Tags: Weapon.
The 1816 artillery short sword was a sidearm issued to the French foot artillery. Heavily influenced by the prevailing Neoclassical style of the day the sword was based on ancient sculptural depictions of the Roman gladius the standard sword of the Roman legionaries. The short sword would not have been a practical weapon for combat without a shield but served as a fascine knife or a machete to clear fields for the guns.
