Fencing History

Early 19th Century American Fencing

Some notes on American Fencing in the early 19th century. Andrew Jackson advocated training in swordplay, and urged training in foils for its value as a discipline. In a paper on military practice he remarked: "Fencing sharpens the eyesight, increases active power in general, tries the temper, and teaches decision in seizing occasions for acting offensively with effect, or defensively with coolness and resolution. A knowledge to fence with foils, even to exercise with sabre or broadsword, is deemed a necessary accomplishment for all military men of the higher class."

Early American Fencing 17th & 18th Century

Although fencing didn't truly flourish in America until the 19th century, here are some of the earliest American references to the teaching of fencing. The appearance of a fencing school in Boston indicates an increased interest in recreation in Puritan life, as per the "Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates" by Gorton Carruth.