Lances in the Civil War.

[major bill]

It was William Hardee in the 1840s who convicted David Twiggs to form two squadrons of regular army lancers. This was the first and last regular army experment with lance armed cavalry. While many Americans viewed the lance as a romantic weapon, the Army had it doubts. A few volunteer regiment adopted lances, but the lance did not fair well as a Civil War weapon.

 

[Pollaco]

Texas had its 21st, 24th and 25th Texas Cavalry Regiments. They were to be lancers but never received their lances. The 21st then served as Cavalry and the 24th and 25th served dismounted and served as Infantry in Arkansas.

 

[Kurtlg]

Rush's Lancers (6th Pennsylvania) received lances in November of 1861 but gave them up in May of 1863.

 

[Pollaco]

Didn't Gov. Brown of Georgia try and organize a Co.of lancers?

 

[major bill]

Texas had a lancer unit.

 

[major bill]

Michigan formed a volunteer lancer regiment but it was not acceptable by the Federal government.

 

[Pollaco]

Texas had a lancer unit.

I thought so too. But from what I read the lances were never issued. It was to be just 1 regiment (21st) but so many volunteered 2 other regiments were formed.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Re the 6th Pennsylvania, this quote is from page 234.

It was here (Malvern Hill) I saw the first cavalry charge of the war. It was made by the Sixth Pennsylvania regiment of cavalry. The boys carried lances about eight feet in length. On the end was a spear and underneath the spear a piece of red flannel, cut like a guide flag and of about the same size. Our men had used all their ammunition, and General Sumner sent the cavalry into action in order to hold the enemy in check until the men could refill their cartridge boxes with fresh ammunition.

Under five commanders; or, A boy's experience with the Army of the Potomac : Cole, Jacob Henry, 1847- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

ix p., 1 ., 253 p. 21 cm

archive.org

 

[Glen_C]

The Shields Lancers of Virginia and other Confederate lancers. | Edged Weapons

Early in the Civil War the Confederacy toyed with the idea of using lancers. Several units were formed but often it is difficult to know if they every carried lances. The Shields Lancers of Virginia (1st Regiment Wise Legion) said to have used lances at Catlett's Station as part of Thomas L...

civilwartalk.com

The Lancers and the Carpet Knights. | Edged Weapons

I was doing some research on the First U.S. Lancers and read this. I got a kick out of it as I never heard the term "Carpet Knight". I suspect they are akin to "armchair generals" and "chairborne rangers". Still the article give a bit of information on the lances having red and white pennons...

civilwartalk.com

Detroit made sabers for the First U.S. Lancers (Rankin's Lancers). | Edged Weapons

I am looking at the First United States Lancers a.k.a. Rankin’s Lancers a.k.a. Michigan Lancers. Samuel Shaw (also said to be W. H. Shaw) of Detroit made these sabers, but what what type of sabers did Shaw manufacture? The name of Samuel Shaw does not appear in the 1860 Gazetteer and is very...

civilwartalk.com

5th Texas Lancers, Valverde | Edged Weapons

Not really any information, but just wanted to share my laptop background: a great painting of the charge of the lancers at Valverde: Artwork of the famed Don Troiani. Company B, of the 5th Texas Cavalry, was almost annihilated in the charge.

civilwartalk.com

Edged Wpns - Was there any practical use for pikes and lances? | Edged Weapons

Would think Lancers in particular could have had some effectiveness if deployed in the Napoleonic sense......the problem was no horse was really used in the Napoleonic sense..... Sure losses would have been high...but so was infantry charges......

civilwartalk.com

Difference between a lance and a pike? | Edged Weapons

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...

civilwartalk.com

Tell me more! - Pre Civil War American lancer units. | Edged Weapons

Mounted soldiers armed with lances had been popular in Europe and other areas long before the Civil War. It does not appear that the US Army had shown much interests if forming a unit of lancers. But what about state militia units armed with lances? I am looking for some one who is knowledgeable...

civilwartalk.com

Edged Wpns - Did Col. Thomas Rosser's 5th Virginia Cavalry carry lances during the skirmish at Catlett's Station? | Edged Weapons

I was wondering if the 5th Virginia Cavalry still carried lances in the summer of 1862 at the skirmish at Catlett's Station?

civilwartalk.com

Edged Wpns - Was there any practical use for pikes and lances? | Edged Weapons

Would think Lancers in particular could have had some effectiveness if deployed in the Napoleonic sense......the problem was no horse was really used in the Napoleonic sense..... Sure losses would have been high...but so was infantry charges......

civilwartalk.com

Pikes in the War Between the States | Edged Weapons

We have had several threads on the subject. And yes some Civil War soldiers purchased iron bullet proof vests and wore them early in the Civil War.

civilwartalk.com

Where Pikes Really Used In Battle | Edged Weapons

I often see pikes for sale as relics and have seen many models in civil war weaponry references. I have also read of significant numbers issued to southern troops. But my question is: Were they ever really used in battle? Seems like it would be ridiculous to use in infantry fighting against...

civilwartalk.com

The 50th North Carolina drilling with pikes | Edged Weapons

Handle broken "The six weeks following the organization of the regiment (50th North Carolina) were spent at Camp Mangum, and we were subjected to almost constant drilling from morning till night. There was not, during this time, a single musket in the regiment, but as a substitute we were armed...

civilwartalk.com

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Here is a quote from an officer of the 103rd Illinois Infantry. The diary entry is dated June 7, 1864 as his regiment pushed toward Atlanta.

To-morrow night we can tell whether the enemy intends fighting us at this place or not. They left on the field to-day a dozen or twenty real lances. They are the first I ever saw in the service. The staff is 8 or 9 feet long with a pointed head of ten inches in length. They were a right plucky set of Johnnies.

Source: page 75

Reminiscences of the Civil War : United States. Army. Illinois Infantry Regiment, 103rd (1862-1865) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

293 p

archive.org

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

Mexican lancers were somewhat useful in limited service during the Mexican War against infantry with smoothbores.

In the Civil War, against rifled muskets and rifled artillery, they were no longer useful.

 

[J. Stanley]

Even in the Napoleonic Wars, lancers had a mixed reputation.

The lancers were a dying breed entering the 1800s, with the Polish lancers being the few practitioners. They were adopted by the Austrians and Prussians after the acquisition of Polish territory. When the Polish lancers served Napoleon, he was very impressed by their performance and ordered 6 regiments of dragoons to pick up lances in 1811, beginning the unexpected revival of the lance.

The evidence for the effectiveness of lancers vs. sabres is quite mixed. They had notable successes at Albuera where they annihilated a British brigade and at Katzbach where they did the difficult feat of breaking an infantry square.

However, lancers felt themselves disadvantaged when facing against well-formed enemy cavalry - lances were unwieldy in close quarters. This is possibly why French lancers had the rear rank rely on sabers and carbines while the front rank carried lances. Some have also commented that at Albuera, regular cavalry probably would have done the damage to the British brigade given that it was caught in line formation and unable to resist a charge.

As for the ACW, the 6th Pennsylvania (Rush's Lancers) was the only Union regiment armed with lances. One soldier noted: "The officers like it, but the men do not, and the officers wouldn't if they had to use them." The common soldier found the weapon unwieldy and awkward and Eric J. Wittenberg noted: "The simple truth is that the terrain of the eastern United States was not well suited to lance operations. There were too many thick stands of woods, and lancers are really only effective out in the open."

The 6th Pennsylvania gave up their lances for carbines and sabers, just in time for Brandy Station.

 

[Dan Kohli]

Poinsett's Cavalry Tactics goes into lancer tactics and training.
Although though the U.S. Army put more emphasis on dragoon, chasseur a cheval, mounted rifle, and even mounted infantry during that time period.

 

[Cavalier]

Regarding Albuera, I'm under the impression that the 1st. Lancers of the Vistule were accompanied in their famous charge by 2nd. Hussars so the affair involved some saber wielding cavalry too.

I'm not all that knowledgeable about the British Army however the lancers must have impressed the British somewhat because if I'm not mistaken they began to add lancer regiments to their cavalry force sometime after the Napoleonic Wars. The famous Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean war included the 17th. Lancer Regiment and they continued to employ Lancer formations until well after the time of the U.S. Civil War I believe. The performance of the lancers during the British colonial period may have been enhanced however against the Iess well equipped native forces whose firepower was not as pronounced as that of the better armed European armies.

Just an opinion but I would imagine that the lance could have been perceived as something of a terror weapon by infantrymen armed with muskets and bayonets.

John

 

[J. Stanley]

Regarding Albuera, I'm under the impression that the 1st. Lancers of the Vistule were accompanied in their famous charge by 2nd. Hussars so the affair involved some saber wielding cavalry too.

I'm not all that knowledgeable about the British Army however the lancers must have impressed the British somewhat because if I'm not mistaken they began to add lancer regiments to their cavalry force sometime after the Napoleonic Wars. The famous Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean war included the 17th. Lancer Regiment and they continued to employ Lancer formations until well after the time of the U.S. Civil War I believe. The performance of the lancers during the British colonial period may have been enhanced however against the Iess well equipped native forces whose firepower was not as pronounced as that of the better armed European armies.

Just an opinion but I would imagine that the lance could have been perceived as something of a terror weapon by infantrymen armed with muskets and bayonets.

John

You're right on the point of Albuera involving saber-armed troopers. But Albuera is what the British Army remembered when talking about the enemy employment of lancers.

I've definitely seen a very mixed outlook on the lancers in the British Army. One sergeant stated, "Of all descriptions of cavalry, certainly the lancers seem the most formidable to infantry." An artillery battery commander disagreed, "They owe their reputation to having destroyed a great many of our infantry when their ranks were broken at Albuera, but as to their being formidable to formed troops it is quite ridiculous; a dragoon with his broadsword is worth two of them."

These disagreements continued even after the war. In an 1831 article in the United Services Journal, a British writer stated, "A bad lancer is a much more clumsy fellow than a bad swordsman; not only is his weapon by far more difficult to manage, but his powers of horsemanship are materially affected by his awkwardness in attempting to wield it."

Nevertheless, it's hard to deny that the enemies of Napoleon all sought to adopt the lance or at least try. I know the Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian Wars featured lancers in action, but the books I have don't discuss much about their effectiveness. The French and the Germans chose to keep their lancers around up until WW1 whereas the Austro-Hungarians chose to let the lance go.

 

[SJU]

Winston Churchill participated in a lancer charge at Omdurman.

 

[Cavalier]

@SJU I was aware that he participated in a cavalry charge but was not aware that he was with a lancer regt.

Thanks for the information.

John