Bent Bayonet.

[straightpostal]

I recently purchased this bayonet and had a thread on here to identify it. (1854 Lorenz) I've been lookin for hard evidence of such acts of stabbing bodies.
I found that most would tie a rope around soldiers feet. Then hook the rope which would make it much easier to drag a dead body. Of course bayonets were used in many ways. I've read that many soldiers would toss bayonet,blanket and anything else they could to carry less wait. I'm a city mailman and walk for a livin I understand it wouldn't be hard to talk yourself into throwing it down. The museum in mansfield louisiana which is where I deliver mail has a framed bayonet bent just like this one with a description of being used to drag bodies to gravesite. As many soldiers that was in the war there would have to be plenty willing to bend a good bayonet. If the soldiers in a company had .54 cal and picked up .58 caliber it would be perfect for pot holder body hook etc. my point being it's all possible.
Enjoyed reading this thread!!

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

For the sake of ending this thread.....I'll give you 10 Bucks for a bent bayonet......Which is 9 dollars more than a bent bayonet is worth.....

 

[101combatvet]

There are bent bayonets and than there are bent bayonets for the purpose of dragging bodies.
Can't find an example of the later at the moment... I would see one from time-to-time dug off a
battlefield [not campsite] back in the day.

 

[drezac]

The only use that I could think of using it for a cannon would be to attempt to unspike a cannon. one method was to place the spike in the vent and bend it with the rammer so it could not be removed. I suppose you might be able to hook the spike and bend it back enough to pull it out of the vent. Of course, you could do that with the worm. If you did not have the worm, I would doubt you would have anything else needed to fire the gun, so pulling out the spike would be a moot point.

 

[yankee blue]

Question: I recently heard someone say that bayonets were nearly bent double to aid soldiers drag bodies to burial sites. They would jab the bayonets into the necks of the dead soldiers. Is this true?

When we were in Gettysburg they said that was the use for them.

 

[jharold587]

When we were in Gettysburg they said that was the use for them.

What they in Gettysburg sid that?
J H Harker Chaplain $th OVI

 

[101combatvet]

All this reference to bending a bayonet to move a body, I sure would like to see a period reference to the practice. Because until I do I see nothing more than some used car salesman trying to make a buck... or the buyer trying to justify his purchase.

How about an NPS reference?

 

[101combatvet]

Question: I recently heard someone say that bayonets were nearly bent double to aid soldiers drag bodies to burial sites. They would jab the bayonets into the necks of the dead soldiers. Is this true?

Apparently so, notice the degree that it is bent at.

 

[johan_steele]

Always knew he was a used car salesman... caveat emptor. Buy the artifact not the story.

 

[101combatvet]

Always knew he was a used car salesman... caveat emptor. Buy the artifact not the story.

Huh? That display is at the Murfreesboro National Battlefield.

 

[ole]

Heard of the use, as well, but I doubt very much that it was routinely hooked into the body.

 

[101combatvet]

Heard of the use, as well, but I doubt very much that it was routinely hooked into the body.

Clothing. equpiment, belt, cartridge box sling, should I continue?

 

[straightpostal]

Heard of the use, as well, but I doubt very much that it was routinely hooked into the body.

I wldnt doubt they wld hook the body itself but I've heard they wld tie a rope around the ankles and hook the rope. Little more humain of removing bodies.

 

[ole]

I wldnt doubt they wld hook the body itself but I've heard they wld tie a rope around the ankles and hook the rope. Little more humain of removing bodies.

Remember, the bodies they were dragging might well have been known to them. Would anyone hook a mess-mate to drag to a mass grave? I liked better the idea of tying a rope around the body and hooking the rope.

 

[AndyHall]

Here's a reference from another forum:View attachment 38816

That's for bayoneting around corners.

 

[101combatvet]

Remember, the bodies they were dragging might well have been known to them. Would anyone hook a mess-mate to drag to a mass grave? I liked better the idea of tying a rope around the body and hooking the rope.

Depends on the location of the battlefield, some black units and newly freed slaves were tasked with burial details.

Expired Image Removed

 

[ole]

Depends on the location of the battlefield, some black units and newly freed slaves were tasked with burial details.

Expired Image Removed

Appears to be a reburial.

 

[101combatvet]

Appears to be a reburial.

Most were.

 

[Patrick H]

Or, if the bayonets were really used for this purpose, maybe the guys just hooked into a uniform jacket, shirt, shoulder strap, etc. We don't need to assume they hooked the flesh every time. See what I mean?

 

[johan_steele]

Huh? That display is at the Murfreesboro National Battlefield.

"...may have..." conjecture. I would like to see the primary source material identifying such practice. I work at a museum and have to sift through the stories for the facts too often to give too much credence. Re-enactorisms appear in museuems all too often when supposed experts start spouting and are taken as gospel.

There is a reason real historians and researchers seek primary source materials and do not settle for one source alone.