Tell me more! Confederate Retractable Pike, a switchblade pike?

[major bill]

Was a Confederate redactable pike have been worth the extra cost and effort? I am not sure I understand why a retractable pike would be a big improvement over a normal pike.

Here is a drawing of a Confederate Retractable Pike from Confederate Edged Weapons by William A. Albauch III

A retractable blade would be safer, so perhaps Confederate officials worried about giving Confederate soldiers a pointy thing that they might hurt themselves with? You'll put your eye out!

It appears that Rev. Graves invented the retractable pike. These are very rare and I have a feeling that the Confederacy did not purchase them in large quantities.

 

[8thFlorida]

Extremely rare to find I would think. I've never even heard of them.
I can imagine in the fog of war it would be safer. Especially in close quarters.?

 

[Rhea Cole]

There is one in the collection at Stone's River National Battlefield. It was made under a contract from the State of Georgia, if memory serves. During the March to the Sea Sherman's troops burnt a lot of them in a warehouse. (?) It has been a while, so don't recall the details.

It surely was a case of way over thinking something…

 

[major bill]

When I was a private I was cut by bayonets twice in one day. In total I have been 'injured' three times by "friendly fire" via bayonets. I can understand not allowing soldiers to have any "pointy sharp" things in their hands.

 

[Rhea Cole]

National Park rule is not drawing swords or bayonets on the visitor side of the rope. I am living testimony of the wisdom of that rule. Standing around in the cemetery at Stones River, my wife granddaughter & I waited for the visitors to cross the road from the visitor center. We were portraying the soldier who sent who sent & family received a soldier's last letter & a death announcement. It was an early war scenario, so I had on my NCO sword & baldric. There was a long delay, so my 10 year old granddaughter asked to see my sword, a thin bladed item that was a badge of office, not a fighting weapon. I told her ok, but go way over there with it.

I was watching for signs of life at the road crossing when she shouted the inevitable, "Look at me… look at me!" as she swiped at low hanging leaves. As I turned around, the tip of the sword cut a groove across the bridge of my nose. It was remarkably painful & gave my facial expression a certain tear streaked verisimilitude that it had never had before.

Like Ralphy's mother said, "It will put your eye out!"

 

[Lanyard Puller]

The "Georgia" retractable pike is a rare find these days, as those which were issued were in all probability thrown off a bridge when a P53 Enfield was "found". It was very poorly fitted and assembled using soft wood {pine?}.
The only exception is the blade, which was well sharpened.

Here's what the extendable blade mechanism looked like;

 

[Rhea Cole]

Stonewall Jackson died before what he intended to do with the pikes he ordered were deployed. Gov Brown's pikes bring to mind movies of hundreds of Japanese school children drilling in unison with sharpened bamboo poles. It does make a person wonder what Jackson, Brown & Tojo were thinking.

 

[bayonet]

When I was a private I was cut by bayonets twice in one day. In total I have been 'injured' three times by "friendly fire" via bayonets. I can understand not allowing soldiers to have any "pointy sharp" things in their hands.

yup some dope in my Platoon was playing with a knife while in the field and stabbed himself in the stomach. Don't know how! Off to hospital he went

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Any pike, let alone a retractable or switchblade one, would have been an outdated weapon by the time of the Civil War.

Don't see any practical application for them in combat, given the weapons technology in use and the modes of fighting adopted.

Any instances where they were used in Civil War battles?

 

[Bonny Blue Flag]

From the Rock Island Auction Company:

Lot 311: Rare Civil War Retractable Pike
Auction Date: October 8, 2020
Price Realized: $5,463
Estimated Price: $2,250 - $3,500

--BBF