Bayonet Scabbard/Intrenching Tool Patents

[bayonetman]

Having been unable to get out recently due to health problems, I have been continuing to search the US Patents for odds and ends related to bayonets.

 

It seems that during the Spanish-American War there was a lot of interest in Intrenching Tools. In 1899 alone there were 3 patents issued that dealt with bayonet scabbards as intrenching tools.

 

The first was issued to L.H. Wightman who designed an intrenching tool where the shovel replaced the bayonet scabbard with the handle of the bayonet acting as the handle for the shovel. In the claim he also stated that the bayonet could be removed and a stick substituted to create a longer handle if needed.

 

 

Another was issued to A. G. Hoffmann of the US Army who replaced the scabbard with one that had a shovel style base but the upper section of a regular scabbard. Again, the bayonet was to act as the handle when used to dig.

 

 

And a third one patented by J.C. Michie that apparently intended the shovel blade to be carried as a separate item with the bayonet in its scabbard to be inserted in a pocket in the shovel.

 

 

Ingenious but rather impractical. I have never seen any other mention of these, so I presume even if they were tested they went no further.

[Misfit 45]

Thanks Gary,

That is really interesting.

Marv

[Backtheattack]

Interesting combination. Such patent figures are very interesting.

[camillus]

that is an odd combination, how did it work out any data on that