Pike

Pikeman . Previously to the use of the bayonet, infantry of the line—that is, the heavy-armed troops—were from the earliest times armed with pikes or spears. The Maced on i ans carried pikes 24 feet long; those of modern warfare averaged 12 or 14 feet. They were of stout wood, and tipped with a flat iron spear-head, which sometimes had cutting edges. As a defense against cavalry, the pike, from its length and rigidity, was of great value; but though it long survived the introduction of gunpowder, that event was really fatal to it. For succe with the pike, especially in offensive war, a depth of several men was e ential, and this depth rendered the fire of artillery peculiarly fatal. The pike is now superseded by the bayonet on the end of the musket.