Original Item: Only One Available. This is an exceptionally complete example of the unusual U.S. Model 1873 Trowel Bayonet developed for the .45-70 Springfield Trapdoor rifle during the Indian Wars period. Combining a bayonet with a compact entrenching tool, the design represents one of the more inventive experiments undertaken by the post-Civil War U.S. Army. This example is especially desirable for retaining its scarce original detachable wooden handle together with a leather-covered metal scabbard and belt hanger marked for Watervliet Arsenal.

The Model 1873 trowel bayonet was intended for use with the standard .45-70 Springfield Model 1873 rifle. Its socket mounts over the rifle muzzle in much the same manner as a conventional socket bayonet, with the rotating locking section securing it around the front sight.

An ingenious bayonet in the shape of a gardening trowel, that when fitted to the muzzle of the rifle can double as an entrenching tool to dig in, or as a bayonet as the trowels edges are sharp, as is the point. The trowel bayonet was conceived to provide soldiers with a dual-purpose bayonet and entrenching tool. Following the U.S. Civil War, the conventional wisdom in the Army was that the bayonet was largely unnecessary and that soldiers should be individually-equipped to rapidly entrench without the need to bring entrenching tools forward by wagon.

The trowel blade is 10-inch long and 3 3/8 inches wide, with a reinforced spine. The hilt portion of the Trowel/Bayonet has heavy wear to the blued finish, with oxidation spotting across. The blade is also mostly dark, with wear and oxidation across. Latching hinge in the socket is fully functional, and this example still includes the EXTREMELY RARE original wooden handle! It is a wooden rod with a curved end, which has a metal stud that locks it into the bayonet catch for the sight. It doesn't add much in length, but it definitely allows a much surer grip when "digging in." The lightly knurled grip section is in fair shape, with a faint patent marking on the right side above the hole for the front sight: PAT APR 16TH 72, though the marking is now nearly gone from oxidation.

The bayonet comes complete with its original and rare leather covered tin scabbard with leather belt loop bearing and brass rosette showing a raised U.S. in a Circle. There is some rather extensive wear to the leather hanger and brass fittings, however these scabbards are rare in any condition. The most loss is on the back of the scabbard, where the leather is peeling off as shown, though it displays very nicely from the front. The belt hook over the rosette is stamped:

WATERVLIET
ARSENAL

Watervliet Arsenal in New York manufactured large quantities of U.S. Army accoutrements and bayonet scabbards during the nineteenth century. Surviving Model 1873 trowel bayonet scabbards are specifically documented with Watervliet Arsenal markings on the leather hanger and a raised U.S. brass rosette, making the markings on this example entirely consistent with original government production.

The complete set therefore incorporates nearly every component associated with the Model 1873 trowel bayonet system: the original bayonet itself, functional socket-locking mechanism, faint PAT APR 16–72 marking, detachable wooden digging handle, leather-covered metal scabbard, Watervliet Arsenal-marked belt hanger, and U.S.-embossed brass rosette.

Produced in only about 10,000 examples during 1874–1875, the Model 1873 trowel bayonet represents one of the most distinctive experiments in American military equipment of the Indian Wars period. This example is particularly notable for the survival of both accessories that are so often absent today: the original wooden handle and Watervliet Arsenal scabbard. Although the blued surfaces, leather covering, and suspension components show substantial age and service wear, the set remains remarkably complete and provides an unusually comprehensive representation of the Army's attempt to combine the bayonet and individual entrenching tool into a single piece of equipment.