Sarah C. Wolfe - Naval Edged Weapons in the Age of Fighting Sail 1775-1865 (2005).jpg

Sarah C. Wolfe - Naval Edged Weapons in the Age of Fighting Sail 1775-1865 (2005).jpg Rozmiar 97 KB

This book surveys in full detail all weapons used in the Royal Navy and the new naval service of the United States. It concentrates on development from the American Revolution to the end of the Civil War, the apogee and decline of fighting sail, revealing how British weapons were initially a major source of inspiration for the American navy, an influence which eventually declined as the United States developed its own arms industry. Using surviving examples, artifacts recovered by archeology, and documentary sources, the book devotes individual chapters to shipboard axes, pikes and other pole-arms, and both officers' and enlisted men's swords and cutlasses. It also looks at the decoration of swords and the significance of the motifs used, concluding with a section on the process of manufacturing and the organizations involved.

About the Author
Sarah C. Wolfe is a curator for a U.S. military museum. This, her first book, is based on research work at East Carolina University.