A
New System of Sword Exercise for Infantry by Richard F. Burton (1821-1890)
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Burton’s
Sword Exercise - Printed in London in 1876 by William Clowes and Sons
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The dedication page.
Burton
provides an interesting perspective on the nineteenth century sword manuals
intended for military training. It is often said that the character of a person
can be learned in just 5 minutes of fencing with them. This may also be true of
5 minutes of reading a fencing manual. All of Burton’s fortes and foibles are
on display – his knowledge, bluster, faultfinding, and sense of humor.
Sir
Richard Francis Burton was an extraordinary Victorian. He was an explorer and
anthropologist, who may be most famous for not finding the source of the
Nile River. His many accomplishments include a journey to Mecca disguised as a
native, explorations in Africa, Asia and the Americas, and learning a vast
number of languages – 29 according to Burton himself. He was also a prolific
author.
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A
portrait of Burton. Note the scar on his cheek, received in Africa when a spear
pierced through his face during a battle with natives.
Burton
would write about anything, but the sword was a favorite subject. Besides A New System of Sword Exercise for Infantry,
he wrote a treatise on bayonet fencing in 1853. The Book of the Sword (1884) is an unfinished history of the sword, and
the Sentiment of the Sword: A Country
House Dialogue, was published in 1911 after his death. Burton said of the
sword, “The History of the sword is the history of humanity”.
He
was an accredited fencing master, and his ability to compare fencing with other
national systems such as German and Italian is one of the things that make this
manual an interesting item. His unique contribution is the use of manchettes, a
system of cuts at the arm used to disable an opponent.
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Oil painting, 'Sir Richard Burton Dressed for Fencing', Albert Letchford, about 1883
In his introductory remarks, he
lambasts contemporary English and French manuals. He states that there has been
no advancement in the use of the sword.
“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.”
He then goes on to criticize the
current British military manuals as obsolete, and “nought but a snare and a delusion”.
He notes that the only updates in the manuals are the uniforms in the picture
plates.
Of the Infantry Sword Exercise he
says “I am opposed to almost every page of this unhappy brochure” objecting to
the shape of the target, the grip of the sword, the position of the guard and
the parries.
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Infantry Sword Exercise (1875) Horse
Guards. War Office. Printed under the supervision of Her Majesty’s Stationery
Office
For
example, and many of his contemporaries agree, he insists that one should “sit
on guard” with the weight equally distributed on both legs. He describes the
reason for the old style of keeping the bodyweight on the left leg:
“The person is not so much exposed; moreover, that
the centre of gravity being thrown back adds spring and impetus to the Lunge.”
But this risks cramps in the overworked rear leg,
which for Burton is enough to discard its use.
He criticizes the Guards. Of the Hanging Guard he
says it is a “painful spectacle” and a “Lesson of what to avoid”. It exposes
the right forearm and is fatiguing.
The inside engaging guard (carte) also endangers
the forearm, and outside engaging guard (tierce) holds the hand too low and
endangers the arm.
Burton calls the “loose practice” with the
singlestick a mistake for learning saber. The lack of edges on the stick (which
he says is simply a different weapon) lends to every blow representing a cut.
He also criticizes the simplification of terms,
such as right and left for tierce and carte “as if such mysteries were too high
or too deep for our national intelligence.”
Burton was not shy about criticizing the practices
of the British government and military, and he developed a world view that
could eschew British superiority.
He suggests that the British soldier will be equal
in intelligence with the rest of Europe "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.”
Finished
with his critical introduction, and asking that his own work be similarly
scrutinized, Burton emphasizes the importance of his treatise.
“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 Backcut; 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.
Preliminary
Burton refers to the preparatory squad
drills of Balance and Extension motion training as the “goose step of the
sword”. Squad drill, he notes, will not likely make a good swordsman, but
economy of time renders it a necessity.
First Position in Two Motions
He goes through First Position, Second
Positon (the Guard), and Third Position (from Guard to Lunge). To avoid fatigue
and give additional balance to the body, Burton suggests they also practice the
actions standing as a left handed fencer would do.
Attacking,
Advancing and Retiring
The
attack Burton refers to is a beat on the ground with the right foot. He
apparently is describing the appel.
Section II. PREPARATORY INSTRUCTION
WITH THE SWORD
Explanation and use of the target
One of Burton’s criticisms is the depiction
of the target in most saber manuals. With his typical caustic humor he notes: “to
the shape of the target—I never yet saw a man absolutely
circular;” This is a reference to most cutting targets depicted in saber
manuals that are circular in shape, showing the directions of the cuts along
the radius.
Burton’s
target is oblong and the figure is five foot 8 inches tall. Showing the lines
of the 12 cuts and the angle of the saber. He notes that the target “directs
the recruit on how to make the cuts, but not exactly where; this must depend
upon how the opponent acts during the attack and the defense.”
The Moulinet
Burton requires that this rotation movement
should be learnt before the recruit proceeds to the Cut.
This
section is a good example of Burton's urge to include detailed background on
his subject matter. Before he gets in to the action of the moulinets, a lengthy
footnote describes it as being a favorite movement of French sabrers. Most of
the footnote is written in French. Burton often added quotes in Latin, French,
Italian and other languages without translation. Readers had complained about
his use of untranslated quotes, to which he responded that he could not help if
they were not smart enough to read his books.
As
for the moulinet, he says "There is nothing better for "
breaking," as the French say, the recruit's wrist than this
sweep of the sword; and the style of a swordsman may
always be known by his Moulinet."
He
divides it in three kinds: Horizontal, diagonal and vertical.
The Cuts
Of making cuts, Burton says that "The
Cuts must, as a rule, be delivered within eight inches of the
point and at the "centre of percussion," so that
the sword may clear itself and the arm
escape a "jar."
There
are twelve cuts. 1 & 2 are at the head, 3 & 4 are horizontal face cuts,
5 & 6 are slanting shoulder cuts, 7 & 8 are horizontal breast cuts, 9
& 10 are horizontal stomach cuts, and 11 & 12 are slanting groin or
thigh cuts, going from downwards upwards, as in the reverse of the shoulder
cuts.
He
adds that "The two
virtues of the Cut are its trueness and its velocity."
Burton
describes the various ways of making cuts, demonstrating his experience with
foreign styles. His preference is what he calls the “whip cut”, which is made
mostly from the wrist.
The
following are the five principal ways of cutting according to Burton:—
1.
The Chopping or Downright Cut, from the shoulder and fore-arm. This appears to
be the instinctive method preserved by Europe; most men who take up a
sword for the first time use it in this way.
2.
The Sliding Cut, common throughout the East. In this movement the elbow and
wrist are held stiff and the blow is given from the strong
muscles of the back and shoulder, nearly ten times larger than the
muscles of the arm, while the whole force and weight of the
body are thrown in. Hence the people of India use small hilts with
mere crutch-guards, which confine the hand and prevent the
play of the wrist; the larger grip required for the Chopping Cut only
lessens the cutting force. The terrible effect of these cuts is well
known.
3.
The Thrust Cut, with the curved (" Damascus ")
blade; a combination of point and edge, the latter being
obliquely thrust forward and along the body aimed at. This movement is a
favourite on horseback, when speed supplies the necessary forms, which can
hardly be applied on foot. It must be carried like a Point.
4. The
Whip Cut; in which the arm and elbow are kept almost motionless, and the blow
is delivered from the wrist. This is the principal Cut allowed in
my system; it is capable of sufficient effect upon the opponent
whilst it does not uncover the swordsman who uses it.
5.
The Drawing or Reverse Cut, which will be explained in the following pages; it
is the reverse of the "Thrust Cut."
The Engaging Guards, or Engagements.
The
next section details the Engaging Guards, which Burton explains "As the 'Infantry Sword Exercise'
has a deficiency of Cuts, so it
has a superfluity of "Engaging Guards."
Burton reduces
the Engaging to Tierce and Quarte.
He says that
"When engaging in guard (joining weapons),
the swords should meet each other about eight inches from the points. If the
distance is diminished the opponents are "out of measure"
(or distance); if increased, they are "within measure." The recruit
must be taught slightly to press upon the opponent's blade, but not to rest
upon it; by this "opposition" his hand and wrist will be
more ready to follow the weapon during the attack."
He recommends
that the right-handed recruit be taught the engaging guard of tierce, with the
opponent's blade in the outer line. The reverse position leaves the fore-arm
unguarded, and tierce facilitates the defense of the low lines.
The Guards or Parries.
The 'Infantry Sword Exercise' proposes
Seven Guards, but Burton says that in practice the advanced swordsman will
confine himself to Tierce and Carte with their natural modifications.
Of
guarding the head he suggests High Tierce or High Carte (rather than Prime). To
guard the legs he prefers Low Tierce or the rassemblement (withdrawing the leg)
to using seconde.
The Guards or Parries will be practised
like the Cuts, first in the "Second Position" (Guard), and afterwards
in the "Third Position" (Lunge).
Section III. THE MANCHETTE OR FOREARM
PLAY.
The manchette is
cutting at the hand, wrist and forearm with the inner edge of the blade. This
is Burton's distinct addition to saber exercises of the time. Burton says that
"A swordsman thoroughly trained in this
section does not allow the opponent to deliver a cut."
The manchette
allows a swordsman to disable his opponent, rather than being forced to deliver
a lethal blow. It also is a safer method of delivering a cut for the swordsman.
Burton explains "The natural man cuts as if he were
using a stick or a club, and the preliminary movement lays
open the whole of his body; indeed, exposure, I have said, is the
main danger of every attack with the sabre, however closely and
skilfully conducted. A cut through the muscles of the
fore-arm, either inside or outside, causes the sword instantly to be
relaxed and dropped; the man in fact is hamstrung in the upper works."
And
he adds "Finally I
meditated upon the comparative
humanity of ‘Manchette’, of disabling
the opponent by an arm-cut, rather than laying open his flank or his head.
During single rencontres in the field, especially at the
end of Indian battles, it is so often necessary to
put hors de combat some unfortunate, whose pluck or
sense of honour induces him to prolong the hopeless attack."
Burton
lists his system of manchette as the Direct Cuts, The Parries and Feints, the Reverse
or Back Cuts, and the Time Cuts.
The Time Cut (a cut delivered during an
opponent's attack, disabling the opponent before he can finish) is the
flower of the Manchette system, as the Manchette
is of the broadsword; and it is, perhaps, the part least
capable of being taught in books.
Burton then gives what he refers to as a synoptical
table of Manchette or Forearm play, showing the Cuts, the Guards
(Parries) for the Cuts, and the Ripostes or replies that should follow each
Parade.
In conclusion of the manchette play, Burton
says “I will end this system of Manchette with the
words of old Achille Marozzo, written some three centuries
and a half ago: ‘I would that ye swear upon
your sword-hilts never to use this knowledge against me, your master.’
But, in lieu of insisting that my readers never teach it without
obtaining formal permission, I only hope that they will favour me by spreading
it far and wide.”
An Appendix to
the Sword Exercises alludes to an improved form of sabre handle. Burton recommends
a modified grip made by the Italian Captain Settimo del Frate. This is
illustrated in the following diagrams.
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The
Italian Del Frate’s grip design for the saber.
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Burton’s
modification to the grip, because he has to fiddle with everything…
Burton never managed to have his treatise adopted by the British military. They remained with Angelo for most of the nineteenth century. But Burton did manage to publish a manual with a unique perspective and interesting insights.
