Revolutionary War Trench Spear, recovered at Fort Stanwix, NY

This is another nice early piece coming out of a 60-year collection of French & Indian War, Revolutionary War and War of 1812 artifacts. Being offered is a Revolutionary War “Trench Spear”. It measures 5” x 1” and would take a 7/8” pole. It was recovered many years ago at Fort Stanwix, NY.

Being there was a shortage of bayonets, the primary weapon for American troops when the war began were these types of spears. George Washington, the commander of the Continental Army at Cambridge, laying siege to Boston, ordered on July 14, 1775, that “the Commanding Officers in those parts of the Lines and Redoubts, where the Pikes are placed will order the Quarter Masters of Corps, to see the pikes greased twice a week, they are to be answerable also that the pikes are kept clean, and always ready and fit for service.”

Again, on July 23, 1775, Washington ordered that “the people employed to make spears, are desired by the General to make four dozen of them immediately, thirteen feet in length, and the wood part a good deal more substantial than those already made, particularly in the New Hampshire Lines, are ridiculously short and light, and can answer no sort of purpose, no more are therefore to be made on the same model.”

Fort Stanwix is historically significant because of its successful defense by American troops during an August 1777 siege. The fort had been built by the British in 1758 at a strategic site along the water route from Lake Ontario to the Hudson River. After American forces captured and rebuilt the fort during the Revolutionary War, they were besieged by a British army that invaded from Canada via Lake Ontario, hoping to reach the Hudson River. The British force abandoned the siege, a consequence that helped lead to the defeat of a larger British army during the Saratoga campaign.

The spear remains in very nice condition, having a mostly smooth surface, typical of an early recovery. This collection began in the late 1950s and was created by private acquisitions, closed museums, and from lake divers. The collector meticulously displayed and cataloged every piece along with its provenance (often crude, but important). Many of the pieces went through electrolysis to remove crusted rust.

This is the first time this relic has been on the open market, and it is truly a great piece of early American History. It definitely merits a place in an advanced collection or museum. It comes in the glass top display case pictured. As with all the pieces in this esteemed collection, a Certificate of Authenticity will be included.