The mind of a Frontier Partisan wanders down eccentric pathways — a condition exacerbated by the powers of the Almighty Algorith, which has learned the Frontier Partisan mindset well, and regularly places sign in its path to coax my moccasins further and further along (or is it Furthur?)
On Sunday, taking pause from editing and writing fire coverage (things are going well now, thankfully), I broke out the guns for a good cleaning session — accompanied by a YouTube video or two. Said videos were on the topic of home defense.
And it occurred to me: Home defense is analogous to 18th Century maritime boarding actions. Confined space, probably low-light…
Now, we moderns have any number of firearms options for the scenario of a home invasion: pistol-caliber carbines; pistols or revolvers; the trusty shotgun — all with loads designed for purpose. But…. not everyone has or wants a firearm. I know… but still. Those who eschew gunpowder solutions by preference or by constraint might do well to go all piratical on their home defense armament. Or, perhaps more accurately, anti-piratical. I mean, we’re going to be repelling boarders, not doing the boarding ourselves. Unless things really go sick and wrong…
Anyways…
Melee weaponry designed for old-school shipboard combat transfers well into the hallways and bedrooms of the old homestead. Truly. I understand that to this day on Caribbean islands where firearms ownership is restricted — at least for law-abiding citizens — it is common for people to have a machete by the bed, just in case. Except they usually call the machete a cutlass. Continuity & Persistence.
From haitian_machete_fencing on Instagram.
The cutlass isn’t just a nod to tradition, though. It’ll do a job on scalawags in your quarters.
Hey, you don’t have to take Captain Jim’s word for it. No less an authority than Matt Easton — historical arms and armor expert, martial artist, and prolific content creator — agrees, posing and answering the question — What is the BEST indoor weapon? — and why it’s the cutlass.
There are a variety of cutlasses available, including several makers’ take on the U.S. Navy 1917 cutlass. Two hundred years too late for a pirate (hat tip to Jimmy Buffett), but for a modern tactical application, it seems to be a good un.
The cutlass was not confined to maritime operations. Col. Benjamin Church, who led a force of colonial woodsmen and Indians in King Phillip’s War (1676) and in King William’s War and Queen Anne’s War a couple of decades on, carried a cutlass, and buckled a great deal of swash in his exploits as America’s true first Ranger.
The boarding ax morphed into a woodsman’s tool/weapon as the tomahawk. It remains a formidable melee weapon still. If you don’t have room to swing it, you can choke up on the haft and deliver some mighty effective “punching” blows.
My indoor melee weapons would be my Wetterlings Forest Ax and the Becker BK-9. But perhaps I should persuade Lady Marilyn that we really need a good cutlass. And one of them mighty fine RMJ Tactical Kestrels… Shiver me timbers! … what a beauty that is.
Many plews… but you really can’t put a price on the capacity to repel boarders, right?
And if I can’t persuade her, I bet Captain Charles Vane can…
Here’s a visceral scene of a boarding action from Season 1 of my beloved pirate Deadwood — Black Sails. It recognizes that when it get down to it, it may be tooth-and-nail…
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Speaking of things piratical…
Ubisoft “resynched” Assassin’s Creed IV — Black Flag, its game set around the Pirate Republic of Nassau during the Golden Age of Piracy. I don’t really know what all that entails, other than the graphics look sharp and fluid. From the standpoint of Frontier Partisans, the news is that one of the great soundtracks for the FP Biathlon has a new iteration.
Maritime frontier vibes…
The Black Tyrone says
Ah yes… when the book keeper tore out a windpipe amidship with his teeth… great family viewing. You are playing fast and loose with any “mission statement” the blog may have.
Matthew Ilseman says
You know at close range in someways better than guns. You can grab a gun by the barrel but not a knife by the blade. Again, I am talking about close range.
Russ Lucas says
I have never undstood the boarding of ship during a fight . Wouldn’t you a have to leave a crew on your own ship to sail her while boarding the other ship. If so did they only attack ships with smaller crews?
JimC says
Gold and Gunpowder has an excellent deep dive into this subject:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lavvuqGAOco&t=1346s
The short answer is that pirate vessels usually carried a larger-than-average crew, enabling them to do just as you indicate.
Of course, the preference was to force a surrender — boarding would be a last resort, and only for a prize worth risking numerous lives for.
Quixotic Mainer says
If the goblins are over the wall and you can’t shoot, the white weapon certainly still does what it has always done. A couple years ago I hit a level of accomplishment in my escrima studies that I felt like I ought to have a live blade, and got myself one of these;
https://everestforge.com/dragon-tooth-bowie?srsltid=AfmBOoof22HQ9PgFhonQOawMrHhyBlt1m4v74oybr2P2np6Mhcr2mXA1
I would hesitate to call it anything specifically, kind of a bolo, bowie, cutlass, espada ancha amalgamation. It’s a bit overbuilt and chunky, but it moves well regardless. The main edge is sharp and the false edge feels like it was ground with the intention of taking wrists off of Tharks. The company makes a lot of cool stuff and they’re not hugely expensive.
JimC says
That blade is the thesis statement for this post.
deuce says
“but you really can’t put a price on the capacity to repel boarders, right?”
Indeed, you cannot.
Padre says
There’s a company called Byxco that specializes in machetes, scythes, and other outdoor tools. But they’ve also designed a blade called the Kingfisher that they describe as “A machete purpose-built for standing strong in uncertain times.” It comes complete with a notch for trapping an opponent’s blade.
I don’t have a cutlass, but I do have a Cold Steel Gladius machete that I’ve pulled out at appropriate moments in sermons a time or two!
JimC says
Love this.
Hammer says
I will sing the praises of RMJ ‘hawks till the cows come home. The ‘Jenny Wren’ and the “Raven’ are fine choices as well. Quiet tools for quiet professionals, as they say.
Wyatt McCord says
I’ve owned and used just about every type of blade since the early fifties. As a TEXAN I’m inclined towards one particular knife, and about forty years ago I got just what I’d always wanted, a “classic” Bowie. It’s a Randall Made model#12, 9” “Sportsman Bowie”, with a walnut handle, forward curved brass guard, and scalloped brass collar. For its size, it’s surprisingly light and well balanced. Excellent for hallway altercations, and easier to carry than my other South TEXAS favorite, the “Espada Ancha”.
JimC says
Oh HELL yes.
“If a better blade was ever made it was probably forged in hell…”
Wyatt McCord says
I miss Guy Clark!
JimC says
My buddy Mike and I open every set with a Guy Clark song. Usually Dublin Blues or Stuff That Works.
Wyatt McCord says
For me, it’s “The Cape”, but “Dublin Blues” and “LA Freeway” work well also.
Vinnie says
At least in Trinidad a machete is still called a cutlass, and until a generation ago was the usual home defence tool. I heard many stories of cutlass fights from my grandfather’s time. They were often tied to establishing your status or manhood-fights just to show how “bad’ you were, how much you should be respected.
JimC says
Thank you for sharing this Vinnie — and welcome to the campfire.