Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-09
HISTORY OF The BAYoNET
ORIGINALLY TT HGD NOTHING TO DO
wITHaUHs.
where 1t Cor It's Several Names and
Some rh4.dtnss.or,e.
Of It's Use.

From the London Globe.
1t is rather curious that the weapon first
called a bayonet ha1 nothing to do with
musket or rifle, but was simply a short
fat dagger. Three hundred years ago it
was described as small pocket dagger.
and again as a great knife to hang at the
girdle like a dagger. Lingard, the historian.
writing of a battle fought in France in
1853, says that the English commander
was slain, as he lay on the field, with
no doubt, the kind of
weapon we have just described. British
soldiers did not carry bayonet of the mod
ern kind as part of their equipment till the
time of Charles II. That not very warlike
ordered by royal warrant that the
soldiers were ito have and to carry one
bayonet or great knife" In those days the
great knife was kind Of last resource.
used by having its handle screwed solidy
into the musket barrel thereby completely
blocking the muzzle; so 1t was not until the
was exhausted, or until the
enemy were so close that there was not
sufficient time for the somewhat lengthy
and complicated process of recharging the
clumsy old muZzle-loading muskets-it was
not till then that the bayonet was brought
into play.
Our friends the enemy, however. before
long taught us how to turn the weapon to
better account. w nile TIE DdIIle Ram
lilies was in progress, In May. 1706. some
keen-eyed observer on the British side no.
ticed that the French infantry We're able
to charge with the bayonet Immediately
they had fired their volley, not waiting to
screw their knives into the muzzles of
their muskets. When the battle was over
and Marlboro's victorious troops held the
field, some of the firelocks abandoned by the
foe in their fight were picked up and ex-
amined, and it was found that the bayonet
was secured by a circular band of metal
claspng the BARREL a simple arrangement
which left the muzzle perfectly clear The
wonder Is that such clumsy process as
stuffing the solid handle of the bayonet into
the mouth of the musket was ever adopted
at all. Our military authorities, however,
were not above taking d hint from the enc
my, and the English bayonetS were soon
fitted after the French manner.
There has been some discussion as to the
origin of the word bayonet.' The COM
mcnly received explana ton is that the
Bayonne, in southern France, where the
bayonet is supposed to have been first
made first used. This Is likely enough,
although there is no direct evidence on the
point, but 1t is also possible that the word
is derived, a diminutive. from an old
French word, bayou" which meant the
arrow or shaft of a crossbow The transfer
of the name, with the added diminutive
ed arrow to the short, stabbing dagger
would be natural and easy, but the matter
is of no great importance. and 1t is certain
ly not worth dogmatizing about.
1t may be noted, by the way, that the
vulgar pronunciation of 'bayonet," or
''bagnet''-"Now. gen'rmen, fall on as
the English said to the French when they
fA ed bagOnets, remarked Mr.. Weller at
the picnic-is Of very long standing and
was originally of the highest respectable
ity. dictionary maker of 1851 Benjamin
Martin. after defining the word as mean
ing "a short dagger. having. instead of a
hilt. hollow iron handle to fix it to the
muzzle of musquet, now used instead of
pike goes on to say: I'VE speak the
word bagonet." Another photographer of
a Few years later. remarks somewhat
naively, that the bayonet, when ammuni-
ton is spent. is no bad resource" A very
early example of tho now vulgar pronun-
citation may be found In the London Ca
zette of 1862. where, in No. 2.742, bag
comets and all other arms" are mentioned
in an official notice. And little later, in
book published about.1TD tho authorship
OF which has been attributed to Defoe,
some peaceful person. plaintively pleads:
i came not into the world to be cannon
AIDED or bagonettcd cut of it," The weapon,
however, has pushed great many peace
full folk. as well as it more legitimate prey,
out of the world.
No army, of course, can claim a monopo-
ly of the use of the bayonet, but it has been
peculiarly associated with the heroic doings
Oh British infantry on many 4 hard-fousht
held, and In many a struggle in the immi-
nent deadly breach At Waterloo 1t was
the bristling lines of bayonets girdling the
invincible squares of infantry that the
French found it vain to attack Again and
again the French cavalry surged against
those seemingly solid Islands of men and
steel, but could make no impression on
them More recently, st Abu klea, and on
other Egyptian battlcfelds, the gallant der
wishes who survived the fire of rifles and
Maxims found the line of bayonets a last
and impregnable line of defense AS
weapon OF ofrense, too. as well as of de-
effect in British hands
Other enemies than Beers have found It
d1f1cult to face the cold steel" at close
quarters. Sir Henry Havelock, describing a
small action during the mutiny struggle in
inola, when three of the enemy's guns were
strongly posted behind a lofty hamlet. well
intrenched, says that he ordered the 18th
Highianders to advance. Never" he
wrote. nave l witnessed conduct more adj
nlraDie Ihey were led by Col. Hamilton,
and followed him with surprising steadi-
ness and ga!lantry under a heavy fire. AS
they approached the village they cheered
ana charged with the bayonet, the pipes
enemy fled. the village was taken and the
guns captured?" The combination of bayo-
nets and bagpipes was irresistible.
me gHtier1ng steel did similar work on
many OF the pen1nsular battlefelds. At the
struggle of Busaco the hold
of the British on the height which was the
main object of the French attack was Sc
cured ny the charge ordered by Crawford
when. in Napier's graphic phrase, eighteen
hundred British bayonets went sparkling
over the brow Of the hill" A few days
before this battle was fought a singular
incident had occurred, when a single Irish
soldier attacked the French army with his
bayonet! 1t was toward the end Of the
hghting on the Goa. and practically the
whole Of the British army had retreated
across the river. Among the last to come
down to the bridge was a gigantic Ulster
man named Stewart, called the boy" be-
cause he was only nineteen years Of age
though tn OF great stature and strength.
Throughout the action he had fought
bravely. but when he reached the bridge
ne refused to pass. Turning round says
the historian. he regarded the French
with grim look and spoke aloud as fol-
lows: SO this is the end Of our boasting!
This Is our first battle and we retreat! The
boy Stewart will not live to hear that said.'
Then, striding forward I'M his giant might.
he fell furiously ona theenearest enemies
with the bayonet. refasednthe quarter they
seemed DESTROYS of granting and died fight
Ing In the midst of thenfab