Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - After the Anglo-Sikh wars

Jim McDougall · 11th December 2016, 06:01 PM

This circumstance reminds me of another such travesty toward weapons, almost a deliberate derision of a vanquished foe.
In the tragic Scottish Rebellion of 1745, after the Battle of Culloden, many Scottish basket hilt swords were picked up off the battlefield.
In "The Swords of Culloden" Sir Archibald Campbell describes his horrifying discovery of a painted iron fence around at least one residence in England which was incredibly comprised of cut down blades off these Scottish swords.
On these blades were the familiar markings of the Solingen blades such as the running wolf, Andrea Ferara and others. It was heartbreaking viewing these once stalwart blades now rendered simple elements of a mundane fence.

To dishonor these weapons in this way is in my view a disgrace. There are so many occasions in military history where the victorious commander, as a gesture of honor and respect would refuse the traditional surrender of the sword from the other.

11th December 2016, 06:01 PM	#17
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,747	This circumstance reminds me of another such travesty toward weapons, almost a deliberate derision of a vanquished foe. In the tragic Scottish Rebellion of 1745, after the Battle of Culloden, many Scottish basket hilt swords were picked up off the battlefield. In "The Swords of Culloden" Sir Archibald Campbell describes his horrifying discovery of a painted iron fence around at least one residence in England which was incredibly comprised of cut down blades off these Scottish swords. On these blades were the familiar markings of the Solingen blades such as the running wolf, Andrea Ferara and others. It was heartbreaking viewing these once stalwart blades now rendered simple elements of a mundane fence. To dishonor these weapons in this way is in my view a disgrace. There are so many occasions in military history where the victorious commander, as a gesture of honor and respect would refuse the traditional surrender of the sword from the other.