The U.S. Krag-Jorgensen Bowie Bayonet
They were some of the most interesting and picturesque bayonets ever issued to the U.S. armed forces. Given out in very limited numbers in the Philippines and Cuba for trial purposes at the turn of the 20th Century, these classic collector items were never adopted, as they proved to be a failure in the field. Today, they are seldom encountered, much sought after and uncomfortably expensive when found. This is their story.
I first saw one in a glass case at the Springfield Armory National Historical Site museum. I was fascinated by its configuration, and had never heard of its employment. One of the curator assistants there told me it was extremely rare, and that they were glad to have it for display. That was in the early 1980s, and I never saw another until 2014. In the meanwhile, I did some research on it, and became determined that if I ever ran across one for sale, I’d do my darnedest to acquire it.
I discovered that following the Spanish-American War, a board of officers in the U.S. Army’s Ordnance Department sought to find out if a combination bayonet and “intrenching tool” (sic) would be a possibility for attachment to our then-standard Krag-Jorgensen rifles. It was thought that soldiers should have a bayonet with more utility for jungle use than the standard straight-blade issue item. In 1899, they convened to examine a number of possible candidates for this role. What they wanted was a usable bayonet that could also be used as combat knife, for whacking brush and to be a tool to assist in digging trenches and foxholes. The consensus was that a large Bowie-style blade might work out, but that a careful balance between light weight and sturdiness would have to be addressed. An apparently suitable design was settled upon, and production of the “Combination Bayonet and Intrenching Tool” began at Springfield Armory in 1899. The first (and as it turned out, only) production bayonets would be issued to troops in the field for evaluation.
Manufacture continued into 1900, and all the bayonets were date-stamped “1900” on the reverse side of the root of the blade. “U.S” was stamped on the opposite, or obverse side. It’s estimated that somewhat less than 4,000 were produced, all at Springfield Armory. The strikingly menacing blade measured 9.094” long, 1.75” in width, and for weight savings, it was quite slender, a mere .125” in thickness. Overall length was 13.75 inches. The clipped Bowie-style point is clipped to form a 2.75” long false edge. The bottom of the blade was sharpened, as was a portion of the top of the blade. The hilt and handle were identical to that on the standard Krag bayonet. The blade, hilt and pommel were left bright, with no bluing. The total weight was .92 lb. The scabbard was blued steel, gently curved to take the blade, and had a drain hole in the ball tip. It used a steel cartridge belt loop, identical to that on the “type II” standard Krag bayonet scabbard. This loop can be oscillated 100 degrees. The scabbard is 10” long from throat to tip, and 14.31” overall, weighing in at .63 lb.
Here are pictures, right and left, of both the bayonet and the scabbard, and the then-standard Model 1898 Krag:
It was determined that 1,500 of these unique bayonets would be sent to the Philippines, and 500 to Cuba for field evaluation. This was accomplished in November, 1900. What happened to the remaining 2,000 or so is open to conjecture, but they may have simply been discarded or destroyed as surplus to the assessment needs.
The reaction of the troops to the Bowie bayonet was mostly negative. The blade was considered too flimsy. The point of the blade was too delicate. The steel was not able to hold an edge after sharpening. The flat retaining spring for the bayonet in the scabbard was too tight for easy withdrawal. The scabbard was too noisy on the belt. One positive comment from many was that the blade was comparatively easy to remove from the enemy – a relatively large entrance wound allowed that!
The result was that an Army Ordnance board voted against the adoption of the new bayonet in 1902. They then evaluated a “bolo blade” bayonet prototype that was simply a native Philippine bolo blade welded to the hilt of a cut-off standard Krag bayonet. Fifty were made and 48 of these were sent to the Philippines in July, 1902 for trial purposes. It was judged as too heavy at 1.5 lbs., and the quality of steel once again was not up to holding an edge for field sharpening. Six more of these were made in 1903, but since the new Model 1903 Springfield rifle was then equipped with a ramrod bayonet, the field comments were moot. The Krag bolo bayonet, with only 56 ever made, has become incredibly expensive; only about 8 are now known to exist!
What happened to the 2,000 Bowie bayonets sent to the Philippines and Cuba? Most were probably discarded as useless, or eventually rusted away in the harsh humid climates of those two locales. After way more than a century, they are now quite rare in the U.S. More or less obvious fakes have been generated, so a strong “buyer beware” is in order if you seek an example. I’m glad that I finally found an authentic one, and although I had to dig deep to pay for it, it’s now one of my most prized U.S. collector items, squirreled away in a safety deposit box. A picture of it mounted on a Krag rifle can be found on the back cover of my book “101 Classic Firearms.” It’s an unusual, prized and classic bayonet, for sure.
(c) 2017 JLM
John
They were some of the most interesting and picturesque bayonets ever issued to the U.S. armed forces. Given out in very limited numbers in the Philippines and Cuba for trial purposes at the turn of the 20th Century, these classic collector items were never adopted, as they proved to be a failure in the field. Today, they are seldom encountered, much sought after and uncomfortably expensive when found. This is their story.
I first saw one in a glass case at the Springfield Armory National Historical Site museum. I was fascinated by its configuration, and had never heard of its employment. One of the curator assistants there told me it was extremely rare, and that they were glad to have it for display. That was in the early 1980s, and I never saw another until 2014. In the meanwhile, I did some research on it, and became determined that if I ever ran across one for sale, I’d do my darnedest to acquire it.
I discovered that following the Spanish-American War, a board of officers in the U.S. Army’s Ordnance Department sought to find out if a combination bayonet and “intrenching tool” (sic) would be a possibility for attachment to our then-standard Krag-Jorgensen rifles. It was thought that soldiers should have a bayonet with more utility for jungle use than the standard straight-blade issue item. In 1899, they convened to examine a number of possible candidates for this role. What they wanted was a usable bayonet that could also be used as combat knife, for whacking brush and to be a tool to assist in digging trenches and foxholes. The consensus was that a large Bowie-style blade might work out, but that a careful balance between light weight and sturdiness would have to be addressed. An apparently suitable design was settled upon, and production of the “Combination Bayonet and Intrenching Tool” began at Springfield Armory in 1899. The first (and as it turned out, only) production bayonets would be issued to troops in the field for evaluation.
Manufacture continued into 1900, and all the bayonets were date-stamped “1900” on the reverse side of the root of the blade. “U.S” was stamped on the opposite, or obverse side. It’s estimated that somewhat less than 4,000 were produced, all at Springfield Armory. The strikingly menacing blade measured 9.094” long, 1.75” in width, and for weight savings, it was quite slender, a mere .125” in thickness. Overall length was 13.75 inches. The clipped Bowie-style point is clipped to form a 2.75” long false edge. The bottom of the blade was sharpened, as was a portion of the top of the blade. The hilt and handle were identical to that on the standard Krag bayonet. The blade, hilt and pommel were left bright, with no bluing. The total weight was .92 lb. The scabbard was blued steel, gently curved to take the blade, and had a drain hole in the ball tip. It used a steel cartridge belt loop, identical to that on the “type II” standard Krag bayonet scabbard. This loop can be oscillated 100 degrees. The scabbard is 10” long from throat to tip, and 14.31” overall, weighing in at .63 lb.
Here are pictures, right and left, of both the bayonet and the scabbard, and the then-standard Model 1898 Krag:
It was determined that 1,500 of these unique bayonets would be sent to the Philippines, and 500 to Cuba for field evaluation. This was accomplished in November, 1900. What happened to the remaining 2,000 or so is open to conjecture, but they may have simply been discarded or destroyed as surplus to the assessment needs.
The reaction of the troops to the Bowie bayonet was mostly negative. The blade was considered too flimsy. The point of the blade was too delicate. The steel was not able to hold an edge after sharpening. The flat retaining spring for the bayonet in the scabbard was too tight for easy withdrawal. The scabbard was too noisy on the belt. One positive comment from many was that the blade was comparatively easy to remove from the enemy – a relatively large entrance wound allowed that!
The result was that an Army Ordnance board voted against the adoption of the new bayonet in 1902. They then evaluated a “bolo blade” bayonet prototype that was simply a native Philippine bolo blade welded to the hilt of a cut-off standard Krag bayonet. Fifty were made and 48 of these were sent to the Philippines in July, 1902 for trial purposes. It was judged as too heavy at 1.5 lbs., and the quality of steel once again was not up to holding an edge for field sharpening. Six more of these were made in 1903, but since the new Model 1903 Springfield rifle was then equipped with a ramrod bayonet, the field comments were moot. The Krag bolo bayonet, with only 56 ever made, has become incredibly expensive; only about 8 are now known to exist!
What happened to the 2,000 Bowie bayonets sent to the Philippines and Cuba? Most were probably discarded as useless, or eventually rusted away in the harsh humid climates of those two locales. After way more than a century, they are now quite rare in the U.S. More or less obvious fakes have been generated, so a strong “buyer beware” is in order if you seek an example. I’m glad that I finally found an authentic one, and although I had to dig deep to pay for it, it’s now one of my most prized U.S. collector items, squirreled away in a safety deposit box. A picture of it mounted on a Krag rifle can be found on the back cover of my book “101 Classic Firearms.” It’s an unusual, prized and classic bayonet, for sure.
(c) 2017 JLM
John
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