Hey guys,
I have been reading a lot about the Napoleonic Wars and the French Empire. Something that I recently noticed was that French troops were carying (awesome) sabres. I know that some Cavalerie troops needs sabres because it is easier for them to fight with it (Hussards) but most of the troops that were fighting against Rev. France were carying straight swords.
My question is simple : Why were the French (troops on foot) using sabres ? And why were the reactionnary nation's troops wearing straight swords ?
Do you know if infantry using straight swords was used after the Napoleonic wars by France and other countries ?
Thanks for your time.
EDIT : Painting of the Maréchaux d'Empire to picture what I'm saying. Only one of them is carying a sword
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Vereshagin.Napoleon_near_Borodino.jpg
Well, in the picture there are two different weapons. The first is what all of the men on the left are wearing, which is a standard arming sabre which would be similar to this when unsheathed. This would be standard for an officer to have for personal defense on the battlefield. The men in the middle would be generals or Marshals, as a Marshal's uniform was blue without the white vest on the front.
The next weapon that you see in the painting I linked is that of a weapon for heavy cavalry, a heavy sword that was long, straight, and pointed. The idea was that curved swords were meant to slash while straight swords were meant to stab, thus inflicting a more certain kill strike through a stab. Only heavy cavalry would be issued these types of weapons.
Now, the infantry on the right would be armed with a sabre briquet which was only issued to non-commissioned officers, of which there are only three in the painting, and they are in the foreground of the regiment.
