In the 17th and 18th centuries European and American gentlemen commonly carried a sword as a sidearm. One popular form was a simple cutting sword of a type sometimes called a hunting sword or hunting hanger. These swords were commonly equipped with a plain knuckle-bow, simple grip, and a straight or slightly curved blade. As noted by George C. Neumann, in his book Swords & Blades of the American Revolution, "The hunting sword was a short civilian arm originally used as a supplementary weapon while hunting. By the time of the American Revolution many of them had been slenderized and refined for wear by gentlemen as informal town swords. These were called cuttoes in England (after their French name couteaux de chasse). Such swords (mostly under 26 inches in length) were too light for use in combat, but a great many served as symbols of rank for both land and naval officers..."
