A question on guards

[Galloway]

In looking at pictures of antique bowies I see some have large protective quillions and some do not. I'm wondering if the knives with small guards were never intended as fighting knives, or the large protective gaurds were found to be less important in time. I ask because a large guard seem like an easy enough feature to include on a fighting knife yet many are without. Thanks

[The Elderly Kid]

I think it was largely a matter of the maker's sense of design and esthetics. Most Bowies had rather short guards. Some had large, extravagant guards, sometimes S-curved like the Musso Bowie. The so-called Natchez Bowies had no guard at all. The Natchez Bowies also had rather short, deep-bellied blades that made them excellent hunting and skinning knives. Then there were the famous D-hilt Bowies of the Civil War, which were intended solely as weapons. I would say that it was mostly a matter of design, except for the utilitarian Natchez pattern.

[GunClick Rick]

I've been watchin this guy for years..he has a couple of vids on utube also

http://www.mountainhollow.net/bowieknives2.htm

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[Galloway]

Thanks guys, the impression I get is that few bowies were used exclusively as fighting knives but more as utility tools. Hence the popularity of less protective guards. That sound about right?

[St. George]

The Bowie was popular as a fighting knife in an era of single-shot pistols, when one shot may not be enough and a quick strike could save your skin.

The larger hilt carried over to some of the early ones used by Southern units in the Civil War, but the preponderance of reliable revolvers, and the unweildliness of the thing when used for general camp chores saw a lessening of its popularity.

Soldiers want 'useful' things, and soon divest themselves of those items don't prove to be so.

The need for a large knife continued after the War - but in a bit smaller size, and the Bowies were scaled down somewhat, since the clip-point blade proved quite useful for a number of things, and not 'just' as a weapon.

Those are the knives seen on the belts of the drovers and soldiers and others with a need for them and not those massive varieties used by the Free Trappers of an earlier time.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!