Patch Knives during the Civil War ?

[roundball]

Interesting description...first time I've heard that patch knives were used in the Civil War...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...ssPageName=WDVW

:shocking:

 

[Al Bateman 1]

Yeah, I agree with the :shocking: :huh:

 

[Birddog6]

Yes, since he says every soldier had to have one, you would think there would be hundreds of thousands of them handed down & also hundreds of shapes & sizes of them in the museums......... hmmmmmmmmmm........

 

[hawkeye2]

CW soldiers on either side did not load with loose ammo, all used prepared paper cartridges whether they carried a rifle, rifled musket, smothbore, or carbine (ML type). Soldiers did not have a patch knife!

 

[roundball]

I had explained all that to the seller...just heard back from him...thanked me, said he'd taken someone else's word for it, said he'd change the description

 

[jrdavis]

I don't think he said it was a Civil war patch knife; only that it was from that time frame...if you look its a common table knife from that era that was broken and re ground to be used as a patch knife! they do have good carbon steel and will hold a keen edge.

 

Yeah, it also said, "circa early 1800's I believe"... last I heard, the Civil War wasn't anywhere close to the "early 1800's". That should've clued him in right there!

 

[musketman]

CW soldiers on either side did not load with loose ammo, all used prepared paper cartridges whether they carried a rifle, rifled musket, smothbore, or carbine (ML type). Soldiers did not have a patch knife!

You are right, however, there were cap and ball guns being used by civilians during the civil war, so the knife could still be from the civil war era, just not military issued...

 

[roundball]

I don't think he said it was a Civil war patch knife; only that it was from that time frame...if you look its a common table knife from that era that was broken and re ground to be used as a patch knife! they do have good carbon steel and will hold a keen edge.

JR...I know what it said...he's already gone in and updated it to it's current wording

 

[roundball]

Yeah, it also said, "circa early 1800's I believe"... last I heard, the Civil War wasn't anywhere close to the "early 1800's". That should've clued him in right there!

(That's the current wording he's now changed it to)

 

[roundball]

Interesting description...first time I've heard that patch knives were used in the Civil War...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...ssPageName=WDVW

:shocking:

FYI ALL:
SELLER AND I HAVE EXCHANGED EMAILS...HE HAS NOW UPDATED HIS LISTING SO IT NO LONGER SAYS THAT "PATCH KNIVES WERE ISSUED TO ALL CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS"...if you go there and read it now it won't seem as ridiculous as it originally did.

 

[jrdavis]

no problem...

 

[Stumpkiller]

It was a misprint. He meant "Pat Knife" for applying a pat of butter to his hardtack. ::

 

[Tumblernotch]

Right, soldiers weren't issued patch knives, however, many soldiers and militia in the mountains of (W) Virginia and other border areas carried their own hunting rifles to war and loaded their rifles with PRB. Early in the war there wasn't even enough rolled cartridge ammunition for military weapons, much less civilian rifles in Western Virginia. Many soldiers had to load from horn and pouch or from a flask. And any soldier with a rifle of less than .52 cal. was stuck using round ball or picket type bullets.

It could be that the aforementioned patchknife could have been used in the CW, and it would be nice to see any documentation proving that it was. But I've never seen any documentation showing issue as a regular thing. I guess it could have happened in an isolated militia rifle company. I think that bears some looking into.

 

[Old40Rod]

Flintlock Patch Knife/Musket/Pewter/Black Powder

Mebbe he means that they were issued to soldiers who were using flinters in the early 1800's and carried them into the civil war era.

:haha:

Mebbe he just should of said "cool old knife that can be used to cut patches."

 

[blksmth52]

I don't think he said it was a Civil war patch knife; only that it was from that time frame...if you look its a common table knife from that era that was broken and re ground to be used as a patch knife! they do have good carbon steel and will hold a keen edge.

I believe anyone with blacksmithing experience will agree with me when I say carbon steel before the invention of the Bessemer process was much too expensive to be used for a common table or kitchen knife. (Not to say they were never. But it would have been an exception not the rule.) It would have been made from iron and silver plated or case hardened. A case hardened knife would hold a good edge until the hard "shell" was worn through. Then it would be re-hardened.
Ever heard an old-timer tell you not to use a file to sharpen a knife cause you'll take the steel out of it? :m2c:

Sparky