Napoleonic Sapper’s Saber – Universal Swords

This unusual sword with its serrated spine is a fine recreation of the swords used by the Sappers of Napoleon’s Grande Armée. Also known as the Pioneers, the Sappers were typically large men who were tasked with clearing the way for the larger army and performing engineering tasks before and during a battle or action. They would advance and range ahead of the army, clearing fences and obstacles and they also created trenches and earthworks where needed. In addition to their firearms, the Sappers needed to carry tools, one of them being this sawtooth-backed sword.

The Sappers were regarded as tough and ferocious fighters and the nature of their work often brought them into close and vicious combat with enemy scouts and patrols. Their tools needed to be weapons as well and we can see that in this sword which was not only a saber, but doubled as a saw that could be readily used to saw through obstacles or gather wood needed to create Gabions – a defensive measure of wood or wicker filled with earth or stone as a simple and quickly-created “earthwork” that was impervious to musket fire.

This replica Napoleonic Sapper’s Sword has a forged blade of tempered high carbon steel with painstaking care to detail involved in creating the complex saw backed spine. The hilt is of highly detailed cast brass of excellent quality. The sword is matched with a sheath of thick leather which is finished with a brass chape and locket.

Please Note: It is common for the sawback spine of the blade to remove some of the inside layer of the scabbard leaving flecks of leather on the saw spine upon unsheathing (which can be removed) or to cosmetically damage the chape is sheathed or unsheathed without care. Even when sheathing slowly it may still cause this to occur until the interior of the scabbard and its parts “settle” into a tailored groove created by the saw from sheathing and unsheathing over time.