US M1873 Entrenching Tool

Flat blade with straight edges leading to a round spadelike point. Steel socket with reinforcing side bars crimped onto the blade. Ribbed wood grip. Tin scabbard covered with brown leather, with brass throat piece secured with brass rivets, the throat piece incorporating a square loop, through which runs a circular steel hanging ring. Blade 8 inches in length, the tool 13¼ inches overall.

The wood grip is stamped next to the socket with ‘US’. The leather covering of the scabbard is also stamped on one side near the throat with ‘US’.

In the 1860s the US Army had no standard issue entrenching tools, earthworks traditionally being considered the domain of engineers, but experience from the Civil and Indian Wars led commanders to the conclusion that the ability to create one’s own cover, even in the form of a shallow pit, was crucial for troops on the battlefield.

The Model 1873 tool was manufactured at the Springfield Armory for use by the US Cavalry – note the metal ring at the scabbard throat which allows it to be attached to a saddle rather than to a man’s belt. Simple and robust, the M1873 was a successful design, and Army field tests showed that seemingly small trowels could provide useful pits and mounds in the unforgivingly flat plains of the central United States.

The blade has no edge damage. It has polishing marks and some light scratches, some spots of patination, and a few small spots of light pitting near the tip. The brass throat piece of the scabbard has an even patina, with some small areas of verdigris around its rivets. The steel hanging ring is patinated overall. The wood grips are in good condition, retaining rich colour with no significant handling wear or damage. The leather of the scabbard has some spots of staining and surface rubbing, one small hole near the throat on the reverse side, and one short crack along the central rib of the reverse side, exposing some of the tin core. All the scabbard’s stitching is intact.