Hunting Sword

The hunting sword was a short civilian arm originally used as a supplementary weapon while hunting. By the time of the American Revolution many of them had been slenderized and refined for wear by gentlemen as informal town swords. These were called "cuttoes" in England. Such swords (mostly under 26 inches in length) were too light for use in combat, but a great many served as symbols of rank for both land and naval officers, and were carried by numerous Americans who could not afford heavier military patterns.