Philip, thank you so much for this very well placed excerpt regarding the conservation of powder and use of edged weapons with cavalry. It is well known that cavalrymen in Europe and England were taught to rely primarily on the sword in the 19th century.
A great book on these topics is "Charge to Glory" by James Lunt, where it is noted that the cavalryman learned that his weapon was always the sword.
In Spains frontiers in northern Mexico and the American southwest in the 19th century, the most effective weapon was the lance, as they fought against marauding Native American tribes. It seems that firearms were often optional as the serviceability of the weapons and availability of powder were primary issues. The well known espada ancha was more a utilitarian implement used more against rugged chaparral than in fighting.
While your expertise is of course immense in so many aspects of arms and armour, I know you have broad contacts through museums and collections in these areas formerly of Spanish dominion. I wonder if you might have seen examples of lance heads used and information on them in the early 19th c.
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