Original Item: Only One Available. Recently purchased in New England, this is a lovely and rare American Revolutionary War Continental Army Officer or NCO spontoon. As is typical of those used on the Colonial Side, as it is devoid of any of the usual markings that a British issued spontoon would have. It also is definitely a bit more primitive in design, as the Continental Army did not have access to the same materials and craftsman that the British did. While sometimes effective at removing an opposing soldier from his horse, the spontoon pole arm was not so much a weapon as it was a sign of rank used by Lower Ranking officers and NCOs such as Sergeants.

This was a tradition dating back hundreds of years before the introduction of firearms. Its real purpose in combat was to show the soldiers "on the line" where their commander was in all the smoke and confusion. Often standing seven or eight feet tall it was easily identified by the men in that unit.

This example is all original, with the spearhead still mounted on the original pole / haft, which has been cut down to 56" inches, giving it a still impressive overall length of just over 66 inches. The spearhead itself measures 8 inches long, and is quite substantial in weight, so this was not a display piece. It is one solid piece, continuous with the langets, so it cannot be removed.

Condition overall is very good, with a lovely aged patina on the metal components, showing that they have been well cared for over the past 200+ years. Definitely a solid piece. This is one of the few times that we have had a spontoon with an original pole section, as the heads were almost always cut off just below the langets or removed from the haft entirely to make for much easier storage.

Very rare and perfect for display!

Spearhead Dimensions:
Blade Length: 8"
Langet Length: 10"
Overall Length: 19 ¾"
Length of Pole Section: 56"
Overall Length of Spontoon: 66 ¼”