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Revolutionary War Sword of John Steele Battle of Alamance North Carolina


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Revolutionary War Sword of John Steele, Hero of The Battle of Alamance in North Carolina.

 

A fine sword that descended through Steele's family...Rev War southern swords with a pedigree are somewhat scarce...The hand forged 34 1/2 inch long blade is deeply engraved with geometric scrolling patterns and the words

 

"No me saques sin razon ; no me enbaines sin honor" : Draw me not without reason; sheath me not without honor.

 

Many years later the white paint was applied over the engraving to highlight the wording. Note that the later painter copied a couple of letters incorrectly due perhaps to the faded state of the engraved words. As tempting as it has been to remove the paint I have left the blade untouched as found.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alamance

 

The Battle of Alamance was the final battle of the War of the Regulation, a rebellion in colonial North Carolina over issues of taxation and local control. Historians have considered the battle to be the opening salvo of the American Revolution[1] and locals agreed with this assessment.[2] Named for nearby Great Alamance Creek, the battle took place in what was then Orange County and has since become Alamance County in the central Piedmont about six miles south of present-day Burlington, North Carolina.

 

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Ed, That is a wonderful piece of history! A rare ID'd sword! You are a lucky man to have it in your collection.

 

This continues to reaffirm my belief that family historical pieces rarely stay in the family and are almost always sold off for what ever reason.

 

Much better it is in the hands of a collector who will appreciate its history before moving it on to the next collector.

 

Kim

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  • 2 years later...

http://henrychastings.blogspot.com/2007/05/henrys-brother-was-tory.html

 

I also suggested that this John Hastings was the same person whom Col. David Fanning in 1781 named a lieutenant in of the British colonial militia, and whom the "patriot" Colonel Robert Burton permitted to remain at his home "until called on." Joseph Hastings received the same dispensation. Joseph and John Hastings could be Henry's brothers, but I think it's more likely that they are his children. Regardless, they were Tories (Loyalists).

I recently found a passage in Archibald Henderson's "North Carolina, the Old North State and the New" that confirms that John Hastings was a Tory who wounded a man named Joseph Hodge during the Battle of Lindley's Mill. (Click on the excerpts to enlarge them.)

This John Hastings was a Loyalist, in a stronghold of rebellion. And the excerpt makes him out as a bit of a coward, too.

The date of this incident is not given, but it appears to have occurred on September 14, 1781, during the Battle of Lindley's Mill. In the summer of 1781 the Tory War erupted in eastern and central North Carolina between Loyalists and Whigs (rebels). On September 13, 1781, the Loyalists, under Fanning, captured Thomas Burke (the governor of North Carolina) in Hillsborough. The Whigs counterattacked the next day in the Battle of Lindley's Mill. The Loyalists turned Burke over to the British, who imprisoned him at Charlestown (Charleston), South Carolina.

In the next month, the Whigs defeated most of the Loyalists in eastern North Carolina, and the British soon abandoned Wilmington. A few days later, Lord Cornwallis surrendered his forces (including some North Carolina Loyalists) at Yorktown, Virginia, effectively ending the war.

Early in 1782, David Fanning escaped from North Carolina, ending the Tory War. The British evacuated Charlestown in November 1782, taking with them more than eight hundred Loyalist soldiers. Some of the Loyalists went to England, but most left for other British possessions, including Florida, Bermuda, Jamaica, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario.

A website about the family of Joseph Hodge (the man John Hastings wounded) says that according to the "North Carolina Revolutionary War Folio," Joseph Hodge (1775-Feb 28, 1822) was wounded in Orange County on Sept. 14, 1781 by a Tory, Hastings during the Battle of Lindley's Mill. The site adds that Joseph (Hodge) and (John) Hastings later became neighbors and friends. I don't see a source for the latter statement. I note that Hodge was born in 1755, which suggests that the Tory John Hastings was Henry's son, not his brother. Henry had sons named John and Joseph, so the names match. http://henrychastings.blogspot.com/2007/05/henrys-brother-was-tory.html

 

 

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The blade appears to be a recycled Spanish cavalry sword.

http://perso.wanadoo.es/jjperez222/tropacab_e.htm

 

A recreation recently posted here

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/309570-1771-spanish-bilbo-cavalry-sword/

 

Was the hilt refitted in the 1950s? It almost looks like the sword was placed atop a drawing of the sword in that photo. I am not denying that the fitment as seen wasn't used a lot in the 18th century but curious to me because a complete sword of the Spanish cavalry not at all unusual during that century. The blade, certainly not a local blacksmith's.

 

The "No me saques sin razon; no me enbaines sin honor", which translates to "Draw me not without reason; sheath me not without honor." found on a great many Spanish swords of the period, and later.

 

The blades did surface in a lot of contexts though

 

 

Cheers

GC

 

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The hilt and guard are contemporary with the blade which may be Spanish (I assume the blade predates the hilt and guard) and show no signs of later alteration. Quite a few Colonial Spanish swords and blades were utilized during the Revolutionary War and locally produced swords were common especially in the South. Cutlers and blacksmiths used old blades from necessity and reworked them for use.

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  • 4 months later...

Revolutionary War Sword of John Steele

 

Documented Revolutionary War Sword of John Steele used by him in the Battle of Lindley's Mill, North Carolina on September 13, 1781.
Taken from Archibald Henderson's "North Carolina, the Old North State and the New" a contemporary account of Steele's fight with the Tory John Hasting describes the action and the furious fight that ended with Steele cutting Hasting "whose head had been almost literally cut to pieces..." with this very sword.

 

An exceptionally well documented Revolutionary War sword this sword was also featured as a Daughters of the American Revolution exhibit in the 1950s.

Links to detailed history and maps of the Battle of Lindley's Mill

 

 

 

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lindley%27s_Mill

 

https://www.lindleymills.com/news/product-news/70-a-legacy-of-liberty-and-compassion-the-battle-of-lindley-s-mill-235-years-later-2.html

 

http://www.carolana.com/NC/Revolution/revolution_battle_of_lindleys_mill.html

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