The Arms & Equipment in the Civil War Message Board

Re: Confederate NCO saber
In Response To: Re: Confederate NCO saber ()

I have never seen an old photo of a Confederate soldier wearing a saber on a baldric. However, I have seen many photos of Union NCOs and Union reenactors wearing the regulation M1840 NCO saber on a baldric with the round eagle adjustable breast plate. Therefore, I must conclude if a Confederate NCO wore a saber, he would have worn it on a throg attached to his waist belt such as the throg for a Confederate artillery short sword.

I installed my Confederate NCO saber on a CSA artillery short sword throg and it fit perfectly. In fact, the hilt (clamshell) of the Confederate NCO saber is flattened on one side purposly by the manufacturer so it will fit better when worn on the hip with a throg rather than on a baldric. A Union NCO wearing a baldric and M1840 NCO saber was likely conforming to the U.S.A. regulation dress code in order to lessen the weight and bulk on the waist belt. Especially, if the Union NCO was wearing a pistol, cap box and cartidge box on his waist belt. The Confederate NCO on the other hand, was likely carrying a rifle, a cartridge box on a shoulder strap plus a canteen, making the baldric for the saber too cumbersome. It seems to me that the Confederate NCO would have worn his M1840 type NCO saber on a throg and detailed an enlisted man to carry his haversack.

The Confederate NCO saber is modeled after the M1840 Union NCO saber that was worn through the Mexican-American War through the Indian wars in the 1870s.

Messages In This Thread

Confederate NCO saber
Re: Confederate NCO saber
Re: Confederate NCO saber