This British 1796 Cavalry Saber has been beautifully embellished with a blued and gilt treatment at the base of the blade which was a popular adornment for military officers to dignify their swords above the standard issue to match their rank and station. The tempered blade is forged from 1055 high carbon steel and the hilt is steel with a wood and leather grip. The blade is peened over the pommel to solidly fit the blade into the hilt. The sword is matched with a steel scabbard completed with steel hanging rings. The British pattern 1796 Cavalry Saber was used by the Hussars, Light Dragoons and Kings German Legion Light Cavalry of the Napoleonic Era. The sword was designed by John Gaspard Le Marchant, one of the finest cavalrymen of his day who bemoaned the long and heavy swords then in use by his expeditionary force during their experience in France during its Revolutionary War. His design became one of the most lauded of cavalry sabers.Unlike its predecessor, the 1796 saber had a more pronounced curve, making slashing easier and deadly. The saber, somewhat unusually among its peers, also widened at its tip, putting weight and heft at the tip making its slashes more vicious.
