Difference between a lance and a pike?

[Eric Wittenberg]

I was converting a figure to represent this Michigan home guard company.

The Home Guard (St. Joseph, St. Joseph County) was formed in 1861 by young men in the town of St. Joseph. Captain Ed Aiken as elected as the commander. They selected red, white and blue uniforms which would display their patriotism: red shirts, white pants and blue caps.i​ For arms they carried lances tipped with small American flags. One report said their uniforms were neat and tasty. The patriotism of the young men soon waned and this company did not survive for very long.
i St. Joseph Traveler, July 3 1861, p. 3, col. 1.

I can pretty much understand their uniforms but how do I model their lances? 1. What is the real difference between a lance and a pike? The small American flags almost sound like pennons but pennons are usually swallow tailed. 2. Should their lances be the length of a cavalry lance or the length of an infantry pike? 3. Any guess how long the typical lance or pike might have been during the Civil War era?

Just to satisfy my curiosity, was there a practical reason that lances had pennons? Pennons were originally used on Knights' lances as an ensign so they could be identified. Why were pennons swallow tailed?

I own an exact replica of one of the lances carried by the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry. It's ten feet long in total--the wooden pole is about 9 feet long, and there's a metal counterweight on one end (about six inches long), and the three sided tip is eleven inches long. It has a swallow tail pennon that is there to identify the soldiers and is modeled after cavalry guidons, which are also swallow tailed. The blade end was cast from a wax impression of one of the original lances.

Below are two photos of me holding it.

 

[Rhea Cole]

Sumarian phalanx formation c. 2400 BC, from detail of the victory stele of King Eannatum of Lavash over Umma,
from the Sale of Vultures, public domain
The pikes in a phalanx were long enough, (+/-) 20', to allow the pikes of the last line to pass though the files in front.

Swiss pikemen were a ferocious counterbalance to the knightly class. One Hundred Years War.
The Pope's Swiss Guard are the descendants of these pikemen.

Sergeant's Spontoon 1792 Royal Armory Collection

3rd Infantry Old Guard Sergeant with spontoon / pike.
During the epoch of smoothbore blackpowder musket, sergeants carried a spontoon / pike. It was not a weapon, it was a symbol of office. It was used to indicate changes of front, dressing point left, right or center. The spontoon / pike was used to reach out & level the muskets of men about to fire. Fighting was the last thing a sergeant's spontoon / pike was intended for.
​

A lance is both the same & not the same as a pike.

Notice that just behind the head of the lance are the eye screws where a colorful pennant could be attached.
Until 1918 the British Army held a force of cavalry, some traditionally lancers, in reserve ready for the great breakthrough.
Sticking somebody from the back of a running horse was no easy trick. Lancers trained constantly.

Essentially, a pike & a lance are both a stick with a pointy end.
So is a spear or javelin, but they are projectile weapons.

A lance is a cavalry weapon, a pike an infantry weapon.
Depending on the intended use, a lance or a pike could be shorter or longer than the other.





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[archieclement]

I am wondering what descriptions you have read. An easy explanation for the Poles ability to carry long lances would be the lance rest.


View attachment 459515

This example is German but from the same period as the rise of the Polish Hussars. The difference between the existence of rests of course and the hollow lance is that we have extant examples of actual period pieces. Be very careful of elaborate 'technical' explanations about the Polish Hussar lancers, we know they were good but we do not actually understand in detail why they were good. We also know that English and Swedish cavalry to name just two examples also defeated pike and shot infantry...with swords. Mind you the Polish Hussars tended to beat Swedish horse so long as you could get enough of them into the field.

However to get back to my point (not being let down by a hollow shaft shattering before penetrating the target's corslet).

By the 19th century the typical military lance in Europe and North America seems to have trended towards 9 foot in length.

I actually linked an article, though several note the ingenuity in the polish lance was in it actually being hollow, allowing to manage additional length.

That's the reason there are few surviving examples they were a one use weapon as they would shatter, but it didn't matter as the charge would break the pikeman.

 

[Rhea Cole]

I actually linked an article, though several note the ingenuity in the polish lance was in it actually being hollow, allowing to manage additional length.

That's the reason there are few surviving examples they were a one use weapon as they would shatter, but it didn't matter as the charge would break the pikeman.

I attended a living history event in England. I think it was c. English Civil War. Pikemen formed up to protect musketeers with matchlocks. The pikes were absurdly long. I'd seen illustrations, but figured some artistic license could have been applied. Actually witnessing men staggering around with those improbably long poles was astonishing.

 

[RodentRevolution]

I actually linked an article, though several note the ingenuity in the polish lance was in it actually being hollow, allowing to manage additional length.

That's the reason there are few surviving examples they were a one use weapon as they would shatter, but it didn't matter as the charge would break the pikeman.

That cites no evidence. It has a dead link to another site but it cites no evidence. Your argument rests on the whole premise that absence of evidence is evidence of existence which is not how it works. We have an explanation for how to carry a lance that uses the available evidence. That said I can not absolutely rule out the notion put forwards, just point out it was unneeded and question the suggestion that fir is a good wood for lance, in so far as I know ash was the favoured wood which gives you some idea of the qualities needed in a lance.

I attended a living history event in England. I think it was c. English Civil War. Pikemen formed up to protect musketeers with matchlocks. The pikes were absurdly long. I'd seen illustrations, but figured some artistic license could have been applied. Actually witnessing men staggering around with those improbably long poles was astonishing.

It is recorded that a common issue with pikemen in the English Civil Wars/Wars of the Three Kingdoms was the habit of chopping a foot or two off the shaft of the pike when officers were not looking.

 

[major bill]

Because the St. Joseph Home Guards were young teens who were not mounted, I suspect their "lances" were more like light weight pikes. Not sure if any Confederate cavalry raider who made it all the way to Michigan, would have been much impressed with untrained young teens armed with pikes. Probably would have felt bad about shooting the teens.

 

[David Knight]

I attended a living history event in England. I think it was c. English Civil War. Pikemen formed up to protect musketeers with matchlocks. The pikes were absurdly long. I'd seen illustrations, but figured some artistic license could have been applied. Actually witnessing men staggering around with those improbably long poles was astonishing.

I have done Pike drill at an event like this and the pike was incredibly well balanced when shown how and where to hold it. After a few minutes us very raw recruits were actually looking nearly competant unlike the real re-enactors who were amazing and scary.

 

[Rhea Cole]

I have done Pike drill at an event like this and the pike was incredibly well balanced when shown how and where to hold it. After a few minutes us very raw recruits were actually looking nearly competant unlike the real re-enactors who were amazing and scary.

Indeed, I volunteer at National Battlefields. The rule is never draw an edged weapon in th presence of a visitor. It is nothing but an accident waiting to happen. The bristling hedgehog of pikes was profoundly outside my comfort zone. Can't imagine facing it with evil intent.

 

[Old Soldier]

Indeed, I volunteer at National Battlefields. The rule is never draw an edged weapon in th presence of a visitor. It is nothing but an accident waiting to happen. The bristling hedgehog of pikes was profoundly outside my comfort zone. Can't imagine facing it with evil intent.

That is why we have artillery - further away. Those balls defeat the pike.

 

[Irishtom29]

Polish Winged Hussars carried a long but very light lance, sometimes hollow. It was good for one strike as it usually broke upon a strike. The Hussar then drew his saber or a very long and narrow straight thrusting sword called a koncerz.