Post
by Arthur » Tue Aug 23, 2011 10:04 pm
Regarding pikes, the consensus is that they were indeed abandoned between 1698 and 1703 when flintlock muskets fitted with socket bayonets became the norm. That said, and as usual with this period, contemporary documents suggest the occasional discrepancy between what should theoretically have been and what actually was.
On the French side, the pike was officially abolished through a royal order issued on September 11th, 1703. Vauban had long campaigned against its continued use and as early as 1687, he was petitioning Louvois and asking him to consider replacing both pike and matchlock musket with the vastly superior flintlock. Some field commanders appear to have anticipated the move during the Nine Years War and re-armed at least some of their pikemen with muskets whenever possible. On January 16th, 1702, Marshall Villeroi ordered the transformation of the army of Italy's remaining pikemen into musketeers, a policy that was continued by Vendôme when he succeded Villeroi.
The French were sometimes accused of lagging behind because they held on to their pikes for longer than most nations, but much more than some sort of inbred conservatism it is the sheer size of their army which delayed the introduction of more modern weaponry. With over 400,000 men under arms in the mid-1690's and similar numbers in the 1700's, there simply weren't enough flintlocks around to equip the whole of Louis XIV's army in one go - remember that we're talking about a pre-industrial age here. By way of comparison, the English/British crown fielded about 70,000 men in the 1690's and 75,000 in 1710. Brent Nosworthy writes that the pike did not disappear from the French arsenal until 1708, but that seems rather late to me. It is now impossible to say which regiments had completed the transition to flintlocks by 1704 and which retained at least a few pikes, but my guess would be that the vast majority of the battalions fighting in the main field armies no longer had pikes, these behind relegated to provincial militia units and other second-line troops.
On the other hand, the English army was able to discard the pike much faster because of its smaller size. Only a small colour guard or picquet was retained as you say, and their role was pretty symbolic. In any case, pikes won't make much difference in gaming terms regadless of the rules you're using, so you might just as well dispense with them altogether for both the English and the French.
Hope this helps
P.S had a look at your Front Rank figures : top paint jobs and they look great en masse.
One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know.
