- Joined
- Aug 25, 2012
I am looking at the First United States Lancers a.k.a. Rankin’s Lancers a.k.a. Michigan Lancers. Samuel Shaw (also said to be W. H. Shaw) of Detroit made these sabers, but what what type of sabers did Shaw manufacture? The name of Samuel Shaw does not appear in the 1860 Gazetteer and is very likely the same as S. Shawe who was located on Woodward Avenue at the corner of Bush Street, Detroit, who according to the Gazetteer owned a cutlery and edged tools factory.
Harper's Weekly for Dec. 21 1861 shows a sketch made by B .R. Erman showing the First United States Lancers a.k.a. Rankin’s Lancers. http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1861/december/colonel-rankin.htm
The sketch in Harper's Weekly shows the Shawe made sabers.
Man #1 may be an officer and may well have a private purchase sword or saber. Man # 2 has a saber under his arm and,do to his carbine, is likely an enlisted man. Man #3 we can only see the hilt.
What the the odds that the sketch by Mr. Erman is accurate? Perhaps Mr. Erman simply put in his sketch what he thought a saber looked like.
Let us for a moment believe that Mr. Erman's sketch is accurate when it comes to the sabers. I do not believe Shawe designed a saber from scratch and made his own copy of an already existing saber. Can we tell from this sketch what style of sabers Mr. Shawe made?
Lastly, has anyone seen a copy of the 1000+ sabers made by S. Shaw, located on Woodward Avenue at the corner of Bush Street in Detroit?
Harper's Weekly for Dec. 21 1861 shows a sketch made by B .R. Erman showing the First United States Lancers a.k.a. Rankin’s Lancers. http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1861/december/colonel-rankin.htm
The sketch in Harper's Weekly shows the Shawe made sabers.
Man #1 may be an officer and may well have a private purchase sword or saber. Man # 2 has a saber under his arm and,do to his carbine, is likely an enlisted man. Man #3 we can only see the hilt.
What the the odds that the sketch by Mr. Erman is accurate? Perhaps Mr. Erman simply put in his sketch what he thought a saber looked like.
Let us for a moment believe that Mr. Erman's sketch is accurate when it comes to the sabers. I do not believe Shawe designed a saber from scratch and made his own copy of an already existing saber. Can we tell from this sketch what style of sabers Mr. Shawe made?
Lastly, has anyone seen a copy of the 1000+ sabers made by S. Shaw, located on Woodward Avenue at the corner of Bush Street in Detroit?