French Boarding Axe - A Lewis

M ELEY · 6th February 2014, 01:05 AM

Wow! Two great boarding pieces, indeed! I unfortuantely can't say that I'm familiar with the lewis stamping, however, it appears to be legit and dating to the time of the piece. As it is not stamped into the iron, but the haft is intriguing? Were the heads shipped over and refitted here? Was this Lewis fellow an importer? Gov'nt inspector? Are we to assume these are government pieces or privateer pieces? I know this is your question as well, just thinking aloud.

A few points-I am aware that the early U.S. Navy did experiment with sword patterns, especially for their newly reformed Marine Corps, post 1790. It has been suggested from multiple sources that one of the 'prime suspect' swords carried might have been the Dutch marinesabal. The fact of the matter is, we just don't know what was carried in the early periods of the United States. Certainly, the Type I-III boarding axes were used, but prior to 1780, there are many questions as to what types were carried. Both Neumann and Gilkerson beliece early tomahawk spike axes, but that doesn't narrow down patterns.

The second axe pictured, although strongly resembling a Brit boarding piece, is an early Amer knock-off of the Brit, in my opinion. The curvature of the head and spike, as well as the overall profile, says to me that it's a contemporary copy. Neumann's 'Swords & Blades of the Amer Revolution' shows similar axes. Likewise, Hartzler's tomahawk book shows similar examples.

Soooo...where does that leave us? Until and unless we can positively prove that Lewis was a gov'mt inspector, we are left in limbo. As just the hafts are marked, we can't even be sure that the ax came with the haft. I'm not suggesting they didn't, as they seem to be the original, but I'm just saying.
As the French ax is later and the American Navy had already established their own types, IF we are to assume its American, that I lean towards merchant/privateer piece. For that matter, even the second ax, which might be early gov'mt issue, could well be a privateer piece pre-1780.

This also opens even more questions. For instance, is there a chance this Lewis was a French inspector? The ax is, after all, the m1801. If so, could the second ax, so closely resembling the Brit pattern, also be a French privateer boarding piece? I've seen both countries copying each other's patterns in boarding pikes, dirks, swords, etc. Why not axes?

Hopefully, with research, you might be able to track down this A. Lewis fellow. I would consider contacting the Smithsonian, the Maritime Museum in Greenwich, etc. You might get a lead?

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6th February 2014, 01:05 AM	#2
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,141	Wow! Two great boarding pieces, indeed! I unfortuantely can't say that I'm familiar with the lewis stamping, however, it appears to be legit and dating to the time of the piece. As it is not stamped into the iron, but the haft is intriguing? Were the heads shipped over and refitted here? Was this Lewis fellow an importer? Gov'nt inspector? Are we to assume these are government pieces or privateer pieces? I know this is your question as well, just thinking aloud. A few points-I am aware that the early U.S. Navy did experiment with sword patterns, especially for their newly reformed Marine Corps, post 1790. It has been suggested from multiple sources that one of the 'prime suspect' swords carried might have been the Dutch marinesabal. The fact of the matter is, we just don't know what was carried in the early periods of the United States. Certainly, the Type I-III boarding axes were used, but prior to 1780, there are many questions as to what types were carried. Both Neumann and Gilkerson beliece early tomahawk spike axes, but that doesn't narrow down patterns. The second axe pictured, although strongly resembling a Brit boarding piece, is an early Amer knock-off of the Brit, in my opinion. The curvature of the head and spike, as well as the overall profile, says to me that it's a contemporary copy. Neumann's 'Swords & Blades of the Amer Revolution' shows similar axes. Likewise, Hartzler's tomahawk book shows similar examples. Soooo...where does that leave us? Until and unless we can positively prove that Lewis was a gov'mt inspector, we are left in limbo. As just the hafts are marked, we can't even be sure that the ax came with the haft. I'm not suggesting they didn't, as they seem to be the original, but I'm just saying. As the French ax is later and the American Navy had already established their own types, IF we are to assume its American, that I lean towards merchant/privateer piece. For that matter, even the second ax, which might be early gov'mt issue, could well be a privateer piece pre-1780. This also opens even more questions. For instance, is there a chance this Lewis was a French inspector? The ax is, after all, the m1801. If so, could the second ax, so closely resembling the Brit pattern, also be a French privateer boarding piece? I've seen both countries copying each other's patterns in boarding pikes, dirks, swords, etc. Why not axes? Hopefully, with research, you might be able to track down this A. Lewis fellow. I would consider contacting the Smithsonian, the Maritime Museum in Greenwich, etc. You might get a lead?