Pattern 1908 and 1912 Cavalry Swords - Criticism

Criticism

Although the 1908 and 1912 patterns can be seen as the penultimate expressions of the thrusting cavalry sword (the U.S. Army adopted its similar Patton saber in 1913), a century after the sword's effective obsolescence for military purposes, the debate over the relative virtues of the edge and the point remained. John Gaspard le Marchant, the great trainer and leader of British cavalry at the turn of the 19th Century, felt that the weapon employed in the charge was almost irrelevant, as the shock value stemmed from the momentum of the combined horse and rider. The sword came into its own during the “desultory” encounters after the charge, for which a slashing sword was best suited. The British cavalry’s last pure cutting sword, the spectacularly curved Pattern 1796 light cavalry sabre, was a design resulting from a collaboration between Le Marchant and Henry Osborn (a noted Birmingham-based sword manufacturer of the time).

The most compelling criticism of use of the point in cavalry combat, however, lies in the possibility of it becoming the victim of its own success. With the force of a fast-moving horse and rider behind it, a well-aimed sword thrust would certainly achieve considerable penetration, even up to the hilt. As the horse and rider passed the unfortunate recipient of the thrust, the sword would be very difficult to drag clear of the body, leaving the rider at best disarmed or at worst unhorsed or with a broken wrist.