League Of Augsburg - Fighting Talk

Hi would Williams blue guard at the Boyne have armoured or unarmoured pikemen, also would the foot have flintlock muskets or matchsticks?

David

Thats an interesting question .i would have said flintlockes as for pikes did they actually have pikemen.

>>or matchsticks?


I love the idea of the premier Dutch infantry Regiment fighting
with matchsticks...

From other articles I've seen they did have some pikes though not in as high a ratio as most Jacobite regiments (and no idea if they'd have worn armour, but it seems unlikely) and they were armed with flintlocks. Sorry - I can't remember off-hand where the articles were but to the best of my knowledge that's correct.

There is one reference that gives an anecdotal quote from Percy Kirke. When William was seen and heard to worry about his poor blue guards, Kirk was heard to remark that they might have fared better had they a few pikes. That's the only direct reference i can think of at the minute and it certainly would suggest that the Blue Guard might not have carried pikes at the Boyne.

There is also such debate around the Huguenot regiments. I think it unlikley that French trained and officered units would have forsaken the pike in 1690. Combined with the Kirke/ Blue Guards anecdote, an eductaed assumption might be that crossing a tidal river with pikemen might have been very disruptive and that those men were simply left behind for the crossing thus creating an impression that pikes had been dropped completely. Unlikely but possible. The Enniskillen regiments paraded without pikes at Dundalk. Their officers thought them useless in Ireland. Then again, these units were like colonial militia and better adapted to local fighting.