Books on Pikes

Ferd454231

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Dec 13, 2017
I am wondering if there have been any books written on the subject of Confederate pikes? So far I have found General Pike, Pike County,Pike's Peak and fish. No joy for pole weapons. Any leads/help will be appreciated. Thank you. H
 
I'm at the library and the first book to come to mind is Confederate Edged Weapons. I don't recall if it had anything on pikes though.
 
Ferd454231:

No books have been written solely on Confederate Pikes. 'Pole Arms' is another term to use in your searches.

These books are a good place to start.

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Pages 145-161 of Confederate Edged Weapons.covers pikes and lances.
 
Pages 123-131 of Confederate Arms covers pikes. There is a photo on page 129.
 
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Thank you all. Have had Albaugh's book on Edged Weapons since I was 15 (71 now) and I was hoping that someone had attempted to take that a step further. Ah well. Will try pole arms. Again thanks for your help. H
 
Are there any references to pikes actually being issued to, and used in combat by Confederate soldiers?
 
Glorietta campaign. Val Verde saw one Confederate pike armed cavalry charge. They discarded their pikes/lances after that.

BTW, that campaign was doomed from the start. Sibley was no Lee, Jackson, Forrest, Cleburne or even a mediocre general. He was very poor with logistics and they were doomed to fail before they left Texas. Remember what the bar/inn keeper in The Good, The Bad & The Ugly said? "Sibley, he looks dead."
 
Are there any references to pikes actually being issued to, and used in combat by Confederate soldiers?

According to a Wikipedia article, a few Confederates at Shiloh were armed with pikes.

“On the eve of battle, Grant's and Johnston's armies were of comparable size, but the Confederates were poorly armed with antique weapons, including shotguns, hunting rifles, pistols, flintlock muskets, and even a few pikes; however, some regiments, such as the 6th and 7th Kentucky Infantry, had Enfield rifles.[31] The troops approached the battle with very little combat experience; Braxton Bragg's men from Pensacola and Mobile were the best trained. Grant's army included 32 out of 62 infantry regiments who had combat experience at Fort Donelson. One half of his artillery batteries and most of his cavalry were also combat veterans.[32]
 
According to a Wikipedia article, a few Confederates at Shiloh were armed with pikes.

“On the eve of battle, Grant's and Johnston's armies were of comparable size, but the Confederates were poorly armed with antique weapons, including shotguns, hunting rifles, pistols, flintlock muskets, and even a few pikes; however, some regiments, such as the 6th and 7th Kentucky Infantry, had Enfield rifles.[31] The troops approached the battle with very little combat experience; Braxton Bragg's men from Pensacola and Mobile were the best trained. Grant's army included 32 out of 62 infantry regiments who had combat experience at Fort Donelson. One half of his artillery batteries and most of his cavalry were also combat veterans.[32]
Thanks for the information.
I have also read that pikes were sent to eastern Kentucky in late 1861 or early 1862 but I've never found any mention of them actually being used.
 
Thanks for the information.
I have also read that pikes were sent to eastern Kentucky in late 1861 or early 1862 but I've never found any mention of them actually being used.

I had a source that mentioned Confederate use of pikes in both Kentucky and at Shiloh but unfortunately can't find it.
 
Glorietta campaign. Val Verde saw one Confederate pike armed cavalry charge. They discarded their pikes/lances after that.

BTW, that campaign was doomed from the start. Sibley was no Lee, Jackson, Forrest, Cleburne or even a mediocre general. He was very poor with logistics and they were doomed to fail before they left Texas. Remember what the bar/inn keeper in The Good, The Bad & The Ugly said? "Sibley, he looks dead."

These would usually be called lances but pike or lance is open to discussion. Is a dismounted lancer with his lance now a pikeman?
 
These would usually be called lances but pike or lance is open to discussion. Is a dismounted lancer with his lance now a pikeman?
Except in the Classical period up through the Elizabethan or so pikes were noticeably shorter than lances, especially by the time of the French Revolution and later. Up until then many if not most European officers were armed with polearms called spontoons; NCO's often carried slightly heavier and longer halberds. Both were largely decorative and used mainly as badges of rank making it obvious who was in charge in a company, but could be used as weapons if absolutely necessary. With the increasing concentration on muskets and firepower in the Eighteenth Century, polearms fell into disfavor and when they were suggested - like the notorious John Brown pikes - they tended to be shorter in the manner of the spontoons. Lances, on the other hand remained about the same length, dictated by the distance necessary for a man on horseback to spear another on foot, b ut even then there were exceptions like the unusually long ones used by the Russian Cossacks.
 
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