Why small sword can be used for war, camparing rapier

[Griffion Lau]

Rapier and smallsword,were both thrusting sword and lack of cutting capicity.

Rapier was not good and suitable in war for infantries.but the smallsword had ever been used in war for infantry and it seemed that small sword suitable for using in war?

ther were both thrusting sword,but why rapier not suitable for war,the samllsword could be used for war?

[Sal Bertucci]

Prove it.

[Jonathan Hill]

The small sword was not suitable for war. The Colichemarde and Spadroon are similar swords to the small sword but they are heavier and have an edge to cut with. These are the swords that were used in war, but mostly by officers that were trained in small sword. Many of them did not have to fight and used them as dress swords, but they wanted a more ‘robust’ blade for the battlefield in case they needed to use the blade.

[Allen Johnson]

Yes. Let's not confuse battlefield use with battlefield wear. I can't recall any records of smallswords being used on any sort of consistent basis in warfare.

[Corey Roberts]

Generally speaking, the smallsword was not a military or battlefield weapon. As mentioned previously, sometimes officers wore them as part of their uniforms on dress occasions. Battlefield swords of this later period were things like broadswords, sabers, and backswords.

[John Trojanowski]

The small sword was not suitable for war. The Colichemarde and Spadroon are similar swords to the small sword but they are heavier and have an edge to cut with. These are the swords that were used in war, but mostly by officers that were trained in small sword. Many of them did not have to fight and used them as dress swords, but they wanted a more ‘robust’ blade for the battlefield in case they needed to use the blade.

I own an antique colichemarde (dated circa 1720). It has a trifoil cross-section. While the point remains quite sharp you could not put an edge on any of the three angles. They are simply too wide.

[Jonathan Hill]

I own an antique colichemarde (dated circa 1720). It has a trifoil cross-section. While the point remains quite sharp you could not put an edge on any of the three angles. They are simply too wide.

Yes, that's the problem with writing too much, you blur your statements. I was meaning the Spadroon mostly with that, and while I was contemplating telling the defigning difference of a Colichenarde I didn't get to it, or just decided it wasn't as important...Just sloppy writing on my part.

[Allen Johnson]

There were also several other "in-betweener" swords in that era. Spadroons has been mentioned, there were sheering swords and other things like that which filled the gaps between the battlefield broadsword and the walking sword/small sword. Sir William Hope advocated the use of these types of weapons.