AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR SPONTOON, C.1750-80

This is a good example of a blacksmith made spontoon or partisan of the French and Indian War and Revolution period. It likely served in both. It is 13 ¼” long with leaf shaped blade, skillfully forged with a raised medial which extends to become the conical socket. A pair of up turned lugs at the base appear to be spaced in precise relationship to the point base to capture a sword blade executing a downward slash. A shortage of firearms resulted in the majority of Americans being armed with polearms for the first two years of the War. See Swords and Blades of the American Revolution, Neumann, #96.PA, #97.PA, #99.PA and #100.PA, for examples closely related to this. Of those. This example is of notably superior workmanship to the first, second and fourth.