Bowie Knives ( BOO -ee , "English respelling"> BOH - ) is a fixed blade knife pattern made by James Black in the early 19th century for Jim Bowie, who became famous for using large knives in a duel known as the Sandbar Battle.
Since the first incarnation, Bowie knives have come to incorporate some recognizable design features and characteristics, although in general usage the term refers to a large sheath blade with crossguard and clip point. Knife patterns are still popular among collectors; In addition to the various knife-making companies, there are hundreds of specialized knife makers that produce Bowies and variations.
Video Bowie knife
Historical Complications
The early history of Bowie knives is complicated by cloudy definitions, limited supporting documentation and conflicting claims.
- Bowie's knife is not well-defined. By the mid-20th century most will include a combination of blade length and blade shapes. In the mid-19th century, when the popularity of knives reached its peak, the term was applied to a variety of knives. There is no consensus definition, it is impossible to clearly define the origin of the blade. To complicate matters, some American knives that meet the modern definition of Bowie knives may have already hunted Bowie.
- The Bowie Knife gets a share of his name and reputation from James Bowie, a famous knife fighter, who died in the Alamo. James Bowie left a very thin paper trail; in the absence of verifiable facts, its history is buried in an unverifiable legend of knife fighting. The serious historians entertain the possibility that Bowie is just fighting against a personal knife (and it's not championed with a knife that meets the modern definition if the Rezin Bowie account is true). The Sandbar fight receives national publicity (accounts in Philadelphia, New York and Washington's Niles' Register , D.C.) within a few months of the event. James Bowie clearly uses a large knife after Sandbar fights.
- The Bowie family provides a variety of conflicting knife histories. James Bowie did not leave anything behind. His brother Rezin Bowie gave a brief history 2 years after James's death. Sixteen years after James's death someone (assumed brother James John) slightly altered Rezin's explanation to include the blacksmith. Rezin's grandchildren name different blacksmiths. Later, Bowie claims that the information linked to John is a lie and that John may never see the document, etc.
- In the mid-20th century a writer of Bowie knives took liberty with historical facts. Some documents are misquoted, some reported facts can not be confirmed, etc. Others enter an error into their account from both Bowie and his knife.
- Without clear definitions and conflicting knife history accounts, many are credited with finding or improving a knife.
Maps Bowie knife
Origin and description
The historical Bowie knife is not a single design, but a series of knives repaired several times by Jim Bowie over the years. The earliest blade, made by Jesse Clift at the request of Bowie's brother was similar to that of a Spanish hunting knife that day, and differed slightly from the usual meat knife. The blade, as described by Rezin Bowie, has a length of 9.5 inches (24 cm), 0.25 inches (0.64 cm), and a width of 1.5 inches (3.8 cm). It is supported straight, described by the witness as a "big meat knife", and has no point-clip or handguard, with a simple grip-scale handle.
Bernard Levine has reported that the first known Bowie knife showed strong Mediterranean influence as far as general lines are concerned, especially the traditional Spanish folding blade, often carried by immigrants to Mexico and other areas of Old Southwest. In an 1828 report on the capture of schooner pirates carrying a mixed group of Spanish and South American pirates, carrying a knife similar to an early Bowie knife mentioned:
Among these [weapons], there are a large number of long knives - weapons used by the Spaniards very deftly. They are the size of a British engraving knife, but for a few inches, the blades cut both sides.
After Vidalia Sandbar fight, Bowie was a famous man, and the Bowie brothers received many requests for knives with the same design. Bowie and his brothers will then commission more special knife decorations from various knife makers including Daniel Searles and John Constable. George William Featherstonhaugh describes them as, "This formidable instrument... is the pride of Arkansas blood, and gets their name Bowie knife from someone who stands out from this fiery climate."
According to an 1847 article, the Bowie knife was originally designed to meet the need for combatable and comfortable short-range combat weapons - short swords much shorter than other swords or swords of the day, yet still have heavy blades. This knife-like blade has enough weight to provide sufficient strength to the sword in a transient attack, while allowing the use of a sword-slashing sword tactic. At this moment 'Bowie knife' has been made in various sizes, with an optimal knife length similar to "carving knives". The blade design is described as:
The back (spine) is perfectly straight in the first example, but is very rounded at the ends on the edges; the top edge at the end, for about two inches long, is ground to a small segment of the circle and given sharply... The back itself gradually increases the weight of the metal as it approaches the nipple, where a small guard is placed. Bowie's knife, therefore, has a curved, sharp point; double-edged to a space about two inches in length, and when used, it falls with the weight of the bill hook.
Most recent versions of the Bowie knife have a blade of at least 8 inches (20 cm), some reaching 12 inches (30 cm) or more, with a relatively wide knife of an inch and a half to two inches wide (4 to 5 cm) of steel is usually between 3 / 16 to 1 / 4 in bold (4,763 to 6,350 mm). The back of the blade sometimes has a soft metal strip (usually brass or copper) which some believe is meant to catch the opponent's blade while the other holds it intended to provide support and absorb shocks to help prevent breaking of poor quality steels or knives with poor heat treatment. (A brass back is an indication of modern construction.) Bowie knives often have a top guard who bends forward at an angle (S-guard) intended to catch an opponent's blade or provide protection to the owner's hand during parries and corps-a-corps.
Some Bowie knives have an indentation at the bottom of a knife near the handle known as "Spanish Notch". The Spanish Notch is often cited as a mechanism to catch an opponent's blade; However, some researchers Bowie argue that Spanish Notch does not fit this function and often fails to achieve the desired results. These researchers, on the other hand, argue that Spanish Notch has a far more mundane function as a tool to strip muscles and repair ropes and nets, as a guide to help sharpen the blades (ensuring that the sharpening process begins at a certain point and not farther to the edge) , or as a point to relieve stress on the blades when used.
One characteristic of the Bowie knife is the clip point at the top of the blade, which carries the lower blade edge of the spine and aligns with the handle for better control when thrusting the attack. Since the goal is to produce a sharp and piercing point, most Bowie knives have bevel ground along the clip, usually 1/4 of the way, but sometimes further run all over the top edge. This is called a false edge because of the distance it looks sharp, although it may or may not. Regardless of whether or not the sharp edge is sharp, it serves to extract the metal from the point, simplifying the tip and thereby improving the penetration ability of the blade during the stab. The version associated with James Black's blacksmith has this false tip fully sharpened to allow one who is trained in a European sculptor's sword technique to execute maneuvers called "back pieces" or "back slashes". A brass quell, usually printed, is attached to protect the hand.
Bowie knife design is also suitable as a hunting knife for skinning or butchering games. The curved upper clip of the knife, if honed properly, can be used to lift the skin from the carcass, while the straight portion of the blade edge, toward the guard, can be used to cut the meat. Arkansas scientist and researcher Russell T. Johnson describes James Black's blade in the following manner and at the same time captures the essence of the Bowie Knife: "It must be long enough to be used as a sword, sharp enough to use as a razor, wide enough to be used as a paddle, and heavy enough to be used as an ax. "Most knives intended for hunting are only sharpened on one side, to reduce the danger of cutting themselves while cutting and skinning carrion.
History
Vidalia Sandbar Fighting
The first knife, with which Bowie became famous, was allegedly designed by Jim Bowie's brother, Rezin in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, and was fired by the blacksmith Jesse Clifft of an old archive. The court documents of the period show that Rezin Bowie and Clifft know each other. Grandson Rezin claimed in a letter in 1885 to Louisiana State University that he personally witnessed Clifft making a knife for his grandfather.
This knife became famous as a knife used by Bowie at the Battle of Sandbar, a famous 1827 duel between Bowie and several men including Major Norris Wright of Alexandria, Louisiana. The fight takes place on a sand dune on the Mississippi River across from Natchez, Mississippi, and is the only documented fight in which Bowie is known to use his Bowie knife design. In this battle Bowie was stabbed, shot, and beaten half to death but managed to win the battle using a large knife.
The brother of Jim Bowie, John, later claimed that the knife in the Sandbar Fight was not Clifft's knife, but a special knife was made for Bowie by a blacksmith named Snowden.
Bowie Knife James Black
The most famous version of the Bowie knife was designed by Jim Bowie and presented to the Blacksmith of Arkansas James Black in the form of a carved wooden model in December of 1830. Black produced a knife ordered by Bowie, and at the same time created another Bowie based on the original design but with sharp edges on the top edge of the curve of the knife. Black offers Bowie his choice and Bowie chooses a modified version. A knife like this, with a knife blade like a Bowie knife, but with a false edge being spoken, is now called the "Bowie Bowie" knife, because this knife shape is so popular that cutting mills in Sheffield, England produce mass. such knives to be exported to the United States in 1850, usually with handles made of hardwood, deer antlers, or bones, and sometimes with other sterling silver guards and gear. James Black Bowie knife has a blade of twelve inches long, two inches wide, and 0.25 inches thick. The knife's shoulder blades are covered with soft brass or silver, reportedly to catch the opponent's knife in a knife fight, while brass plates protect the hand from the knife.
In 1831, Bowie returned with his James Black Bowie knife to Texas, and was involved in a knife fight with three armed men with firearms, hired to kill him by the man he protected in his 1829 battle. According to reports at the time, Bowie used his knife to kill the three men: one killer was nearly beheaded, the second was released, and the third man's skull was split open. Bowie died at the Battle of the Alamo five years later and in death, he and his knife became American legend. The fate of the original Bowie knife is unknown; However, a knife with a "Bowie No. 1" engraving has been obtained by the Historic Arkansas Museum from a Texas collector and has been associated with Black through scientific analysis.
Black soon owns a growing business and sells these knives from his shop in Washington, Arkansas. Black continues to refine his technique and improve the quality of the blade as he leaves. In 1839, shortly after the death of his wife, Black was almost blind when, when he was in bed due to illness, his father-in-law and ex-mate entered his home and attacked him with the club, for objecting to his daughter after marriage. Years before. Black can no longer continue his trade.
The black knife is known to be very hard, yet flexible, and the technique has not been duplicated. Black guarded his secret technique and did all his work behind the curtain. Many have claimed that Black rediscovered the secret of producing true Damascene steel.
In 1870, at the age of 70, Black attempted to pass on his secrets to the son of the family who had cared for him in his old age, Daniel Webster Jones. However, Black has retired for years and finds that he himself has forgotten his secret. Jones later became Governor of Arkansas.
The birthplace of the Bowie knife is now part of the Old Washington Historic State Park which has more than 40 restored historic buildings and other facilities including the Black shop. This park is known as "The Colonial Williamsburg of Arkansas". The American Bladesmith Society founded the Bladesmith School of William F. Moran on this site to instruct new apprentices as well as day workers, and masters in the art of fostering.
Claims about James Black and his knives have been challenged by historians and knives. Little can be proven or unproven; Black was found incompetent mentally before his claim was published.
Next history
The term "Bowie knife" appeared in an advertisement (several places) in 1835, about 8 years after the sand fights, while James Bowie was alive. From context, "Bowie knife" does not require a later description, but the spelling varies. Among the first mentioned are plans to combine Bowie knives and pistols. Cutlers sent a sheath knife from Sheffield England in the early 1830s. In 1838, a writer in the Baltimore newspaper (posted from New Orleans) stated that every reader had seen Bowie's knife.
Bowie Knives discovered his greatest popularity in Old Southwest in the mid-19th century, where several knife-fighting schools were set up to teach students the art of fighting with the Bowie knife pattern.
Bowie's knife plays a role in the American conflict in the nineteenth century. They are historically mentioned in Texas independence, in the Mexican War, California gold rush, civil strife in Kansas, Civil War and then conflict with American Indians. John Brown (abolitionist) brings Bowie (taken by J. E. B. Stuart). (pp. 117) John Wilkes Booth (Abraham Lincoln's assassin) dropped a large Bowie knife as he ran away. (p 158) "Buffalo Bill" Cody reportedly skinned a sub-chief in 1876 in revenge for Custer (Battle of Warbonnet Creek). An illustration of the famous show shows Bowie's knife. (p 171)
The popularity of Bowie knives declined in the late nineteenth century. A large caliber revolver was available in the mid-1870s, reducing the blade's superiority. The border quickly disappears, reducing the number of hunters and trappers. The big knife has limited utility, so Bowie shrinks.
The USMC Ka-Bar of World War II fame is based on the Bowie design.
Since the 1960s, the Bowie knife with a wood cutting machine to the back of the blade appears inspired by the United States Air Force's defensive knife (NSN 7340-00-098-4327). The tree is meant to cut the acrylic glass canopy from the fallen plane. During the Vietnam War, the US Army issued them to a helicopter crew for the same purpose.
On July 27, 1969, Manson associates Bobby Beausoleil to kill Gary Hinman by stabbing him with Bowie's knife.
Variations and gathering, depictions in popular culture
Custom knife maker Ernest Emerson originally used Bowie knives in his logo and produced the famous Bowie fold in the line-up as CQC13.
A Bowie knife appeared on the shoulder arm badge of the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Jim Bowie was posthumously inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame at the 1988 Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia in recognition of the design impact made by the generation of knife makers and cutting tools companies. Rock star David Bowie (born David Robert Jones) takes Bowie's name after Bowie's knife because, in his words "it cuts both ways".
Variations
Among the many variations on Bowie knives (discussed or shown by Flayderman or Peterson) are Bowies with replaceable knives, stabbing knives, double-ended Bowies, Bowie folding, Bowie with cork screws or other accessories, Bowie bayonets, Bowie/gun combinations, Bowie with toothed back and Confederate Bowies with D-guards. Some works of art. The gigantic, nearly seven foot (2.1 meter) long bowie and weighing 34 pounds (15 kg) were made for presentations to American congressmen who were offered to engage in knife duel (a dispute between Roger Atkinson Pryor and John F. Potter). Several large bowies up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) long were created for the exhibition.
Over the years many knives are called Bowie knives and the term is almost a general term for large sheath blades. During the early days of the American Civil War Confederate army brought a large knife called the Bowie D-Guard knife. Many of these knives can escape as short swords and are often made from old saws or scythe.
Bowie's knives are sometimes confused with "Arkansas toothpicks", probably because of the use of the names "Arkansas toothpicks", "Bowie knives", and "Arkansas knives" in the prewar period. Toothpick Arkansas is basically a heavy dagger with a straight knife of 15-25 inches. While balanced and weighted to throw, a toothpick can be used for thrusting and chopping. Although James Black is popularly credited with creating "Arkansas Toothpick", there is no solid evidence for this claim.
The knife made in Sheffield, England, quickly entered the market with a "Bowie Knife" with a distinctive pattern that most modern users recognize with Bowie's original form. The Sheffield pattern blades are thinner than the Black/Musso blades, while the fake edges are often longer, with the edges of the clips more oblique and less prominent. While Bowie is often regarded as a unique American knife, most knives are produced in Sheffield England. Sheffield Bowies are sold with a variety of engraved or stamped slogans designed to attract Americans: "Death to Abolition", "Death to the Traitors", "Americans Do not Give Up", "Alabama Hunting Knives", "Arkansas Toothpicks", "Gold Seeker Protection "... Ã, American wins and generals are commemorated. "Bowie Knife" is engraved on many different designs (including the folding knife) of the time. The British disguise the origin of their products, operating "Washington", "Philadelphia", "Boston", "Manhattan", "America" ​​and "Columbia Works" in Sheffield. They branded "AS", "NY", etc. On their swords. The Sheffield "factory" is a warehouse that collects the work of local craftsmen. Smelters, counterfeiters, grinders, silversmiths, sculptors, etchants... are individuals or small businesses.
Collecting
During the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Bowie knife was useful as a camp and hunting tool and weapon, and still popular with some of the hunters and trappers of today. However, since today's campers and backpackers generally rely on prepared snacks, and have little or no use of large knives as weapons or to slaughter wild animals, traditional Bowie knives are now mostly bought by collectors or armed-eyed fans.
The Bowie remains popular among collectors. In addition to the various knife-making companies, there are hundreds of specialized knife makers and blades that produce Bowies and variations. Bowie's knife dominates the work produced by members of the American Bladesmith Society. Collecting an antique Bowie knife is one of the high-end blades with a rare model that sells as high as $ 200,000. Even Sheffield Bowies mass production from the 19th century can sell in the range of $ 5,000US to $ 15.000US.
Imagery in popular culture
The Bowie Knife has also been present in popular culture throughout the ages, from the days of novel and pulp of Western pulp, to Literary Fiction like the classical vampire novel 1897 Dracula by Irish writer Bram Stoker. Though the popular image of Count Dracula has a stake pushed through his heart at the end of the story, Dracula is actually killed by his heart being pierced by Bowie knife Quincey Morris and his throat being sliced ​​by knife kukri Jonathan Harker. Bowie knives appear in the classic American works of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain, English Charles Dickens, and Frenchman Jules Verne.
Bowie Knives also appeared on television and cinema like most of the fictitious Alan Ladd 1952 film based on the life of James Bowie The Iron Mistress and Jimmy's Adventures of the 1950s television series. At the end of the John Ford movie The Searchers (1958), John Wayne's character Ethan Edwards used a Bowie knife for the head of the Comanche Indian scar â € Å"Scarâ € which he had rushed throughout the film.
Bowie Knives also became a subject in The Alamo movies in 1960 and 2004; the first three Rambo films, First Blood <198i, Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), and
Ada pisau Bowie di beberapa peta zombie di game first-person shooter Call of Duty: Dunia dalam Perang , Call of Duty: Black Ops , Call of Tugas: Black Ops II , dan Call of Duty: Black Ops III .
In February 2016, Bowie's knife is a knife that can be purchased in the first-person shooter game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive .
Legal status
Although many jurisdictions around the world have knife laws that govern the length of a knife that may be owned or carried, certain locations in the United States have laws that prohibit or prohibit the carrying of a "Bowie knife". Much of this law was passed a few decades earlier, initially for the sake of controlling or eliminating the prevailing dueling practice, a term that has fallen from the rarely used social habits into a general description for every knife or gun battle between two contestants. In some states, many of these laws still apply today whereas, in other countries, these laws are revoked or amended.
In 1837, a year after Bowie's death at Alamo, the Alabama legislature passed a law that imposed a $ 100 tax transfer on the 'Bowie' knife and declared that anyone who carried a Bowie knife who then killed someone in a fight would be charged with premeditated murder. Louisiana and Virginia prohibited carrying all the hidden Bowie knives, while Mississippi made such knives illegally when taken in secret or when used as duel weapons. In Tennessee, the use of Bowie knives to settle disputes in places was so alarming that state legislators in 1838 not only made them carry hidden Bowie crime blowers, but also banned the use of Bowie knives in quarrels, regardless of self-defense or other mitigation reasons:
That if anyone brought a knife or any weapon known as a Bowie knife... or any knife or weapon that should be in shape, shape, or size resembling a Bowie knife, at a sudden meeting, would cut or stab people another with a knife like that or a weapon, whether death occurs or not, such a person who stabs or cuts will be guilty of a crime, and after his conviction will be confined to the prisons and the state prison for a period of not less than three years, or more from fifteen years.
In modern Texas, the state of Jim Bowie died defending, carrying a Bowie knife "on or about a person" in a public place is until 2017 specifically set out under state law. The law was amended effectively on September 1, 2017. Now Bowie's knife can be freely taken to the whole state, unless all blades with a knife length of more than 5 1/2 inches are now a rim whose location is limited, which can not be carried in schools, voting places, places of worship, amusement parks, courthouses, racetracks, correctional facilities, hospitals and nursing facilities, sporting events and companies that earn 51% or more of their income from the sale of alcohol.
It is said that the terms "Bowie Knives" and "Toothpick Arkansas" are too subjective to form the basis of sound legislation.
Note
References
Further reading
- Cramer, Clayton E. Hidden Legal Weapons from the Early Republic: Duel, Southern Violence, and Moral Reform . Praeger Publishers, 1999.
- Kirchner, Paul (2010). Bowie Knife Fights, Fighters, and Fighting Techniques . Paladin Press. ISBN: 978-1-58160-742-0.
External links
- Media related to Bowie knives in Wikimedia Commons
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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