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A NEW SYSTEM OF SWORD EXERCISE FOR INFANTRY.

BY RICHARD F. BURTON,

AUTHOR OF ‘A SYSTEM OF BAYONET EXERCISE’ (1853).

LONDON: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, 13, CHARING CROSS. 1876.

THESE PAGES ARE DEDICATED (WITH PERMISSION) TO His Royal Highness Field-Marshal the Duke of Cambridge, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMY, ETC., ETC., ETC., WHO HAS GRACIOUSLY ENCOURAGED THIS ATTEMPT TO EXTEND THE ‘INFANTRY SWORD EXERCISE,’ BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS’S MOST HUMBLE AND DEVOTED SERVANT,

THE AUTHOR.

CONTENTS.

PAGE Introductory Remarks 11

Sect. I. Preparatory Instruction without the Sword 20

II. Preparatory Instruction with the Sword 26

III. The Manchette, or Fore-arm Play 45

Conclusion 56

Appendix (Note on Sabre handles) 57

A NEW SWORD EXERCISE FOR INFANTRY.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

Before proceeding to develop my New Sword Exercise for Infantry, I would offer a few remarks upon the changes proposed in these pages. Whilst the last half century has witnessed an immense improvement in the projectile weapons of the civilized world, the theory and practice of the sabre or cutting arm have remained _in statu quo ante_; indeed, if there has been any change it is for the worse. The two systems authorized in the British army are completely behind their time. First and senior is the ‘Infantry Sword Exercise’ (with plates): Revised Edition, Adjutant-General’s Office, Horse Guards. London: Printed under the superintendence of H.M. Stationery Office: 1874. The second is the ‘Instructions for the Sword, &c. (without plates), for the use of Cavalry.’ Adjutant-General’s Office, Horse Guards. June, 1871.

The latter can be despatched very briefly. Despite the late date, it is as obsolete as the older system; it is, in fact, only the ‘Infantry Exercise’ with the addition of “pursuing practice,” and “post practice”--the latter upon a sort of modern Quintain not made to revolve. So far, so good. The practised swordsman has little to learn when mounted, except the few modifications which he can teach himself. His real study is on foot. But some of the remarks appear not to have been written by a practical hand. For instance, we read (p. 27): “In delivering a forward thrust, very little force is necessary when the horse is in quick motion, as the extension of the arm, with a good direction of the point, will be fully sufficient.” “Fully sufficient”--I should think so! The recruit must be carefully and sedulously taught when meeting the enemy, even at a trot or canter, to use no force whatever, otherwise his sword will bury itself to the hilt, and the swordsman will either be dragged from his horse, or will be compelled to drop his weapon--if he can. Upon this point I may quote my own ‘System of Bayonet Exercise’ (p. 27):--

“The instructor must spare no pains in preventing the soldier from using force, especially with the left or guiding arm, as too much exertion generally causes the thrust to miss. A trifling body-stab with the bayonet (I may add with the sword) is sufficient to disable a man; and many a promising young soldier has lost his life by burying his weapon so deep in the enemy’s breast that it could not be withdrawn quickly enough to be used against a second assailant. To prevent this happening, the point must be delivered smartly, with but little exertion of force, more like a dart than a thrust, and instantly afterwards the bayonet must be as smartly withdrawn.” In fact the thrust should consist of two movements executed as nearly simultaneously as possible; and it requires long habit, as the natural man, especially the Englishman, is apt to push home, and to dwell upon his slouching push.

The ‘Infantry Sword Exercise’ is nought but a snare and a delusion. Except in pagination, it is the same as the “Revised Edition” of 1845--the only difference or revision that I can detect is the omission of a short sentence in p. 26 of the older issue; it even retains the General Order of Lord Hill, 23rd April, 1842. Thus “Revision” is confined to the plates. In 1845 the figures wear the milk-pail shako widening at the top, the frock coat and the scales; the last edition, dated April, 1874, dons the tall modern chimney-pot, the tightly buttoned tunic with stiff collar and, like its predecessor, the sash and the scabbard. It is no wonder that the figures display an exceeding _gêne_, the stiffness of pokers, as the phrase is: here we might with profit borrow from the French or Italian artist.

I am opposed to almost every page of this unhappy _brochure_, especially to the “Seven Cuts and Guards” of the target; to the shape of the target--I never yet saw a man absolutely circular; to the grip of the sword; to the position in guard; to the Guards or Parades, especially the inside engaging guard (Carte); to the Lunge; to the angle of the feet, and to the system of “loose practice.”

The “Cuts” will be noticed in a future page. Of the grip I may remark that the one essential, the position of the thumb, both in attacks and parries is, as a rule, neglected by the ‘Sword Exercise.’[1] As early as 1828, Müller made his _point d’appui_ a grasp of the handle with the four fingers, the thumb being stretched along the back, in order to direct the edge, and to avoid the possibility of striking with the “flat.” The only exception to this universal law is when doing the “Moulinet” movements, which will be explained farther on. Some professors, both with broadsword and small-sword, would stretch the index, when pointing, along the right of the handle. I have objected to this practice in the rapier and the foil: except when done to change position for relief, it serves merely to fatigue the wrist. But the proper use of the thumb, “_le pouce allongé sur le dos de la poignée_,” which is troublesome at first, and which demands some study, especially from those who have acquired bad habits, is the base of all superior “counterpoint.”[2]

The position on guard is a debated point. Many, indeed I may say most, of the moderns follow the rule of all the older swordsmen, namely, reposing two-thirds of the body-weight (as in p. 19 of the ‘Exercise,’ which, however, is an exaggeration) upon the left leg. The reasons usually given are that in this position the person is not so much exposed; moreover, that the centre of gravity being thrown back adds spring and impetus to the Lunge. We may remember how Cordelois (1862) made a step towards change in his fencing-schools at Paris. My objection to the old style is that the farther you are from your opponent, the longer and slower will be your attack; moreover, I have ever found, in personal practice, that it is easier and more convenient to “sit on guard” with the weight equally distributed on both haunches and legs. In fact, that the backward position is not natural any pair of thighs can ascertain for itself after trying it for five minutes: whilst the muscles of the right or forward limb are relaxed as much as possible, those of the left are tight strung, so as to do double work and threaten cramp. This single objection is serious enough to counterbalance any other claims to superiority.

Again, there is no excuse for the guards in the ‘Exercise.’ The “Hanging guard” (p. 18, in the older issue p. 21) is the worst that can be imagined--a painful spectacle, a lesson of “what to avoid.” The head ignobly cowers, and the eyes look up, in a forced and wearying position, when the former should be held upright, and the glance should be naturally fixed upon the opponent’s eye and blade-point; the body is bent so as to lose our national advantage of height and strength, and the right fore-arm in such a position is, and ever must be, clean uncovered. Let the recruit, however strong may be his haunches, stand a few minutes in this “Hanging guard,” and he will soon feel by his fatigue how strange, awkward, and strained it is. The Carte or inside Engaging Guard (pp. 19, 22), again, endangers the fore-arm. The Tierce or outside Engaging Guard (pp. 20, 23) holds the hand too low, and unduly shortens the arm, thus offering an undesirable amount of exposure; it is in fact not a Guard, but a bad parry in “low Tierce.” Worse still is the Lunge (pp. 14, 17): here the body is placed bolt upright, instead of being easily bent, without exaggeration, to the fore, prolonging, as every man instinctively would do at his first attempt, the line of the left leg. The former position is not only fatiguing and “against the grain;” also shortens the reach and carefully places the opponent safely out of measure. Many swordsmen still contend for the stiffly upright position in Lunge:[3] I am disposed to consider it a mere survival of the classical and artificial French school of arms, which aimed at opposing nature as sedulously as the Italian, who always leans to the fore, attempted to follow her dictates. Moreover, their arguments are founded upon the abuse, not the use, of the inclined pose which the body naturally assumes. In teaching the recruit it is well to see that he does not fall into the dangerous habit of throwing the chest forward (_poitriner_) to meet his opponent’s point; but the truth of muscular motion must be consulted.

Finally, I would note the mistake of “loose practice” with the single-stick instead of the sabre; it probably arose from a mistaken economy in saving swords and paddings. Single-stick is a different weapon, a cane or light cudgel with a basket-hilt covering the back of the hand, like the imperfect guard of the Highland Clay-more; it is straight, not curved, and, as the rod has no edges, so in practice every blow equally represents a cut. Single-stick has merits of its own, but its practice is fatal to excellence with the broadsword, and even the ‘Exercise’ seems to recognize the fact, for the _guindés_ figures are armed with officers’ Regulation swords.

Both ‘Sword Exercises’ carefully avoid naming “Tierce” and “Carte;” preferring “right” and “left” (of the Sword) or “outside” and “inside,” as if such mysteries were too high or too deep for our national intelligence. I would again quote a few lines from my ‘System of Bayonet Exercise’ (Introductory Remarks, pp. 8, 9):--

“But why, it may be asked, should the English soldier be deterred by difficulties which every French voltigeur can master? We admire the intelligence of our neighbours in military matters: we remark that they are born soldiers, and that their men learn as much in four months as ours do in six. Is not this, however, partly our own fault? In my humble opinion we mistake the cause of their quickness, attributing to nature the effect of art. When our system of drill is thoroughly efficient; when the _Manual and Platoon_ is much simplified, when a _salle d’armes_ is established in every corps, and when the bayonet exercise becomes a recognized branch of instruction; then, I believe, we shall find our soldiers equal in intelligence to any others.” These words were written in 1853; in 1875 I add, “When we enlist the right kind of recruit either by improving his condition and his prospects, not his pay, or better, far better, by securing a superior man through the conscription of modern Europe.” We Britons are no longer physically divided from the total orb; nor can we afford to remain morally insulated and isolated. The logical effect of union with the outer world will be to make us do as the world does, and all our exceptional institutions, such as the system of volunteer recruiting, must sooner or later go by the board.

Nor is the most modern French Treatise (pp. 229–256, _Manuel de Gymnastique et d’Escrime_, officially published by the _Ministre de la Marine et des Colonies_; Paris, Dumaine, 1875) “_Escrime au Sabre_” much superior to our home growth. The position of the left hand (pp. 232, 233) is bad throughout: it must slip during the Lunge and make the play loose. The retreat of the left leg (Fig. 5, p. 235) is carried to an extreme of caution. The body is always perpendicular in the Lunge, whereas the same volume shows (Fig. 16, p. 20) the trunk naturally inclining forwards. The Cuts are not double nor continuous, as they should be. The “Hanging Guards” (pp. 240, 244, 245) are deplorable. On the other hand, the _Manuel_ (p. 231) places the thumb along, not around, the handle; the _moulinets_, the _enlevés_, and the _brisés_ (presently to be explained) are good stuff, and, moreover, they are applied to the Cuts (p. 239). Finally, nothing can be better than the advice (p. 249), “Après avoir touché, retirer vivement le sabre en arrière en lui imprimant une direction oblique dans le sens du tranchant, de manière à _scier_.”

Of the points or thrusts with broadsword nothing will here be said: they belong to another order of things, and they should be studied in the fencing school.[4] But the soldier must be taught that if his adversary attempt a thrust, the broadsword is easily disarmed. When the opponent comes to the position of pointing, that is, extends his blade, a sharp glissade along its length will make the grip fly out of his grasp. Another way of embarrassing the attack is to cut right and left at the hand, the wrist, or the fore-arm, when the adversary begins to present point.

General Lamoricière was a firm believer, as we all are, in the thrust, and the French Sword Exercise for Cavalry (p. 178 _Règlement Provisoire sur les Exercises de la Cavalerie_, officially published at the _Ministère de la Guerre_; Paris, Dumaine, 1873) justly remarks: “_Les coups de pointe doivent toujours être employés de préférence, comme exigeant moins de force et ayant un résultat plus prompt, plus certain et plus décisif_.” The reason of its confessed superiority to the Cut is as old as the axiom, “a straight line is the shortest way between two points.” The Thrust describes a diameter, the Cut, a segment, of a circle and, with equal velocity, the Cut will traverse a distance occupying some two-thirds more of time than the Thrust. The French tactician therefore proposed to abolish the use of the edge for cavalry, thus traversing the instinct of the man-at-arms who, especially on horseback, loves to slash at his enemy, and who runs far less risk of entangling his blade. But he of course advocated a straight and tapering sword with no edge to speak of; indeed the cuirassier’s _latte_ is still a kind of rapier, but it is rendered useless by prodigious length and by the weight of the handle. The modern Italian School of Sabre uses, especially in single combat, all the _dégagements_ of the _salle d’armes_: this is thoroughly illogical; the weapon is chosen because it is supposed to be less fatal than foil or rapier, and yet it is so used as to become even more deadly. I need hardly say that the weight and shape of the broadsword, together with the positions of guard, render pointing with it awkward in the extreme.[5]

I have now finished with the ungrateful task of criticizing, and I proceed to propose a system which it is hoped will be as severely criticized by others. It is only candid to state that its pretensions are high, that it contains two distinct novelties, the Manchette System and the Reverse or Back-cut; and, finally, that it aspires to be the first Treatise in which the broadsword is scientifically taken in hand.

SECTION I.

PREPARATORY INSTRUCTION WITHOUT THE SWORD.

§ 1. _Preliminary._

Nothing will here be said concerning the “goose step of the sword,” the “Balance Motions,” and the “Extension Motions,” of the official ‘Infantry Sword Exercise.’ They are essentially a part of ‘Squad and Setting-up Drill,’ and as such they have been treated in several good manuals, especially by Serjeant-Major S. Bertram Brown: A ‘Practical Guide to Squad and Setting-up Drill, in accordance with the Principles laid down in Part I., Field Exercise of the Army.’ Adapted for the use of Recruits, Rifle Volunteers, Militia, Police Force, Schools, and Families: Illustrated with sixty-eight figures, representing each Stick and Club Exercise, Extension Motions, and Sword Exercise Positions. London: Allen and Co., 1871. 2nd Edition.[6] Considered in a wider sense they belong to the Branch of Science so thoroughly developed in ‘A Military System of Gymnastic Exercises for the Use of Instructors: Adjutant-General’s Office, Horse Guards, 1862; Physical Education,’ _Clarendon Press Series_, Oxford, 1869; and in ‘Training in Theory and Practice’ (London, Macmillan, 1874), by Archibald MacLaren,[7] whose excellent code for the army, and whose influence with successive war ministers, as some one truly said, have aided largely in introducing that admirable training which is transforming the stiff, slow-moving grenadier of past times into the vigorous, rapid, and enduring soldier of the present day.

Squad drill is not likely to make a good swordsman, yet economy of time renders it a necessity. It must be practised first without, then with, weapons, after which those who show unusual capabilities should be taken individually in hand by the master. The latest French system (_Manuel, etc_.) divides the four lessons into two degrees: 1. Preparatory Movements; moulinets and simple attacks and parries. 2. Compound attacks and parries.

The formation of the squad is in the usual line, with open order at arm’s length from the right or left. The men are then taught the three positions as follows:--

§ 2. _First Position in Two Motions._

_One._--Place the hands smartly behind the back, the left grasping the right arm just above the elbow, and the right similarly supporting the left elbow.

_Two._--Make a _half-face right_ by pivoting smartly on both heels, which must be kept close together; the feet at right angles; the left pointing to the front, the face looking towards the opponent, or the right-hand man, and the weight of the body balanced equally upon both haunches and legs.

_Second Position in Two Motions_ (Guard).

_One._--Bend the knees gradually till they are perpendicular to the instep, keeping the head and body erect, and both feet firm on the ground. The instructor must be careful that the knees do not incline inwards--a general fault.

_Two._--Advance the right foot smartly about 20 inches in front of and in line with the right heel, and rest the whole weight of the body upon both haunches and legs.[8]

In the second position, that of Guard for the feet, care must be taken that the left foot remains firm on the ground, without shuffling or turning inwards or outwards. Many swordsmen find a better balance when the right heel is on a line with the hollow of the left foot.

_Third Position in Two Motions_ (from Guard to Lunge).

_One._--Advance the body slightly forward, and bring the right shoulder and knee perpendicular to the point of the right foot.

_Two._--Advance the right foot smartly, about 20 inches, or double the distance of No. 2, Second Position (Guard), taking care that the foot does not overhang the instep; extend the left leg with a spring, the left foot remaining true and firm, and the left knee perfectly straight; let the shoulders expand and the body be profiled and slightly inclined forwards, or towards the opponent.

This is the position of the legs in the Lunge, and the greatest care must be taken to prevent the recruit learning it in a careless, shuffling way. Above all things he must accustom himself to separate the action into its two composing parts, otherwise the lower limbs will often take precedence of the upper (shoulder, arm, and hand), and the Lunge become worse than useless. When recovering guard the contrary is the case; the left knee must be bent before the right foot is moved, and the latter should exert a slight pressure on the ground; at the same time the body must be drawn backwards, not jerked upwards.

These measures of Guard (20 inches) and of Lunge (40 inches) are best fitted for average-sized men; in exceptional cases they must be shortened or lengthened according to the stature and stride of the recruit. The rule for guard is the measure of two foot-lengths; the Lunge doubles that span; and the least vigorous men require the greatest distances.

These movements must be learned, first in slow, and afterwards in quick and in double-quick, time; the same may be said of all practice with and without the sword. _Squad attention!_ and _Stand at Ease!_ need hardly be explained. The recruits’ muscles soon become fatigued by the unusual and monotonous exercise, causing them to remain too long in one position; the easiest way to relieve them is to change front, making the left leg stand on guard and lunge, as a left-handed fencer would do. This double practice is as useful and recommendable in fencing and broadsword play as in bayonet exercise: it gives additional balance to the body, it equalizes the muscular strength of both sides, and it makes the soldier feel that if his right arm be disabled he can still depend upon his left.

The word _Steady_ must not be used as a command: it should be a caution given at the completion of any part of a practice with the view of correcting faults.

§ 3. _Attacking, Advancing, and Retiring._

_Single Attack._--Raise the right foot well off the ground and beat smartly with the whole sole, the greatest force being upon the ball of the foot, and the least upon the heel.

_Double Attack._--The same movement made twice. The instructor should carefully avoid the directions of the ‘Infantry Sword Exercise,’--_first with the heel, then with the flat of the foot_. Nothing jars the leg more than this use of the heel; it is a bad habit to use it for anything but “pivoting.”

_Advance._--Smartly advance the right foot about six inches and bring up the left as nearly as possible to the same distance. The soles must just clear the ground, and the toes be kept on a straight line with the knee, and never turned inside or outside. Neglect of the latter precaution leads to a loose, unsteady, and slovenly style which, easily learnt, is hardly to be unlearnt.

_Single Attack._--As before.

_Retire._--Move the left foot lightly to the rear about six inches, and let the right foot follow it. Recruits are uncommonly apt to “step short,” and this can be remedied only by making them retire for considerable distances. The weight and balance of the body must be equally distributed on both haunches and legs, not resting upon the left, which can serve only to give cramp.

_Double Attack._--As before.

_Front._--Resume the position of “Attention.”

SECTION II.

PREPARATORY INSTRUCTION WITH THE SWORD.

§ 1. _Explanation and Use of the Target._

The Target prefixed to these pages explains itself. The shape is oblong, the frame measuring 6 feet by 3, and the figure 5 feet 8 inches by 1 foot. As the latter represents the opponent, the centre should be about 4 feet from the ground, the height of the recruit’s breast. Perpendicular to the foot of the figure in each Target a horizontal line is drawn, forming for the feet, the legs, the body, and the arms, the “directing line” of the scientific schools. At a distance of 10 feet the recruit is placed in the position of “Attention,” with his left heel on the line, so that at the command “First Position” his right foot may cover it.