M 1840 Light Artillery Saber

The Model 1840 Light Artillery Sword was a sword approximately 42 inches long with a curved single-edged blade and an iron scabbard. The American Model 1840 Light Artillery Sword has a brass hilt and hilt spring about 6 inches long, a leather-wrapped hilt bound with brass wire, and a  32.25 inch long blade. Unlike the Model 1840 Heavy Cavalry Sabre, the Artillery model does not have a hull.

This model was one of  many guns produced by the Ames Manufacturing Company. in Springfield (later Chicopee), Massachusetts. The design appears to be a copy of the French sword style from 1829. Wheeled artillery units followed the dragoons to give them  more firepower. The main weapon of the radar artillery was their cannons. The saber was more of a traditional piece of equipment than a combat weapon. This is proven by the fact that Ames produced far fewer 1,840 light cannon sabers than  soldiers in the field of artillery.

This saber has a flat brass hilt, a black leather grip wrapped with brass wire, and a steel scabbard. Its slightly shorter but steeper curved blade and single brass fingertip spring set this sword apart from similar cavalry models. French versions can be distinguished from American versions by the absence of French manufacturers and American markings.