Cold Steel: A Practical Treatise on the Sabre (Alfred Hutton, 1889)

Cold Steel: A Practical Treatise on the Sabre is a printed English fencing treatise published in 1889 by Alfred Hutton (1839–1910). The digitised copy names the London firm William Clowes as publisher. The author served as a British army officer, among others with the 79th Cameron Highlanders, the 7th Hussars and the 1st King's Dragoon Guards, and left the army in 1873 with the rank of captain. The core of the book is Hutton's own method of military sabre fencing on foot, which combines the English backsword of the 18th century with the modern Italian duelling sabre. Besides the sabre, the book covers self-defence with a police truncheon (constable's truncheon) and with a short sword-bayonet, and adds exercises taken from 16th-century texts, among them those of Achille Marozzo. According to English Wikipedia, Hutton argued in the book that cavalry should use a straight pointed sword intended for thrusting instead of a cutting weapon. Hutton drew on the systems of George Silver and Achille Marozzo, and together with Egerton Castle he belonged to the Victorian revival of historical fencing. According to English Wikipedia, around 1899 to 1902 he taught stage fencing at the Bartitsu Club, sat on its board and himself learned there the basics of jujutsu and Vigny's method of stick fighting. He bequeathed a collection of 371 books on fencing to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it is held in the National Art Library as the Hutton Bequest.

Martial arts in this work

Contents

The book centres on the sabre and its use on foot in military practice. Hutton builds the method from two sources, the English backsword of the 18th century and the modern Italian duelling sabre, and presents the result as his own system, not as a copy of one school. Further parts of the book cover self-defence with two weapons, with the police truncheon, which the English text calls constable's truncheon, and with a short sword-bayonet. Hutton adds exercises compiled from 16th-century fencing texts, drawing expressly on Achille Marozzo. English Wikipedia also states that in the book Hutton recommended that cavalry replace the cutting weapon with a straight pointed sword intended for thrusting.

Origin

The book appeared in 1889, sixteen years after Hutton left the army with the rank of captain. Behind him was service with the 79th Cameron Highlanders, the 7th Hussars and the 1st King's Dragoon Guards, that is with infantry and cavalry, and the book contains an account of the sabre on foot as well as a reflection on the sword for cavalry. In reconstructing older systems Hutton worked with the texts of George Silver and Achille Marozzo, and this shows in exercises based on 16th-century sources. Together with Egerton Castle he belonged to the circle that revived interest in historical fencing in Victorian England. The London firm William Clowes is named as publisher of the digitised copy, which comes from the library of the United Service Institution of India in New Delhi.

Details

Form

Printed book

Editions

• 1889 · EN · Cold Steel: A Practical Treatise on the Sabre · William Clowes · first edition