18th century hanger with possible naval connections

[Jim McDougall]

Hey Cap'n Mark
You know I cant resist this stuff you come up with!
Actually, as you know I get pretty involved with everything Mexican and Spanish colonial. The bookmobile is now dry docked at the very foot of the Superstition Mountains here in Arizona. These rugged defiles are really weird looking and it feels like the face of the sun here about 105-115 every day.

The Spanish Colonial and Apache history is everywhere here, I picked up a monstrous Mexican Bowie with a cane cactus hilt that makes the Crocodile Dundee thing look like a keychain pocket knife!

In most of the research on Mexican military related stuff, the methods and markings for units is pretty inconsistent, but these numbers and letters seem like them for some reason. There is something about these often irregular and unusual weapons which is fascinating, maybe its being in that climate here. Much of the data I found on regimentals was from a guy who has spent years excavating battle sites in Mexican areas and remote Texas etc.

But, the notes by Corrado are relevant as well, and who knows it could be European.

Have fun at the pirate gig!!!

[M ELEY]

Jim, you live the life of an adventurer! Just don't be going out into those haunted mountains alone! I've seen some pretty scary stuff about the Superstition Mts. I'm just trying to keep an open mind about the piece. I want to post some better close-ups when I have time, showing the two part hilt and the quality of the blade. I'll also list the swords from Neumann's when I get the chance.

In the meantime, a similar cousin to our little beasty? (From Sailor in Saddle again! I'm going to owe Dmitri big!!)


http://www.sailorinsaddle.com/product.aspx?id=1393

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by M ELEY

Jim, you live the life of an adventurer! Just don't be going out into those haunted mountains alone! I've seen some pretty scary stuff about the Superstition Mts. I'm just trying to keep an open mind about the piece. I want to post some better close-ups when I have time, showing the two part hilt and the quality of the blade. I'll also list the swords from Neumann's when I get the chance.

In the meantime, a similar cousin to our little beasty? (From Sailor in Saddle again! I'm going to owe Dmitri big!!)


http://www.sailorinsaddle.com/product.aspx?id=1393

Yup!!! Those spooky looking sentinels loom over us every day, and it can be blue sky everywhere but black clouds, thunder and lightning over them, like some strange old horror movie.
WOW.....good call from Dmitry!
We often forget about our northern neighbors up there.

[M ELEY]

Wow, Glenn, that is a great article on the development of French swords of the period! Thank you so much and I'm going to print a copy for future reference. It is easy to forget about the latter 18th/early 19th c. patterns of brass hilt swords when you start perusing through all of the Russian pioneer swords, Saxon infantry and the massive pile of briquettes out there.

Jim, just don't be going after that hidden treasure that eccentric millionaire buried out that way! I know how you are about treasure, you old scalawag! Still, I was tempted to at least look up the clues he left...

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by M ELEY

Wow, Glenn, that is a great article on the development of French swords of the period! Thank you so much and I'm going to print a copy for future reference. It is easy to forget about the latter 18th/early 19th c. patterns of brass hilt swords when you start perusing through all of the Russian pioneer swords, Saxon infantry and the massive pile of briquettes out there.

Jim, just don't be going after that hidden treasure that eccentric millionaire buried out that way! I know how you are about treasure, you old scalawag! Still, I was tempted to at least look up the clues he left...

Hey Mark,
Actually it is tempting, I could use some of that treasure about now......the old bookmobile has about run its course 9years and over 50, 000 miles later. We are in the process of trade in for a new one and $$$$$$$$ yikes!

I'm always glad to see Glen on these American sword topics........his archives must be like the Library of Congress!! I always scribble notes as these swords are his domain and learn a lot here from him!

Shake the trees....... California indeed was pretty much autonomous, and retained its Spanish culture. It is amazing how these states often were sort of their own countries in those days. Utah had the Mormons who had their own army; Arizona was its own territory; California by the Civil War had its Californios whose units participated into Arizona regions as that little known theater of the war filtered westward. The Mormons had their own units as well, I believe they might have been Nauvoo Legion.

Finding weapons from all these very esoterically known units of these territories is pretty exciting, but hard to come by.

[Hotspur]

Jim, I am but a wayfayer following the footprints of giants.

[M ELEY]

I like to think of ourselves as the purveyors of knowledge, even if we are simply passing along something we learned 'from the giants!' In any case, I have always appreciated all of the advice, knowledge, and guesswork I have gleaned from our many forumites over the years.

Here are some closeups of the hilt. Note the birdhead construction, early capstan and separate brass guard (not all one piece, as the later 19th c. pieces are. I love the old yellow patina to the grip. Note the little notch to the knucklebow, which on Brit pieces often have a drilled hole post 1790.