Is this like a personal defense sword someone might carry around the countryside?
I don't think it's a calvary sword. It's got fancy engravings but I don't know how common that was on swords in the 18th century. I think it was It was kind of uncommon on personal defense swords in the 17th century unless you were some rich dude
Mostly worn by Gentlemen, not for the hoi polloi. It’s a duelling sword / fashion accessory / symbol of rank depending on the time and the individual. Primarily worn at court and in town rather than on campaign though officers may have carried them on campaign, again as a symbol of rank.
Smallswords were an evolution of rapiers optimized for ease-of-carry, so kind of. They're definitely more associated with the aristocracy though, a regular guy at this point in time would probably be carrying something more like a hanger/cutlass:
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