"Pikes in Scots Jacobite forces 1689" Topic
4 Posts
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| Sandinista | 16 Apr 2014 9:24 a.m. PST |
Basically did they use them?
Did the highland regiments use them? Also any pointers to good reference material is always welcome cheers
Ian |
| steamingdave47 | 16 Apr 2014 11:40 a.m. PST |
Pikes were still in use by most armies in this period, the Danes being the main exception. ( apparently some of the Danish regiments were roughly handled in 1690 by cavalry because of their lack of pikes) McNally's book on the Battle of the Boyne gives a muster for Jacobites in Ireland, which details weapons available to the various regiments. John Child's book on the Williamite Wars mentions that many of the Jacobite infantry in Ireland were armed with improvised weapons such as scythes and other agricultural implements. I suspect that those who had firearms were also poorly equipped, with matchlocks rather than fire locks. Don't know about the Scots/Highlanders, I suspect they would have a varied mix of improvised weapons, as well as the infamous broadswords, Lochaber axes etc. Barthorp's book on the Jacobite Rebellions (Osprey) shows Argyll's Highlanders armed with pike, but they were, of course, Government troops. |
| jocknroll | 17 Apr 2014 3:51 a.m. PST |
Clan regiments would not have used pikes. Jacobite infantry in Ireland were equipped(where possible) as normal infantry so many regiments would have used pikes.
Men recruited IN the Highlands of Scotland but serving in army regiments or militia units would have used pikes. Two examples are Hugh Mackay of Scourie's Regiment serving in the Dutch Army and the Earl of Argyll's Regiment largely recruited from Clan Campbell who may well have carried pikes on home service in Scotland after 1690. Highland warfare was built on speed and shock impact with individual weapon skill being paramount. The pike is a mass use weapon requiring numbers and training and slow movement to be of any value. Totally unsuited to the Highland way of fighting. The terrain would also have been generally unsuitable for the use of pikes although there is a lot of flat ground in the Highlands. |
| Sandinista | 11 Sep 2014 2:05 p.m. PST |
revisiting an old thread… Would any of the Scottish pike armed troops be wearing kilts? |
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