-combat weapon than a full-sized sword would be on a cramped ship.

Cutlasses are famous for being used bypirates,although there is no reason to believe that Caribbeanbuccaneersinvented them, as has occasionally been claimed.[7]However, the subsequent use of cutlasses by pirates is well documented in contemporary sources, notably by the pirate crews ofWilliam Fly,William Kidd,andStede Bonnet.French historianAlexandre Exquemelinreports the buccaneerFrançois l'Ollonaisusing a cutlass as early as 1667. Pirates used these weapons for intimidation as much as for combat, often needing no more than to grip their hilts to induce a crew to surrender, or beating captives with the flat of the blade to force their compliance or responsiveness to interrogation.[8][9][10][11]

Owing to its versatility, the cutlass was as often an agricultural implement and tool as it was as a weapon (cf.machete,to which the same comment applies) that was used commonly inrain forestandsugarcaneareas, such as theCaribbeanandCentral America.In their most simplified form they are held to have become the machete of the Caribbean.

Thelead cutter swordwas a weapon modelled on the cutlass, designed for use in shows and demonstrations of swordsmanship in the lateVictorian era.Wilkinson Swordmade these swords in four sizes, no. 1 to no. 4, of increasing weight to suit the strength of the user. The lead cutter was so named because in demonstrations it was used to cut a lead bar in half.[12]Wilkinson included a mould for the lead bar with each purchase of their swords.[13]

Late naval examples
  • A cutlass drill on HMS Wolverine, 1882
    A cutlass drill onHMSWolverine,1882
  • Training cutlass, late 19th century
    Training cutlass, late 19th century

Modern history[edit]

In 1830, after a constable of the LondonMetropolitan Policewas shot and stabbed while on duty, theHome Secretaryordered that police officers in the force "should be issued with a cutlass for his defence"; training in their use was provided atWellington Barracks.Initially carried while on night duty,[14]they were soon relegated to being kept in the localinspector's office for use in an emergency.[15]Provincial police forces sometimes deployed cutlasses during public disorder, using the hilts and flat edges of the blades to strike rioters, but there is no record of anyone being killed with one.[16]The last recorded issue of police cutlasses was during theTottenham Outrage,an armed robbery in 1909.[15]

In 1936, the BritishRoyal Navyannounced that from then on cutlasses would be carried only forceremonialduties and not used in landing parties.[17]The last recorded use of cutlasses by the Royal Navy is often said to be on 16 February 1940 during the boarding action known as theAltmark Incident.However, this is disbelieved by the majority of theHMSCossackAssociation (Cossackwas the ship that boardedAltmark) and the authors ofBritish Naval Swords and Swordsmanship.The authors point to another claim, a boarding byHMSArmadain 1952, but disbelieve this one too. In their view, the last use of cutlasses by the Royal Navy was by a shore party in China in 1900.[18]Cutlasses continue to be worn in the Royal Navy by aChief Petty Officerescorting theWhite Ensignand by Senior or Leading Ratings in an escort at acourt martial.[19]

The cutlass remained an official weapon in theUnited States Navy,until it was stricken from the Navy's active inventory in 1949. The cutlass was seldom used for weapons training after the early 1930s. The last new model of cutlass adopted by the US Navy was known as the US M1917 cutlass duringWorld War I,which was based on the Dutch M1898klewang.Although cutlasses were still being made duringWorld War II,they were called the US M1941 cutlass, this was only a slightly modified variant of the US M1917 cutlass.[20]AUS MarineCombat EngineerNCOis reported to have killed an enemy combatant with a US M1941 cutlass at theBattle of Inchonduring theKorean War.[21]A cutlass is still carried by the recruit designated as the RecruitChief Petty Officerfor each recruit division while at theUS Navy Recruit Training Command.In a message released 31 March 2010, the US Navy approved optional wear of a ceremonial cutlass as part of the Chief Petty Officer dress uniform, pending final design approval.[22]That approval came in January 2011, and the cutlass was made available for ceremonial wear by Chief Petty Officers in August of that same year.[23]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Wedgwood, Hensleigh(1855)."On False Etymologies".Transactions of the Philological Society(6): 66.
  2. ^Ossian, Rob,The Cutlass(accessed Jan. 25, 2015)
  3. ^"Cutlass | Etymology, origin and meaning of cutlass by etymonline".
  4. ^John Klein,"What Is a Machete, Anyway?","The Atlantic,Oct 21, 2013 (accessed Jan 25 2015)
  5. ^Teresa P Blair,A-Z of Jamaican Patois (Patwah),Page 49Google Books Result
  6. ^Hopkinson, E. C. (October 1932)."The Swords of the British Army".Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research.11(44): 238–247.JSTOR44226060– via JSTOR.
  7. ^ "Pirate Weapons".Brethren of the Coast.Archived fromthe originalon 23 December 2007.Retrieved30 March2009.According to legend, buccaneers invented the cutlass, but this may not be factual. It is said to have evolved from the long knives used by the early buccaneers to butcher their meat.
  8. ^Lawson, John Davis (1915).American State Trials.St. Louis:F.H. Thomas Law Book Co. p.668.But as soon as they came up the shrouds, they clapped all hands to their cutlasses. Then I saw we were taken...
  9. ^John Richard Stephens, ed. (2006).Captured by Pirates.New York City:Barnes & Noble.p.6.ISBN0-7607-8537-6.They immediately drew their weapons and, after beating us up severely with their cutlasses, drove us below.
  10. ^John Richard Stephens, ed. (2006).Captured by Pirates.New York City: Barnes & Noble. p.9.ISBN0-7607-8537-6.[N]ine or ten men of a most ferocious aspect armed with muskets, knives, and cutlasses...ordered Captain Cowper, Mr. Lumsden, the ship's carpenter, and myself to go on board the pirate, hastening our departure by repeated blows with the flat part of their cutlasses over our backs.
  11. ^John Richard Stephens, ed. (2006).Captured by Pirates.New York City: Barnes & Noble. p.40.ISBN0-7607-8537-6.[T]he man who gave the order commenced beating me severely with the broad side of his cutlass.
  12. ^Mark Barton, John McGrath,British Naval Swords and Swordmanship,pp. 100–102, Seaforth Publishing, 2013ISBN184832135X
  13. ^Mike Loades,Swords and Swordsmen,ch. 14, Casemate Publishers, 2011ISBN1848847033
  14. ^Ingleton, Roy (1997)."Capter 1. Aux armes, citoyens!".Arming the British Police: The Great Debate.London: Routledge.ISBN978-0714647418.
  15. ^abEvans, Donald (2010). "Chapter Two: Policing the Metropolis".Jack the Ripper: Scotland Yard Investigates.Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: The History Press.ISBN978-0750942294.
  16. ^Emsly, Clive (2021).A Short History of Police and Policing.Oxford University Press. p. 110.ISBN978-0198844600.
  17. ^"Royal Navy". Official Appointments and Notices.The Times.No. 47514. London. 24 October 1936. col D, p. 17.
  18. ^Mark Barton, John McGrath,British Naval Swords and Swordsmanship,p. 21, Seaforth Publishers, 2013ISBN184832135X.
  19. ^"RN DRESS TABLES (39A-2)"(PDF).royalnavy.mod.uk.Royal Navy Digital. October 2013.Retrieved26 March2014.
  20. ^Wagner, Rick."Focus on the M1917/M1941 Cutlass".The Swordcollector.Retrieved19 September2008.
  21. ^Gilkerson, Bill (1991).Boarders Away.Vol. 1: With Steel.Lincoln, Rhode Island:Andrew Mowbray Inc.ISBN978-0-917218-50-7.
  22. ^ Press release (2010-03-31).Uniform Changes Include CPO Cutlass, Ball Caps.United States Navy.Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  23. ^Press release (2011-01-25).NAVADMIN 025/11 - Uniform Board Update.United States Navy.Retrieved 2012-03-18.
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