Original Item: Only One Available. Now this is a lovely, rather rare socket bayonet. The bayonet is a French Crimean War era M1754 Fusil socket bayonet. A fusil is a “long barrel” musket utilized by Fusiliers. By the mid-18th century, the French Army used the term fusiliers to designate ordinary line infantry, as opposed to specialist or élite infantry, such as grenadiers, voltigeurs, carabiniers or chasseurs.

The French Army no longer uses the term fusiliers, although a number of its infantry regiments descend from fusilier regiments.

The term fusiliers is still used in the navy and air force. They are protection forces of riflemen assuring security and policing on land bases and installations as well as on ships. The commandos are selected from their ranks.

This socket bayonet is for a .60–.63 caliber cadet musket or officer's fusil, as it is only about 3/4 the size of a regular infantry bayonet. It is patterned after the French M1754 bayonet, which was used with the Charleville musket (which, incidentally, the Americans copied to produce the first U.S. military muskets made at Springfield Armory, following its establishment in 1795).

Although this is classified as French, this bayonet was made in France or Belgium; or possibly in America. It is hand-forged and devoid of maker markings, so there's no way to be sure. Either way, it would have likely been made in the latter part of the 18th Century. There is a possible unit marking on the socket which reads as 8 / 57.

A lovely example ready for further research and display.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 10 1/4"
Blade Style: Triangular Socket
Socket Length: 3 3 /4"
Overall length: 14 3/4“