Last Updated: February 12, 2025

On May 18, 1808, navy agent Joseph Hull of New London negotiated a contract with Nathan Starr of Middletown for two thousand cutlasses. Increasing hostilities between Britain and France during the Napoleonic wars had brought about assaults on American shipping and Thomas Jefferson’s Embargo Act of 1807 had only added to the tensions. With the likelihood of war looming, the US Navy ramped up production of gunboats and the forces manning these vessels needed weaponry.

Nathan Starr provided cavalry swords and scabbards for the War Department after the Revolutionary War, making him the nation’s first sword manufacturer. Starr’s 1808 government contract called on him to produce regulation Navy cutlasses for $2.50 and pikes for 75¢ each to be delivered in four months’ time.

Cutlass Design

Starr manufactured a cutlass with a straight single-edged 30-inch blade. The short blade, important for men fighting at sea, made the cutlass easy to handle as the men boarded and fought on the crowded decks of small vessels and it was much less likely to get caught in the rigging.

Intended for use by the lower ranks, Starr produced the cutlasses out of crudely forged steel. The maple handle and cup guard—to protect the swordsman’s hand—were made out of common sheet iron. Starr’s 1808 cutlass design saw heavy duty when the United States allied itself with France, sparking the 2½-year conflict with Great Britain known as the War of 1812.

Starr continued to produce armaments for the Navy delivering another 1,000 cutlasses at $3.00 each for a contract signed January 15, 1816. These cutlasses resembled the earlier model but had a shorter 25-inch blade and a thicker grip. Starr signed his last contract on August 21, 1826 for two thousand cutlasses and scabbards.

This article has been updated, learn more about content updating on ConnecticutHistory.org here.