Original Item: Only One Available. This is the sword frog section of the U.S. Army Model 1832 Short Artillery Sword Belt. This Belt dates from circa 1830s-1850s, when the Model 1832 Belts were still made of white buff leather. In the 1850s the belts were blackened to correlate with the regulations of the time. The Model 1832 Belt was eventually replaced by the simplified Model 1859 Belt. Used by both Union and Confederate Artilleryman during the Civil War, they were also a popular edged weapon in the hands of Free-Staters and the Border Ruffians during the Kansas Border War of the 1850s. John Brown and his men were known to carry these fearsome weapons into combat.

This piece was most likely cut from a belt for utilitarian reasons, probably to recycle the frog section from a damaged or worn out belt. The leather is in exceptional condition for its age, being supple and pliable. Original stitching is completely intact. The Original brass rings appear to be bent in an attempt to convert the rings from a circular shape to a rectangular shape.

This would be a perfect addition to a model 1832 Artillery Short Sword, att a fraction of the cost of a very expensive complete original 1832 Sword Belt!

The Model 1832 Foot Artillery Sword History:
The U.S. Model 1832 foot artillery short-sword has a 6-inch (15 cm) solid brass hilt, a 4-inch (10 cm) crossguard, and a blade usually 19 inches (48 cm) in length. This model was the first sword contracted by the U.S. with the Ames Manufacturing Company of Springfield (later Chicopee), Massachusetts, with production starting in 1832. In later years, it was also imported and supplied by W.H. Horstmann & Sons of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a personal side arm, it was intended for use by the regular or foot artillery regiments of the United States Army and remained in service until 1872 for use of foot artillerymen. It was the issue sword for sergeants and musicians of infantry regiments from 1832 until 1840. As most artillery regiments were trained and equipped as infantry prior to 1861 a single weapon for both types of troops made sense. It replaced the earlier Starr pattern sword used throughout the 1820s. While the design was impractical for actual combat, it is believed that artillerymen put this weapon to other uses, such as clearing brush or creating trails. It was an effective tool for cutting paths through the Florida swamps during the Second Seminole War, which occurred during the time it was issued to infantry sergeants, drummers and fifers. This is somewhat corroborated by the French nickname for their version of the sword, coupe choux (cabbage cutter). The last Ames contract for this sword was completed in 1862, although as a stock item it continued to be listed in company catalogs for decades afterwards.

The design was based on the French foot artillery short sword of 1816, which with minor changes was basically repeated in 1831. The French model was based on the Roman gladius, the standard sword of the Roman legionaries.