In the last third of the 18th century both in Europe and in the Russian Empire arose the need to arm the foot troops cold weapon, which the soldiers could use not only in the battle, but also as a cutting device. In the exposition of the museum of Local Lore you can see Russian infantry soldier's cleaver, the sample of 1848, which is slashing and piercing cold steel double-edged blade with a broad cross-shaped handle on. The original sword of the sample served as a weapon in a separate Caucasian Corps infantry, and from 1855 was used in the infantry, engineering and demining frequency and foot troops.
The total length of arms is 64 cm. The blade steel, straight, twin-blade. The lenth of the blade is 49 cm, the width - 4 cm. The hilt is brass and consists of a handle and with transverse grooves crossing. The end of the cross extended and rounded. The weight of the cleaver is 1400 grams, without the scabbard. There is a stigma on the handle arms of the factory of Zlatoust (Chelyabinsk region of Russia) and the inscription "1878". The cleaver was found near the village of Mosar, Glubokoye district, Vitebsk region in 1981.
Infantry soldier's clever, the sample of 1848, had been adopted by the Russian army at the end. From 1880 this type of bladed weapons didn't use in the regular army because of the inconvenience of its use as a cut-and-sawing tool. Cleavers were left in the guards sapper battalion of infantry to wear in peacetime, as well as a musicians and drummers in other armies.
