This 1833 dated Ames Foot Artillery sword has a straight, heavy iron blade. It is double edged and the blade is clean but dark. There are two side-by-side fullers, starting just below the hilt. Then, after a space of 11/16", there is a single broad center fuller that extends toward the blade's spear shaped point. The overall blade length is approximately 19''. The blade is stamped on the reverse, near the hilt "UNITED / STATES / 1833" in 3 lines. On the obverse, near the hilt, stamped under an American eagle, is "N. P. AMES / SPRINGFIELD" in 2 lines. There are no nicks on the blade.  The hilt and cross guard are stamped brass. The grips have been molded in a scalloped eagle feather design. Three transverse iron rivets secure it to the tang of the blade. The pommel is decorated on each side with a heavily incised American eagle, with shield, holding arrows in his left talon and an olive branch in his right talon. The eagle's head faces towards it's right. The straight cross quillons terminate in disk shaped finials. On the flat of the cross guard, next to the blade is the horizontal stamping of "S. HUSE / NEWBURYPORT" on two lines. To the left of that stamping, also on the cross guard, is the inspector's cartouche "DT", in italic. These are the initials of Mr. Daniel Tyler, an Agent for Ames Mfg. Co., Springfield, Massachusetts.

Ames, due to limited production facilities had sub-contracted out the manufacture of the earlier brass hilts to Samuel Huse who had a foundry in nearby Newburyport, Massachusetts. In 1834 Ames started producing hilts at their Chicopee Falls factory canceling the sub-contract to Huse.   [jet]

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