[Blarg]

Well dueling and war are quite different. Soldiers didn't carry foils into battle; they were a gentleman's weapon. A thin, point-only weapon like a foil would be inefficient in war. Swords also bash when they don't cut, and the ability to cut off a limb is pretty great. Also, slashing and the swords that encourage it, like those of the Indonesian archipelago and scimitars, have been a very successful alternative to puncturing. Giving up the weight and durability of a bigger sword, and slashing too, isn't any good in war. If it had been, you would have seen some armies equipping notable segments of their men with thin stabbing weapons. But, they didn't.