Fascine knife

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The fascine knife was a side arm issued to 19th century light infantry and artillery. It served both as a personal weapon and as a tool for cutting fascines (bundles of sticks used to strengthen the sides of trenches or earth ramparts protecting the batteries). It could be straight or curved, double edged or single edged with a sawtoothed back.

Some types of fascine knife are probably descended from early weapons like the baselard and the großes Messer. Others, known to English foot soldiers as a billhook, are more closely related to agricultural cutting tools used for over 200 years throughout Europe and also independently developed in many other countries (e.g. the billhook was used in China and Japan before western explorers visited the country). Many so called 'fascine knives' currently offered for sale in the USA are, in fact, agricultural tools that have never seen military usage, although historically many billhooks probably became used as weapons by their conscripted owners.