Ironside Weapons

The Sword

The primary weapon of the cavalry was the sword. Many designs of swords appeared during the 17th century, from a simple pikeman’s tuck to mortuary swords and walloons. The soldier needed more protection to his hand than a crosspiece could afford, and most swords therefore had a knuckle-bow - a piece of metal from the cup to the pommel designed to shield the fingers. Cavalry swords were longer than those of the foot, being up to about 33” in order to give the rider the reach to attack infantry. The cavalry sword was designed primarily for cutting with some thrusting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pistol

The secondary arm of the cavalry was the pistol. Each trooper was equipped with a pair of pistols, although officers often carried as many as they could either afford or carry. Earlier in the war many pistols were of the wheelock variety, which worked in the following manner: a spring is first wound up or ‘spanned’ by means of a spanner (possibly the first recorded usage of the term). When the trigger is pulled, the spring is released and a metal disc turns fast against a piece of iron pyrites, thus generating sparks which fall into the pan and ignite the priming, which subsequently ignites the main charge. Wheelocks were notoriously unreliable, the spring often jamming when the pistol was left spanned for a long period. They were also very slow to load, and as the war progressed they were replaced with flintlocks. Flintlock pistols are fired by means of a spring holding back a hammer onto which was fixed a piece of flint. On pulling the trigger, the hammer is released and the flint hits a piece of metal called a ‘frizzen’. The flint has two action on the frizzen: firstly it produces a shower of sparks and, secondly, it pushes back the frizzen, which is attached to the pan cover, thus opening the pan and allowing the sparks to ignite the priming charge. Pistols in the Civil War were much larger than the modern ones we are used to seeing today. Dutch pistols had barrels up to about 21” in length, whilst English were a little shorter. As well as increasing accuracy, the length of the barrel made the butt of the pistol a useful weapon once it had been fired.

The Carbine

The tertiary arm of the cavalry was the carbine. This was a short musket, generally 17-21” in length, and normally with a flintlock mechanism. The carbine was carried on a cross-belt over the left should known as a carbine-belt, and hung down the horse’s side behind the right thigh. Although occasionally used on horseback, the carbine was more normally used when dismounted for roles such as picket duty. The carbines used in Waller’s Horse are slightly longer than the originals in order to comply with modern shotgun legislation and Sealed Knot safety guidelines.