Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. Straight from long Attic storage! This heavy Cavalry Saber, known as "Old Wristbreaker" among troops, was designated the U.S. Model of 1840, but was widely used in the War between the States on both sides. This example was recovered on the battlefield by the U.S. and kept in an arsenal for 36 years before being purchased and gifted to a girl named Josephine, according to the engraving on the scabbard. The saber is marked by the maker on the spine of the blade by the crossguard:

R & C

Research indicates that this is the maker mark of Röhrig & Company of Solingen, Germany. There is unfortunately not much information on this maker, however Röhrig is a known Solingen family, with at least three known firms listed in GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS by J. Anthony Carter. The company may have been setup specifically to export blades during the Civil war, and having no city or name marking was advantageous.

The scabbard is engraved in between the two suspension ring mounts:

The Sabres Our Fathers Wore Stored for 36 years since the
termination of the Civil War in the U.S. Arsenal. They were secured
from the battlefields of “Wilderness” “Shiloh” “Gettysburg” “Lookout Mountain”
“Vicksburg” and “Fair Oaks” Josephine I have purchased this Sabre from the U.S.
Arsenal A Genuine Relic of the Rebellion please accept the same
with my highest esteems, your friend J.M.O.

This would denote that the saber was recovered from the battlefield at the end of the Civil War and sold in 1901. The engraving lists the battlefields as “Wilderness” “Shiloh” “Gettysburg” “Lookout Mountain” “Vicksburg” and “Fair Oaks”, so we unfortunately cannot specify which battlefield from which it was recovered. But from the condition and amount of wear, it is safe to say that the saber saw moderate combat use in the Civil War.

Both North and South imported Swords and guns from Europe and European Manufacturers, mostly in Germany, and they did not want the eventual "winning side" to be able to blame them for "supplying the enemy". This is a typical example that could have been used by the Confederacy or the Union.

This sword conforms quite well to the M-1840 U.S. Heavy Cavalry pattern, and is approximately 41 3/4" inches in overall length. It has a very nice brass wire bound leather grip, with some minor loss of material as shown, and a brass three branch hand guard. It has the correctly wicked heavy curved blade measuring 35 3/4", with the point now a bit worn down. There is scattered oxidation spotting but the blade is still mostly bright, and the leather blade buffer is still retained. It comes complete with its heavy all steel scabbard.

The scabbard is in good shape, with a few small dents, and a great aged oxidized patina. It still retains both original hanger rings, and is a very good example of this type of sword. The engraving is now heavily worn and faint, but is still readable.

A great example of a Civil War Era M-1840 Wristbreaker Saber from a German maker: ready to clean up or display as is!

The Model 1840 Cavalry Saber was based on the 1822 French hussar's sabre. Unlike its replacement, the Model 1860 Light Cavalry Saber the M1840 has a ridge around its quillon, a leather grip wrapped in wire (rather than grooves cut into the wooden handle) and a flat, slotted throat. It is 44" long with a 35" blade and weighs roughly 2.5 lbs.

The M1840 was designed for slashing and because of its heavy flat-backed blade was given the nickname "Old Wristbreaker." It was adopted due to the army's dissatisfaction with its predecessor the model 1833 Dragoon Saber, the first cavalry sword adopted by the US Army. The iron-hilted M1833 was based on a Napoleonic-era British sword used by heavy cavalry and reputed to wrap "rubber like around a man's head and was only good for cutting butter" An ornate gilded version of this earlier sword was used by General Philip Sheridan during the Civil War; Sheridan had its sheath engraved with the battles he participated in. It was evident a replacement was needed so in 1838 the US Ordnance Dept bought British, French and Prussian swords and field-tested them. The troopers overwhelmingly preferred the French saber, and a copy of it was put into production in 1844. A total of 2000 were ordered and by 1846, 600 were in frontline service.

The 1840 saber was used during the U.S.-Mexican War by US Cavalry. The main contractors were Ames of Cabotville, Horstmann, and Tiffany but due to the large number of swords required at least 1000 were made in Germany by S&K and imported. Some troopers used Prussian sabers as an alternative, which in contrast to the M1840 had straight blades.

When production ceased in 1858 over 23,700 were made. During the US Civil War it continued to be issued to Union Cavalry as in the early years it was more readily available than the M1860. George B McClellan carried one at the front, keeping his regulation officer's sword for full dress occasions. Many were also used by the Confederacy including General Nathan Bedford Forrest who had both edges of his sword sharpened to increase combat effectiveness.