Augusta Pike
Dateabout 1862
Mediumsteel, iron, brass, pine wood
Dimensions178 × 31 cm (70 1/16 × 12 3/16 in.), 4 lb (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.125
DescriptionSteel. Straight, double edge blade expanding slightly from base of flattened octagonal section, becoming lozenge section to spear point. Tang passes through simple steel elliptically shaped guard atop barrel-shaped brass ferrule. This sits over pair of long, wide rounded langets nailed to pine wood circular section shaft extending to straight unshod butt.Label TextWhen the Confederate states seceded from the Union in 1860-61, they faced a serious shortage of firearms with which to fight the impending war. Spears like this one were a cheap alternative that could be produced by virtually any craftsman. Some militia troops embraced the weapon with enthusiasm, but seasoned soldiers knew better. A Confederate newspaper reported that when one unit was issued with pikes like this one, "Some laughed and chased their comrades about the camp with their dangerous looking weapons. Others ... shed tears of disappointment. Finally the soldiers treated the whole thing as a joke and used their pikes in a wholesale crusade against the gophers in that region."ProvenanceGift to Museum from Edward E. Shedd (Allston, MA) on June 21, 1934. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
On View
Not on view
late 1700s-early 1800s
