The Use and Culture of Bayonets in the 18th Century

Thank you to Incogni for sponsoring this video! Use my code BRANDONF to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan here

Apologies all, but by the time this video came out, my announcement about the Kickstarter was out of date! It has since closed. But still keep an eye out for "The Corpse War of 1793", which is coming along very nicely and should be released in the next few months!

~~Video Description~~

The bayonet is a simple tool. Of course its precise dimensions have varied over time, as have its means for being fixed to the end of a firearm, but at the end of the day, the point of the bayonet has always been literal.

It offered troops the ability to load and fire their muskets, while being ready to engage in melee combat at a moment’s notice. But the real question before us, I think, isn’t so much how bayonets literally worked, that much is obvious, so much as how these tools were employed in the specific historical context of the Long Eighteenth Century. How effective were they? How often were they used? And how were they perceived by armies and soldiers at the time? In short, what made the bayonet such a quintessential symbol of early modern warfare?

~~Sources & Further Reading On This Topic~~

Chris the Redcoat's video about Triangular Bayonets:

The Revolutionary Gazette's amazing video on the 1764 Manual Exercise

All of the primary sources I used in this video can be found on my website, here

You can purchase a copy of "With Zeal and With Bayonets Only" here

~~Other Links & Contact Info~~

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~~Timestamps~~

Introduction 00:00

Sponsored Message 00:56

The Employment of the Bayonet 03:02

The Efficacy of the Bayonet 10:35

The Culture of the Bayonet 24:55

Conclusion 33:56