This uncommon and nondescript socket bayonet is identified primarily by its dimensions and the rather long ricasso, compared to regulation U.S. bayonets. The socket length is 2.625 in. (67 mm.).

Research published in 2019 by Edward Hull in his book, Peabody Firearms, expanded on his earlier published work regarding bayonets used with the Peabody rifles.

Earlier M1866 Peabody rifles produced for Canada and Cuba used the U.S. M1855 socket bayonet. Peabody rifles made in 1867 for Switzerland were not supplied with a bayonet. The Swiss specified the muzzle diameter be such that existing Swiss M1863 socket bayonets could be used.

According to sales records, 81,549 Peabody rifles that used the M1867 bayonet were produced 1867–71 by the Providence Tool Co. of Providence, Rhode Island, based on a design patented by inventor Henry O. Peabody. The vast majority were for foreign contracts:

Although the Peabody fared exceptionally well in the U.S. Army breechloading rifle trials of 1865, the hoped-for large U.S. Government contract never materialized.

This triangular socket bayonet with a 2.625 in. (67 mm.) socket is the most common pattern of socket bayonet produced for export contracts. There were two variants, one with nominal blade length of 18 in. (457 mm.) and 21 15/32 in. (545 mm.). The short pattern was also produced for some domestic contracts (both Federal and State Militia).

One of the challenges with Remington Rolling Block bayonets is that there were so many customers/production contracts (and everybody wanted something a little different). Consequently, many minor dimensional variations exist due to different rifle calibers and other customizations, etc.

One point of identification is the wide mortise. The Remington rifles had a wide front sight base, which resulted in a much wider mortise than on other contemporary bayonets, such as the M1867 Peabody (above) and U.S. M1873 (below).

It is not clear which rolling block rifle contract this bayonet was produced for, as it does not exactly match any of the examples listed in Janzen's book on Remington bayonets.

Remington capitalized on it's production of 10,000 Swedish M1867 socket bayonets in 1868 to offer an alternative bayonet to export customers that mounted below the barrel, rather than to the right side.

This example differs from the Swedish contract bayonet in having been produced in the white (Swedish bayonets were blued) and in having a steel socket (Swedish M1867s made by Remington had an iron socket). The socket length is 2.625 in. (67 mm.).

This frog was adopted in 1868, when the Ordnance Department decided that leather would no longer be used for sword and bayonet scabbards. From that point forward, blackened steel scabbards were produced for the M1840 NCO sword. The steel scabbard had a frog stud, rather than the sword hanger loops used with the leather scabbard.

This frog was also used to carry the M1840 Bandsman (Musician) Sword until the late 1890's. The bandsman sword was shorter than the M1840 NCO sword and lacked the handguard.

Use of the NCO Sword was curtailed after 1875, being reserved for wear by senior staff NCOs (1st Sgt., Quartermaster Sgt., and Sgt Major) at regimental or general headquarters. As a result, these frogs are uncommon.

This example was produced at Rock Island Arsenal (RIA). RIA started dating items after 1902, so this undated example likely pre-dates 1902. I don’t know how long the M1868 Sword Frog remained in service, but have observed one made at RIA that was dated 1907. A 1917 printing of the Ordnance Department’s publication, Horse Equipments and Equipments for Officers and Enlisted Men, revised July 3, 1908, still shows this frog in use.

The “E.H.S.” marking identifies leather goods inspector, Emil H. Schmitten. According to the Rock Island Armory, Schmitten worked ca.1903–1905. However, the existence of this example demonstrates that he was likely working prior to 1902.

The box receptacle was not constructed and the rough tool marks remain. The original “U.S.” ricasso mark and face flute are still partially visible. The brass screw is a later addition, not being of the type used with regulation U.S. fencing bayonets.

In his book, The .45-70 Springfield, Book II 1865–1893, Frasca documents that, in February 1870, Col. (Bvt.) Silas Crispin, Commander of the New York Ordnance Agency, requested that Springfield Armory (SA) produce 20 new fencing muskets. In April, the new fencing muskets were shipped, accompanied by fencing bayonets. However, the fencing muskets had .58 caliber bayonet mounts and the bayonets had .69 caliber sockets!

Col. Crispin informed SA of the problem and requested provision of .58 caliber fencing bayonets. Col. (Bvt.) J. G. Benton (commander of SA) acknowledged Col. Crispin’s request, adding that “I think that it will be best to have clasps on the sockets for the fencing muskets.” Although Crispin referred to the unusable .69 caliber bayonets as the “old model of 1822,” Col. Benton’s reply suggests that these 20 sockets may have included a locking ring. It appears that, while Benton was willing to produce .58 caliber sockets, he intended to retain or introduce a locking ring as part of the design.

The 1869–70 Ordnance Dept. Statement on Manufacture and Issue of Arms indicated fabrication at SA of “20 wooden guns for bayonet fencing” and “40 bayonet-sockets for bayonet fencing.” These 40 fencing sockets probably comprised the 20 unusable .69 caliber sockets and 20 .58 caliber replacements (introducing what we know today as the Type II Fencing Bayonet).

This example was likely in-process at SA in 1870 and was abandoned due to the agreement to produce fencing bayonets of .58 caliber.

Read more about U.S. Fencing Bayonets in my article: Regulation U.S. Fencing Bayonets 1852–1915.

The beautiful high-polish blue finish illustrates the painstaking workmanship exhibited on these rifles and bayonets. The socket length is 3.00 in. (76 mm.).

The leather scabbard hanger is for use with the M1872 and M1874 waist belt and was made at Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet, NY.

The scabbard is attached to the leather hanger by two small tabs, one of which is riveted to the leather.  According to Reilly, this is indicative that this scabbard was made prior to the riveted tab being phased out in the early 1880s.

This bayonet is a scaled-down version of the issue M1873 socket bayonet. The socket length is 3.00 in. (76 mm.).

The cadet rifle was a special scaled-down version of the standard M1873 infantry rifle.  Despite its smaller size, the cadet rifle was made to the same standards as it's full-sized cousin and was every bit as accurate and lethal.

There were approximately 22,000 M1873 Cadet Rifles produced during its 20-year production period.

From its inception in 1816, the Ordnance Department repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempted to get the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, to accept standard infantry muskets and rifles (or shortened versions of same). It was not until 1900 that West Point finally began to use standard infantry rifles for cadet training.

The trowel bayonet was conceived to provide soldiers with a dual-purpose bayonet and entrenching tool. Following the U.S. Civil War, the conventional wisdom in the Army was that the bayonet was largely unnecessary and that soldiers should be individually-equipped to rapidly entrench without the need to bring entrenching tools forward by wagon.

The trowel bayonet was proposed by Lt. Edmund Rice in 1868. 200 of his initial design was trialed by the U.S. Engineers, followed by more extensive trials with 500 of an improved design carried out in the West by the 3rd and 5th Infantry Regiments. While the blade was an effective tool, the M1855-style socket made for a very uncomfortable hand grip, resulting in rapid fatigue.

The M1873 design incorporated an ingenious contoured, rotating socket/hand grip patented by Springfield Armory pattern maker Ira Merrill and saddler/inspector Felix Chillingworth. Chillingworth also developed the walnut haft that could be inserted into the socket. The haft increased the soldier’s leverage when digging and reduced the temptation to dig with the bayonet fixed (which was forbidden, as it could bend the rifle barrel or split the stock).

Trials were overseen by the Board of Breech-Loading Small Arms chaired by Gen. Alfred Terry (Terry Board). Although opinion from the field was mixed, a significant majority preferred the trowel bayonet. In 1873, the Board recommended, and Army Command approved, a trial issue to infantry across the Army. This led to limited production of the M1873 Trowel Bayonet, with 10,000 being produced at Springfield Armory during 1874–75.

One of the officers of the Terry Board who voted to approve was Maj. Marcus Reno, who three years later reflected that “my loss [at Little Big Horn] would have been less had I been provided with some instrument similar to the trowel bayonet [bayonets were not issued to cavalry] and I am sure had an opponent of that weapon been present with my command on the night of June 25th, he would have given his right arm for 50 bayonets.” As it was, Reno’s troops franticly dug in under a withering fire using the implements from their mess kits (knives, spoons, tin cups).

Scabbard (belt hanger): feint "Watervleit" over "Arsenal"

Scabbard (inside throat): "A.R.S."

The M1873 Trowel bayonet’s 3.50 in. (89 mm.) wide blade is brightly-polished. The 3.50 in. (89 mm.) socket and elbow are finished in a high-polish blue. The reverse arch in the elbow enabled the bayonet to be used as a rifle rest when driven vertically into the ground. The trowel bayonet had a factory edge ground on the left lower half of the blade, which is illustrated at left.

The scabbard body on this example bears the inspection mark of A. R. Smith, so was made at Watervliet Arsenal. However, the prairie alteration could have been done at another arsenal or depot. The name “McAfee” is scratched into the brass chape.

The cartridge belt was needed to increase the firepower of troops during the Indian Wars, who increasingly encountered opponents armed with repeating rifles. Field attempts to attach cartridge loops to the leather waist belt led to adoption of the M1876 “prairie” cartridge belt. The M1876 cartridge belt was comprised of a leather belt enclosed in a cotton cover with sewn-on cotton cartridge loops. It had no provision to attach a bayonet or other equipment, as designers assumed that the cartridge belt would be worn in addition to the waist belt. However, troops in the field found that wearing two belts was overly cumbersome. In 1878, an alteration was authorized to retrofit three brass rings on the left for suspending equipment using a brass hook.

An improved cartridge belt was adopted in 1880. Designed by Maj. Anson Mills, the M1880 cartridge belt incorporated a manufacturing process of his own invention where the entire belt, including cartridge loops, was woven as a single fabric. However, the M1880 belt also made no provision for attaching equipment. “Mills belts” received the prairie alteration before issue at Ft. Abraham Lincoln Ordnance Depot, Dakota Territory. In 1882, the Depot commander reported satisfaction with the prairie alteration, indicating that half of the troops in the Dept. of Dakota (present-day Minnesota, N. & S. Dakota, and Montana) had the Mills belt, all of which had been altered. At some point after 1882, the brass wire double belt hook was introduced and enabled use of the standard M1873 scabbard with an unaltered Mills belt.

The prairie alteration was once thought to have been only experimental. However, evidence shows that it gave good service from 1878 well into the 1880s, until a simpler solution was devised.

Scabbard (inside throat): "A.R.S." and "J C"

This was the most successful of the many approaches attempted to reconcile the incompatibility between existing infantry equipment and the Mills belt.

The majority of this type were manufactured during the Spanish- American War, when the massive call-up of volunteers resulted in production of over 100,000 of these frogs at Rock Island Arsenal during fiscal year 1897–98.

Winchester offered socket bayonets from the late 1860s until at least 1919. Winchester’s socket bayonet production used contractors for at least some of the work. Manufacturing variations are observed, suggesting that bayonets may have been produced sporadically, perhaps accommodating customer preferences (e.g., finish), or that some contractors may have paid less attention to minor cosmetic details.

Socket bayonets used with the Model 1866 and 1873 muskets are unique designs. Evidence shows that, with development the Model 1876 musket, Winchester appears to have standardized their socket bayonet. Socket bayonets used with the Model 1876, 1886, and 1892 lever-action muskets; Model 1885 falling-block musket; and, Winchester-Hotchkiss muskets appear to conform to this standard. While some exceptions are noted, they are few. The Model 1892 Trial Musket bayonet appears to be unique, differing from other Winchester socket bayonets. The reason for this is not known.

Info on Winchester sword bayonets can be found on Ronnie Wilson’s site, U.S. Brass Hilted Sword Bayonets

Production of the Model 1866 musket began in 1869. The number produced is believed to have been in the neighborhood of 14,000, however, the exact figure is unknown, as Model 1866 production records are incomplete. The Model 1866 musket was used by some State Militias and was produced for foreign sales. Model 1866 muskets produced for Turkey mounted a sword bayonet, rather than this socket.

Winchester produced approximately 35,000 Model 1873 muskets from 1874–1919. Muskets accounted for roughly five percent of Model 1873 production. The Model 1873 musket was produced mostly for foreign sales. It had some popularity in South America, going to Argentina, Brazil, and Peru. They also went to Mexico, France, and Turkey.

One Model 1892 musket and two experimental Model 1894 muskets have also been observed fitted with Model 1873 socket bayonets.

The Winchester-Hotchkiss was a bolt-action repeating rifle made in both sporting and .45–70 caliber musket models. The first model (collector’s designation M1878) included 500 rifles procured by the Army and 1,474 by the Navy. The second model (collector’s designation M1879) included 1,000 procured by the Navy. These were jointly-produced by Winchester and Springfield Armory 1879–81. The third model (collector’s designation M1883) was produced only by Winchester, of which the Army reportedly procured 712.

Two variants of this socket bayonet have been documented. Research published in the SABC Journal by Mark W. Nordland (Vol. 4, Summer 1991) and Joseph Marsden Vol. 8, Summer 1994) provide much of what is known about these bayonets.

Marsden indicates that Winchester socket bayonets supplied for use with first and second model (M1878; M1879) Winchester-Hotchkiss muskets have the same socket dimensions as the U.S. M1873. Bayonets supplied with the third model (M1883) Winchester-Hotchkiss musket had the same socket dimensions as bayonets for the Model 1876, 1886, 1892, and 1894 lever-action muskets. Nordland’s article includes a dimensioned drawing that documents the Winchester Model 1876 musket’s muzzle diameter as 0.683 in. (17.3 mm.) and the muzzle length as 1.1875 in. (1 3/16 in. or 30.1 mm.). Reilly indicates that this bayonet was also used with the Model 1894 musket. This shows that, once introduced, this type became Winchester’s standard socket bayonet. (See further discussion under Model 1892 Trial Musket, below).

Nordland cites research obtained from the Winchester Firearms Museum indicating that Winchester shipped 617 Model 1876 muskets. Winchester also produced Model 1885 falling-block muskets (most in .22 caliber; 478 of which were reportedly center-fire); and, 372 Model 1886 and 574 Model 1892 lever-action muskets. However, only 5 experimental Model 1894 muskets are known, 2 of which are fitted with Model 1873 socket bayonets. There were no production Model 1894 muskets until a commemorative was issued in 1971.

Museum records indicate that Winchester contracted socket bayonets to James D. Carroll for finishing, Stillman Leighton for bluing, and Frank Jewett for the locking ring.

Frank Jewett and his father, Josiah Jewett, performed contract work for Winchester in New Haven, CT, for many years. Frank was described as “a skilled machinist and was for some years a contractor in the Winchester Arms Co. who performed contract work for Winchester, often keeping 40 or 50 men employed.” Frank was born in 1853 and Josiah died in 1888, so were working when bayonets for the Model 1876 muskets and Winchester-Hotchkiss rifles were produced.

The bayonet is similar in appearance to the Winchester Model 1873 socket bayonet, except that the bridge is in line with the elbow. As shown in this comparison image, the blade shoulders are distinctively rounded as they taper to the elbow. The example pictured at left is from the Robert Reilly Collection, so may be the actual bayonet described as B141 in his book. However, Reilly’s description contains some errors and ambiguities; and, the drawing mistakenly shows the bridge offset 90-degrees from the elbow.

In correspondence with author/researcher, Graham Priest, (then) Winchester Firearms Museum curator, Herbert G. Houze, described these as “experimental Winchester bayonets for the Model 1892 Musket.” Houze further indicated that:

“… the bayonets supplied with the twenty-five (25) Model 1892 Trial Muskets would all have been of standard dimension. They were hand-fitted to the extent of having the sockets polished to a higher degree than normal. The bayonets supplied with the trial single shot muskets were all hand-fitted as these arms were of different caliber (.22, .32, .38 and .44).

The standard Springfield bayonet was fitted to Model 1892 and 1894 Muskets which were fitted with a lug. Though unmarked, these bayonets were also made by Winchester.”

Houze describes two different arms as the Model 1892 musket, which may have contributed to confusion that this bayonet was used with the Model 1892 lever-action musket.

The Model 1892 Trial Muskets were clearly single-shot rifles. These would have been derivatives of the Winchester Model 1885 falling-block musket, Winchester’s only suitable single-shot action. The range of calibers specified (.22, .32, .38 and .44) is consistent with their Model 1885 offering; and, not with the Model 1892 lever-action, which was not, then, offered in .22 caliber. As noted above, Model 1885 muskets had been produced in quantity. At the time, these included a cleaning rod beneath the barrel, requiring that the bayonet mount to the side.

French author/researcher, Pierre Renoux, documented four European examples of the 1892 Trial Musket bayonet, differing most significantly in their socket diameters, which measured: 16.5 mm. (0.650 in.), 16.7 mm., 17.5 mm. and 17.6 mm. (0.695 in.). The socket diameter of the example pictured at left measures 17.5 mm. (0.690 in.). As shown in this comparison image, the socket wall is noticeably thinner and less uniform inside than either the Model 1873 or Winchester's "Springfield" socket, suggesting that material was likely removed by hand to achieve its present diameter. Based on dimensions, one, possibly two, of these five might fit the Model 1873 musket; while three, possibly four, are either too small or too large. However, this bayonet has not been observed or found in the presence of a Model 1873 musket (of which a sizeable number survive).

Available evidence seems to corroborate what Museum curator Houze indicated, that the Model 1892 Trial Musket and its bayonet are an experimental type. The need to hand-fit bayonets to single-shot trial muskets of different calibers apparently resulted in some examples coincidentally dimensioned so as to possibly fit the Model 1873 lever-action musket.

The Model 1892 and 1894 muskets that Houze subsequently referred to as fitted with the "standard Springfield bayonet" are the lever-action muskets. This description clearly refers to the socket bayonet common to the Model 1876, 1886, and 1892 lever-action muskets; Model 1885 falling-block musket; and, Winchester-Hotchkiss muskets. Houze's terminology shows that he understood that Winchester considered the "Springfield" type their standard socket bayonet. His somewhat erroneous inclusion of the Model 1894 fits with Reilly indicating that it was used with the Model 1894. Both fit with Marsden finding that the Winchester-Hotchkiss M1883 bayonet has the same socket dimensions as bayonets for the Model 1876, 1886, 1892, and 1894 lever action muskets.

This cast iron socket bayonet is heavily plated and incorporates a functioning spring steel locking ring that rotates to secure the bayonet when fixed to the rifle. Larger than the more common Bannerman's Cadet cast iron socket bayonet and much more finely finished. The socket length is 3.00 in. (76 mm.).

The Requarth Co. was (and still is) a specialty lumber and cabinetry company. The company was founded in 1860 and is still in business today in the same downtown Dayton, Ohio, location they have been at since 1895. The Boys Brigade Gun was a (mostly) wooden drill rifle made by Requarth and retailed by three companies whose names also appear on the rifles.

The exact period of manufacture for the rifles and bayonets is not precisely known nor is the actual manufacturer of the bayonets (Requarth was a lumber mill, not a foundry). The Requarth mill was inundated by the Great Dayton Flood of 1913 and substantially damaged by fire in 1915. However, the mill continued operation and today is a 5th-generation family-owned business. The Requarth Co. is historically significant as having supplied the Wright Brothers with spruce for constructing their aircraft.

The M1892 bayonet was based on the Swiss M1889 bayonet, made for use on the 7.5 mm. M1889 Schmidt-Rubin straight-pull bolt-action rifle.

This is an early example, made in 1895 at Springfield Armory.  It has been arsenal overhauled during or after 1899, as evidenced by the rough grips held by domed rivets.  Pre-1899, the grips were sanded smooth and the rivets flush. The "US" ricasso marking was nearly obliterated by the polishing done during arsenal rework.

I obtained this piece from an older gentleman in Benecia, CA. He indicated that it had been his dad's.  His home, which I visited, was approximately 1 mile from the old Benecia Arsenal. He indicated that a relative had worked at the Arsenal. It has been documented that Krag rifles were overhauled at Benecia Arsenal.

The condition of this example is exceptional, with bright metal and no rust or staining. The blade still had cosmoline on it when I obtained the piece.

The M1912 picket pin was a multi-tool of sorts. It could be driven into the ground and used to tether the cavalryman's horse. It also had a claw-hammer head that could be used to make emergency repairs to saddle, tack, or horseshoes.

The M1912 Cavalry Equipment was issued to the First Cavalry Regiment and selected cavalry squadrons in six other regiments for field trials. The equipment proved unsatisfactory, generating a volume of complaints. In 1915, an Army Cavalry Board was convened at Rock Island Arsenal to investigate and production of M1912 Cavalry Equipment was halted. Stocks of cavalry equipment soon ran low; and before the Board could complete its investigation, production of M1904 (McClellan) Cavalry Equipment was ordered resumed. These shortages forced use of M1912 Cavalry Equipment by troops deployed into Mexico during the 1916 Punitive Expedition against Mexican revolutionary leader Pancho Villa.

There was no official nomenclature for 19th Century U.S. fencing bayonets. In 1990, Reilly designated this “Type III” in his book, American Socket Bayonets and Scabbards.

The Type III fencing bayonet was made from Civil War era M1855 socket bayonets. This design was conceived by Ordnance Dept. Col. J. G. Benton in 1876 as an alternative to the Type I and Type II fencing bayonets with whalebone blades. Benton suggested that “a more serviceable fencing bayonet may be made by cutting off the old blade, drawing it to give elasticity and turning over the point for a button.”

A wooden disc was inserted into the button and the button and blade both covered in russet-colored leather for safety. Blade lengths can vary considerably in the 16–18 in. (400–470 mm.) range.

The metalwork was done at Springfield Armory (SA). Leather covers were fabricated and installed in the Rock Island Arsenal (RIA) Harness Shop.

The first quantity production of the Type III fencing bayonet occurred in 1897–98 (2,008 reported). Additional production of between 1,300 and 3,000 occurred ca.1904–06 (possibly into 07), at which point the supply of M1855 bayonets was exhausted.

Only the leather covers were marked. However, 1897–98 production was issued uncovered, because RIA lacked capacity to produce the covers due to demands for leather infantry equipment needed to equip volunteers mobilized for the Spanish-American War. This explains why no examples with 1897 or 1898 cover dates exist.

Type III fencing bayonets had covers renewed long after production of these bayonets had ceased. This undated example had its cover applied at RIA ca. 1917-20, as evidenced by the inspector's initials. The inspector identified by “H.E.K.” was Henry E. Kelsey. A civilian, he inspected leather goods at RIA 1901–20. The inspector identified by “W.T.G.” is Walter T. Gorton. An Army officer, he served at RIA from 1917–21.

Read more about U.S. Fencing Bayonets in my article: Regulation U.S. Fencing Bayonets 1852–1915.

Most No. 5 knife bayonets were made for export, with a hooked lower crosspiece. The short export bayonet is most often associated with Mexico's purchase of 14,712 rolling block rifles and carbines in 1899–1900. 7,702 of these were rifles (carbines did not accept a bayonet). Remington records indicate that an additional 97,887 7 mm. rifles were produced for other buyers from 1896–1921.

This example isn't a hooked version that has had the hook deleted, but was made with a straight guard (follow this link for a comparison of this example to the hooked version). Janzen's book on Remington bayonets shows the straight guard short No. 5 bayonet, but doesn't give any info as to who they were made for or why.

Remington produced the No. 5 bayonet in two additional blade lengths: 13.187 in. (335 mm.) for Mexico and 16.00 in. (406 mm.) for France.

The scabbard has a steel body and integral leather belt hanger. The overall length, including the belt hanger is 13.125 in. (333 mm.). The leather belt hanger measures 5.625 in. long (143 mm.) x 1.75 in. wide (44 mm.). The brass wire double hook adapter pictured below is sometimes found with the leather belt hanger. Another scabbard used with the No. 5 knife bayonet has a leather body with steel mounts and a swiveling steel belt hook.

These are typically found with M1873, Remington No. 5, and Winchester M1895 scabbards. There are multiple lengths to accommodate different scabbard/belt combinations, two of which are pictured at left.