THE BAYONET.
History tells us that firearms of sorts were in existence as far back as
the fourteenth century, and that they were probably of Flemish origin.
Certain it is that, prior to 1500, there were large bodies of troops
armed with what may be called portable _culverins_, and in 1485 the
English yeomen of the guard were armed with these clumsy weapons. Later
on, in the middle of the sixteenth century, we hear of the
long-barrelled _harquebus_ being used in Spain, and before the close of
the century the _muschite_ was in use in the English army. This was a
heavier weapon than the harquebus, and the soldiers were provided with a
long spiked stake with a fork at the upper end in which to rest the
ponderous barrel whilst they took aim.
The method of discharging these weapons was primitive in the extreme, as
it was necessary to hold a lighted match to the priming, in a pan at the
right side of the barrel, and one can imagine what a lot of fizzing,
spluttering, and swearing there must have been in damp weather!
Improvements in the _harquebus_ and _musket_, as it got to be called
later on, continued to be developed from time to time. In the early
days, matchlocks were sneered at as being inferior to crossbows, much in
the same way that the first railway engine was contemptuously spoken of
and written about by the coaching men at the beginning of this century;
but when in 1700 the flintlock musket made its appearance popular
prejudice was shaken, and it was completely removed in 1820 when
percussion guns came into pretty general use.
This may appear to be a digression and somewhat outside the scope of
this little work. I give it, however, to show the origin of the rifle,
to which, after all, the bayonet is but an adjunct.
About the middle of the seventeenth century it occurred to the sapient
mind of one Puseygur, a native of Bayonne, in France, that it would be a
grand thing to have a sharp point on which to receive an advancing
adversary after one had missed him, or the fizzling matchlock had failed
to go off. The weapon devised was a sharp-bladed knife, about eighteen
inches long, with a rounded handle six or eight inches long, to fit like
a plug into the muzzle of the musket, and the bayonet in this form was
used in England and France about the year 1675. It was, of course,
impossible to fire the piece with the bayonet fixed; it was a case of
fire first and then fix bayonets with all possible dispatch. One can
imagine what receiving a cavalry charge must have meant in those days.
Towards the close of the seventeenth century an important step was made
in the right direction. Bayonets were then for the first time attached
to the barrel by two rings, by which means the gun could be fired whilst
the bayonet was in its place and ready for instant use. Very early in
the eighteenth century a further improvement was invented, in the shape
of a socketed bayonet, which was firmer and more satisfactory than
anything previously devised.
The British bayonet in the hands of our soldiers has over and over again
carried victory into the serried ranks of our adversaries, but, now that
arms of precision have reached such a pitch of perfection, and are still
on the advance in the matter of rapid firing, it is to be doubted
whether hand-to-hand conflicts will play a very prominent part in the
battles of the future.
A distinction must be drawn between the ordinary weapon with which the
Guards and army generally were till recently provided (I refer to the
triangular-fluted bayonet, used exclusively for thrusting purposes), and
the sword-bayonet, which serves both for cutting and thrusting. The
advantage of the former was evidently its lightness and handiness; but
it must be remembered that, save for thrusting, spiking a gun, or boring
a hole in a leather strap, it was practically useless, whereas the sharp
edge of the sword-bayonet makes it an excellent companion to Tommy
Atkins on all sorts of occasions, too numerous to mention.
In the early months of the present year the new rifle and bayonet placed
in the hands of the Guards caused a good deal of comment. As my readers
are aware, the new arm is a magazine small-bore rifle, carrying a long
conical ball. It is not a pretty-looking weapon, and its serviceable
qualities have yet to be tested in actual warfare. But it is with the
bayonet we are now chiefly concerned. At first sight it reminds one of
an extra strong sardine-box opener, but on closer inspection it is
evident that, though quite capable of dealing with tinned-meat cans,
etc., it has very many merits which are wanting in all the other
bayonets which have gone before it. It is a strong double-edged,
sharp-pointed knife, twelve inches long, rather more than an inch wide,
and about a fifth of an inch deep through the strong ridge which runs
down the centre of the blade from point to hilt. The handle is of wood,
and it is fastened to the muzzle of the rifle by means of a ring and
strong spring catch or clip. Altogether it is almost a model of the
early Roman sword.
From this short description it will be seen that, though the soldier
loses a good many inches in reach, he is provided with an excellent
hunting-knife, which can be turned to any of the uses of a knife--from
slaughtering a foe to cutting up tobacco.
Then, again, it is possible that the loss in actual reach may be more
than compensated for at very close quarters by the greater ease with
which a man can "shorten arms" effectively as well as by the double
edge. Every ounce saved in the weight of a soldier's accoutrements is a
great gain, and these new bayonets are light and, as I have hinted, are
likely to be extremely useful for the every-day work of a long march.
It is not my intention to deal with the bayonet-exercise as practised by
squads of infantry, but, before proceeding to deal with some of the more
important situations in attack and defence, I would advise those who
wish to become proficient to learn the drill. The best way to do this is
to join the Volunteers, and get all the squad work possible as a means
of gaining a _command_ over the weapon--the continued use of which for
any length of time is extremely fatiguing. When the rudiments are
mastered, and you know fairly well how to respond to the reiterated
words of command: "High Guard"--"Pint;" "Low Guard"--"Pint," etc., and
can form the "pints" and guards in a respectable manner, it will be well
to join some school of arms with a proficient and painstaking military
instructor who is also an expert swordsman. I say _swordsman_ advisedly,
because I am convinced that it is only one who is a fencer who can be
really qualified to impart knowledge on the subject of weapons chiefly
used for pointing.
No man can be said to use the bayonet efficiently who is not able to
tackle another man similarly armed--a swordsman on foot or a mounted man
armed with the cavalry sabre.
For ordinary practice the first thing to be secured is a good
spring-bayonet musket, somewhere about the weight of the ordinary rifle,
provided with a bayonet which, by means of a strong spiral spring inside
the barrel, can be pressed back eighteen inches or so when it comes in
contact with the object thrust against. It is hardly necessary to
observe that the point of the bayonet must be covered with a good
button, similar to those used on fencing foils, only much larger. The
button should be tightly encased with layer upon layer of soft leather,
and then bound over with stout parchment or stiff leather, and tied very
strongly with whipcord or silk just behind the button. This precaution
is very necessary to guard against broken ribs, collar-bones, etc.
The illustrations which embellish or disfigure this chapter do not
profess to do more than indicate a few of the more important positions,
points, and guards which occur in bayonet-exercise: for fuller details
the reader is referred to the various manuals issued from time to time
by the Horse Guards and War Office authorities. In these little books
will be found all the words of command and, I believe, illustrations of
every point and parry.
At an assault, and opposed to a man armed also with a bayonet, the first
position is indicated by the accompanying sketch. The head should be
held well up, the chest expanded, and the weight of the body nearly
evenly balanced on both feet, which should be about eighteen or twenty
inches apart, so as to give a good firm base without detracting from the
rapidity of advance and retreat. In the case of a tall man, the feet
will be rather further apart than with a short man; but this is a matter
which can be easily adjusted to suit the requirements of each particular
case.
[Illustration: Fig. 34.--On guard.]
[Illustration: Fig. 35.--Point, from guard.]
The great thing is to get accustomed to the position--to feel "at home"
in it--and to be able to shift it at a moment's notice, and, when
necessary, to make a firm stand. The drill work is very good for all
this, and though it is tedious and irritating to many, it is worth what
it costs.
In Fig. 35 we have the point from guard, and in delivering this point
the feet retain their positions, flat upon the ground, the right leg is
straightened, the left knee bent, and the body advanced over the left
knee as far as possible consistent with stability. The left shoulder is
necessarily somewhat in advance of the right, and the arms are stretched
out horizontally, and quite on a level with the shoulders. The barrel of
the rifle, too, is to be held horizontally, with the bayonet pointing to
the adversary's throat and chest.
In Fig. 36 we have the point from guard with the lunge, which ought to
give an extra reach of a foot or more. Here, as in the point without the
lunge, the sole of the right foot should remain flat upon the ground,
whilst the left is advanced about a foot or fifteen inches smartly on
the straight line between the right heel and the adversary.
It is most important to remember that in all lunges the step-out should
be bold and decided, but that to over-stretch the distance is worse than
stepping short, because it leaves one in a position from which it is
hard to recover. Having made your attack, you want to be in a position
of easy retreat to the base of operations, which is "on guard."
We next come to what is called the "Throw-point," by which a little
extra reach is obtained over the ordinary point with lunge. This is a
point which may be very effective, but unless a man is strong in the arm
he should not use it much on account of the difficulty in rapidly
regaining hold of the rifle with both hands. The throw-point comes in
when in making the ordinary lunge you feel that you are going to be
just ever so little short; you then release your hold of the barrel with
the left hand, and, bringing the right shoulder well forward, you
continue the lunge, holding the rifle by the thin part of the stock
alone. The _very instant_ your right arm is _fully_ extended, and the
point of the bayonet has reached its furthest limit, you should draw
back the rifle, regain possession of the barrel with the left hand, and
come into the "on guard" position.
[Illustration: Fig. 36.--Point, with lunge.]
[Illustration: Fig. 37.--Throw point.]
[Illustration: Fig. 38.--Guard--opposed to Swordsman.]
As previously hinted, a knowledge of fencing is of the first importance
in studying the use of weapons where the point is the main factor, and
the longer the weapon the more this fact is forced upon us. It is of
course true for all weapons, but the leverage being so great in the
case of the rifle and bayonet, it becomes more apparent. For example,
the slightest touch from the thin blade of a foil is sufficient, when
applied near the point of the bayonet, to bring about the necessary
deflection of the weapon. Indeed I cannot help thinking that if two men
fought, one armed with the small-sword or light rapier and the other
with the rifle and bayonet, the swordsman would win--always supposing
that they were equally expert in the use of their respective weapons. It
would seem that the lightness and consequent "handiness" of the rapier
must more than make up for the length and strength of the more ponderous
arm.
[Illustration: Fig. 39.--Shorten arms.]
[Illustration: Fig. 40.--Low guard.]
[Illustration: Fig. 41.--Point from low guard.]
Conflicts between the sword and bayonet are common enough, but it is the
broad-sword, as a rule; and one does not often see the bayonet, opposed
to the small-sword, used exclusively for thrusting.
In Fig. 38 is given the best general position for coming on guard when
opposed by a swordsman. The great object is to keep the opponent at a
distance; directly he gets _your_ side of your point you are in
difficulties. Therefore never let the point of your bayonet wander far
from the lines leading straight to his body.
There is, of course, the "Shorten-arms," shown in Fig. 39; but in actual
conflict you might be a dead man twice over before you could get the
bayonet back to the position indicated. When the swordsman gets to close
quarters, and has possibly missed you, a good plan is to knock him down
with the butt of the rifle--using the weapon like the quarter-staff
(_vide_ Fig. 9).
The next two sketches show the positions in "Low Guard" and "Point from
Low Guard"--the latter being particularly effective on broken ground
when an enemy is rushing up a hill at you, or when you want to spike a
fellow hiding in long grass.
[Illustration: Fig. 42.--High guard--opposed to mounted man.]
[Illustration: Fig. 43.--Head parry.]
The "High Guard" and "Head Parry" are chiefly used when dealing with
cavalry. It seems to me hardly necessary to give the points of these
guards, as they simply amount to extending the arms straight in the
direction of the foe.
A man on foot possesses one or two great advantages over a mounted man,
for his movements are quicker, and if he can only avoid being ridden
down and can keep on the horseman's bridle-hand side, he ought to have a
good chance of delivering his point in the left side. It is most
important that the man on foot should be ready to spring back so as to
avoid a sudden sweep to the left, which will bring him, if the horse is
spurred forward at the same time, right under the rider's sword arm.
It is almost superfluous to add that in practice the general habiliments
should be much the same as those used when playing quarter-staff. In the
illustrations the hands are left bare in order to show the grip of the
rifle, but boxing-gloves should invariably be worn, or a broken finger
may be the result.