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Pike

Place madeUnited States, North America

orEurope

Wood, iron

Overall: 102 x 2 in. ( 259.1 x 5.1 cm )

INV.5737.1

Pikes were among the most commonly-used and effective European infantry weapons of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and during this period were brought in large numbers to Jamestown, Plymouth, New Netherland, and other colonies. By the eighteenth century, however, pikes had been abandoned in America, as well as in England and France. During the Revolutionary War, pikes enjoyed a rebirth, and were used by American and Hessian soldiers, and to a lesser extent by British troops.

DescriptionWood and iron pike; long, cylindrical wooden shaft with leaf-shaped point; pointed iron cap covers shaft at other end.

ClassificationsMILITARY TOOLS & EQUIPMENT: MISCELLANEOUS