My 1845 Saxon faschinenmesser

[Julekpl]

Hi, Julekpl again. Just wanted to post my faschinenmesser to see what you all fine people think about it. I managed to get it for only $70, but sometimes what you pay for is what you get. The bad news is, the scabbard is falling apart, and the bottom brass part of it is gone. The blade has been sharpened, but probably not recently. The blade also has a few miniscule chips in it. The good news is, there is no corrosion, maybe a few tiny specs. The blade is quite clean, minus some spots of this black muck here and there. From what I know, it's a Saxon Faschinenmesser m 1845, used under Johan of Saxony. There is a stamp of a knight's head on one side, which I don't know what it stands for (any clues). And the hilt is numbered: "101. R. 10. 90" I'm not too familiar with what these stand for, I know the "101" is the regiment? Any other information you folks can offer would be wonderful!

Thanks, Julekpl



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oh and do ignore my messy desk please

[Walkwolf]

The knights head is the logo of WKC - 'Weyersberg, Kirschbaum & Cie'.
I don't know a lot about these, but it appears that you got
a good deal on it. Nice sword.........!

[Julekpl]

Thanks! It's got a nice weight to it as well! With just a few swings with this, I'm sure those artillery guys got tired quickly.

[Walkwolf]

As a sidearm they were probably not used too much, if at all. For it's age,
you are actually lucky to have a scabbard with it. Over time leather
can rot and deteriorate quite badly so you will often find
older swords without one.........

[Julekpl]

yes, well the years have not been too kind on this scabbard. With the wight on this one though, it feels like a machete. Maybe it was used to cut down shrubbery, since this was usually issued to artillery crews, I'd say maybe to cut a path through brush to move artillery more effectively. It' has been sharpened, not recently though.

[oradour]

Julekpl...that is a rather splendid "Faschinenmesser", the markings are known as Regimentals...the mark "101.R.10.90" is for "101st Infantry Regiment, 10th company, 90th weapon"..... "Kgl. Sächs. 2. Grenadier-Regt. Kaiser Wilhelm, König von Preußen Nr.101, garrisoned at Dresden, and part of XII Armee Korps.
Prost ! Steve.

[Walkwolf]

Hi, Steve. I knew you'd know those markings ! - What period would
this have been used in.........?

[Richie B]

The regimental title actually includes 2 regimental numbers. Within the Saxon Army it was the Second Infantry Regiment and within the unified German Army it was the 101st.

German Army (German Empire) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"After 1871, however, the peacetime armies of the four kingdoms remained relatively distinct. "German Army" and "Imperial Army" were used in various legal documents such as the Military Penal Code,[7] but otherwise the Prussian, Bavarian, Saxon and Württemberg armies maintained distinct identities. Each kingdom had its own War Ministry, Bavaria and Saxony published their own rank and seniority lists for their officers, and Württemberg's was a separate chapter of the Prussian army rank lists. Württemberg and Saxon units were numbered according to the Prussian system though, while Bavarian units maintained their own (thus, the 2nd Württemberg Infantry Regiment was Infantry Regiment No. 120 under the Prussian system"

So this weapon must have been in use after the 1870s.

Regards

Richie

BTW - very good price

[Julekpl]

Ah Thank you all for the wonderful information. I will try to get a drag for my scabbard, since it's missing it, and maybe get the local leather man to fix me up a new scabbard as well.