Lewis: February 5, 1805
On a pleasant Tuesday with northwest winds and fair weather at Fort Mandan, many natives visited to pay the expedition's blacksmith in corn for his work. Lewis describes in detail the battle axes the local people favored and requested—iron tools with long, thin blades (7-9 inches) and short 14-inch handles weighing about a pound. He criticizes the design as awkward and ineffective, particularly for mounted combat, and notes an older style resembling an espantoon blade, sometimes decorated with small perforated holes.
5th February Tuesday 1805. Pleasent morning wind from N. W. fair; visited
by many of the natives who brought a considerable quanty of corn in
payment for the work which the blacksmith had done for themthey are
pecuarly attatched to a battle ax formed in a very inconvenient manner in
my opinion. it is fabricated of iron only, the blade is extreemly thin,
from 7 to nine inches in length and from 43/4, to 6 Inches on it’s edge,
from whence the sides proceed nearly in a straight line to the eye where
it’s width is generally not more than an inch. The eye is round &
about one inch in diameter. the handle seldom more than fourteen inches in
length, the whole weighing about one poundthe great length of the
blade of this ax, added to the small size of the handle renders a stroke
uncertain and easily avoided, while the shortness of the handel must
render a blow much less forceable if even well directed, and still more
inconvenient as they uniformly use this instrument in action on horseback.
The oalder fassion is still more inconvenient, it is somewhat in the form
of the blade of an Espantoon but is attatchd to a helve of the dementions
before discribed the blade is sometimes by way of ornament purforated with
two three or more small circular holesthe following is the general
figure it is from 12 to 15 inces in length
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
5th February, Tuesday 1805. Pleasant morning, wind from the N.W., fair. We were visited by many of the natives, who brought a considerable quantity of corn as payment for the work that the blacksmith had done for them. They are particularly attached to a battle ax made in a very inconvenient manner, in my opinion. It is fabricated of iron only; the blade is extremely thin, from 7 to 9 inches in length and from 4¾ to 6 inches along its edge, from which the sides proceed nearly in a straight line to the eye, where its width is generally not more than an inch. The eye is round and about one inch in diameter. The handle is seldom more than fourteen inches in length, the whole weighing about one pound.
The great length of the blade of this ax, added to the small size of the handle, renders a stroke uncertain and easily avoided, while the shortness of the handle must render a blow much less forceful even if well directed, and still more inconvenient because they uniformly use this instrument in action on horseback. The older fashion is still more inconvenient; it is somewhat in the form of the blade of an espontoon, but it is attached to a helve of the dimensions described before. The blade is sometimes, by way of ornament, perforated with two, three, or more small circular holes. The following is the general figure: it is from 12 to 15 inches in length.
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