"Bayonets and Continentals....." Topic

I bought a load of unpainted 40mm Sash and Sabre AWI 2nd hand. A mixture of forces etc. In amongst them was a unit of Continentals with shouldered arms (pack 40AWI1). Unfortunately the bayonets have broken off nearly 2/3rds of the muskets. Would it be acceptable to field the unit as one and have the few with bayonets mixed through? This could simulate supply shortages I suppose, or would it be unrealistic, as Continentals always had the best kit?

cheers
Jon.

I think they were ragged quite a lot of times. So your idea seems very valid to me.

thanks mate.

See, those guys sold their bayonets to buy rum.

Break the rest off and be done with it.

I like the rum idea better.

I just read somewhere that Washington preferred firepower over shock action….so while they would have the bayonet, they would not use them as much as the British. So yeah, they should look fine without them.

Returns of the Continental regiments at Fort Ticonderoga in early 1777 indicate all units were "wanting to compleat" in terms of bayonets – ie not every man had one. Some units were better off than others, but it was about 40% overall who had them.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't marching with fixed bayonets a Hollywood thing anyway? You're far more likely to need to shoot which means removing the bayonet anyway. So I would think you would leave the bayinet in the scabbard until ordered to affix it.

Anyway that's why I snip mine off.

Thanks chaps, I may just clip them off then.

Socket bayonets were widely available at the time. With a socket bayonet fixed it is possible to fire a musket, and even to reload with some caution.

Marching with a bayonet of any type fixed would be a pain. Why add length to your musket to get tangled on branches, shrubbery, and anything else around?

I generally prefer marching units to be all or none (usually none) for fixed bayonets.