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The History Of The Bayonet

The History Of The Bayonet image
Parent Issue
Day
31
Month
December
Year
1880
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The history of the bayonet is thus set forth in the catalogue of General Pitt Rivera' anthropological eolleetion, which the liritish Government will probably buy for the public benefit and place upon exhibilion in the South Kensington museum: In the early part of the sevcntcenth oentury it was f uu uil necessary to retain the use of pikemen in the inïantry on account of tlie defensele.ss position of the flrelockmon when the enemy approached to close quarters. To remetty this defect they were accustomed about the middle of the century to stick the handles of their daggers in the rnuzzles of their guns iu order to use tliem as p'ikes. Of course, when the dagger was so lixcd the gun eoiild hot be "lired. Bit as HHvny el daggers liad rings at the gUard, the men saw tlie expedieacy of fastening the dagger to the inuzzie of the piece by meaiïs of the ring. Soojl tlie dagger or plug bayonet was so seeured to the outside of the barrel that the firelock eould bc loaded and discharged although the bayonets were iixed. Tiio British had their lirst experienco of what may be called the compound pike and guain the time of Wllliam 111., in one of the Flanders campaigns and they "swore terribly," no doubt, when they found that their opponents could iire'at them with íixed bayoneta, líivers' eolleetion shows all the traasition stages of the bajonet from the plug handle to tlie modern tube-and-cateii xüachment. Tins is oni a sample briek, so to speak, of the civil and warlike gropings of man from precedent to precedent to his present eondüion. Wd havo a line opportiuiity of doiug something of the sanie kind on this continent, and the marvel is why some men of wealth do not embrace it, and so secure the perpetuity of their own name through the advancemeut of an únporaut deuarlineut of tcienee.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Argus