Agreed, especially if it continued to be a problem.
Dr. Alexander S. Burns
@kabinettskriege.bsky.social
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Historian of the eighteenth-century Atlantic World, American Continental Army, and Military Europe. PhD WVU.
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You might think so, but this is a problem endemic in almost all European armies in the eighteenth century. The enlisted men don't like closing into close range, they prefer firing from a distance, from battles in the 1730s to the 1780s.
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I appreciate this, but this is a quote that he gives almost every time he discusses his revolution trilogy in interviews.
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And that for years, the men were resistant to doing so, leading to increasing frustration on Washington's part.
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Atkinson is arguing that because muskets were inaccurate, soldiers closed to close range and fought with the bayonet. The evidence indicates that American soldiers REALLY didn't like getting into close range with the enemy.
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Many soldiers recovered from bayonet wounds, and many soldiers reported seeing comrades killed by fire. I don't think that all of the deaths from the AWI were bayonet wounds. Like wars today, wounded outnumber dead in almost all major engagements.
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There is no comparable percentage for the AWI. I think if you made a full archival study, it would likely look similar to the other wars. The British charge more with bayonets, if there is an increased percentage, that is likely the reason.
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I'll leave it up to you whether this qualifies as a "a lot of killing" being done with the bayonet, but, we need to be clear, if "a lot" of killing is done with the bayonet, even more is done with firearms. The fighting was not always eyeball to eyeball, nose to nose. 16/16
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This needs to be read in conjunction with evidence from other 18th century wars and the Napoleonic Wars, where hospital returns indicate that the number of men wounded by bayonet fighting is usually under 5% compared to fire. 15/16
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...there are ~85 references to bayonet wounds, and ~425 references to wounds from gunshots. Thus, at least conversationally, this sample size of American veterans (who were often on the receiving end of bayonet charges) were 4 times more likely to be shot than stabbed. 14/16
