American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

In my readings, i came upon a description wherein a cannon was captured,spiked, then changed hands and unspiked and re-used again. I tried to find the definition of "spiking" on the internet but was unsuccessful. It probably was used as a generic term, as anyway to disable a cannon from firing, but originally it must have included the use of a spike. so how was the gun disabled?

Lt.Drex Ringbloom,
1/3/VIII
Army of the Shenandoah

Hi, Lieutenant,

The dictionary has the following definition for spike:

<i>to render (a muzzle-loading gun) useless by driving a spike into the touchhole. </i>

You are right that guns were rendered inoperable by other means, including removing the implements needed to serve the guns (Smith's battery, Devil's Den) or wedging cannonballs into the bore (Helena, July 1863). I'm sure soldiers used their ingenuity to figure out other ways to incapacitate guns. Most spiking did not cause permanent damage to the gun, and it could be easily repaired given time. In a perfect game, there would be a mechanism to allow unspiking, but to be honest, right now I am just happy to have the ability to capture and fire or spike artillery instead of it just disappearing, as was the case for many years.

MG Mike Mihalik
1/III/AoMiss/CSA

I should think that the "spike" condition could be toggled off if the cannon were re-captured, but it might take a number of turns to do it(roll of the dice). But, as you say, its not a gamebreaker.

Lt.Drex Ringbloom,
1/3/VIII
Army of the Shenandoah

I have read that back in Napoleonic times a cannon was mainly spiked by ramming a wooden spike into the firing vent at the rear and cut or broken off as close as possible to the guns body to prevent removal but, as MG Mihalik states, there would have been many ways in which it could have been accomplished.

Colonel John Sheffield,
1st Brigade <b><font color="red">[Fighting First]</font id="red"></b>
2nd Division,
XXIII Corps
<font color="orange">Army of the Ohio.</font id="orange">
<font color="red">U.</font id="red"><font color="white">S.</font id="white"><font color="blue">A.</font id="blue">

From Naval Warfare, a literal description http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/hist/navalwar.htm
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The phrase 'to spike a cannon' meant to disable it by driving a tapered wrought iron plug, or spike, down the touch hole with a hammer until it was level and firmly embedded. I suppose the spike could eventually be drilled out, but tools to do this were not readily available, and the process would take some time.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

It seems that any form of rendering cannons unserviceable, short of destroying them permanently may also qualify as a spiked cannon.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">SPIKING AND UNSPIKING CANNON, AND RENDERING THEM UNSERVICEABLE.

142. To spike a piece, or to render it unserviceable. Drive into the vent a jagged and hardened steel spike with a soft point, or a nail without a head; break it off flush with the outer surface and clinch the point inside by means of the rammer. Wedge a shot in the bottom of the bore by wrapping it with felt, or by means of iron wedges, using the rammer or a bar of iron to drive them in; a wooden wedge would be easily burnt by means of a charcoal fire lighted with the aid of a bellows. Cause shells to burst in the bore of brass guns, or fire broken shot from them with high charges. Fill a piece with sand over the charge to burst it. Fire a piece against another, muzzle to muzzle, or the muzzle of one to the chase of the other. Light a fire under the chase of a brass gun, and strike on it with a sledge to bend it. Break off the trunnions of iron guns; or burst them by firing them with heavy charges and full of shot, at a high elevation. When guns are to be spiked temporarily, and are likely to be retaken, a spring spike is used, having a shoulder to prevent its being too easily extracted.

To unspike a piece. If the spike is not screwed in or clinched, and the bore is not impeded, put in a charge of powder of one third the weight of the shot, and ram junk wads over it with a handspike, laying on the bottom of the bore a strip of wood with a groove on the under side containing a strand of quick match, by which fire is communicated to the charge. In a brass gun, take out some of the metal at the upper orifice of the vent, and pour sulphuric acid into the groove for some hours before firing. If this method, several times repeated, is not successful, unscrew the vent piece, if it be a brass gun, and if an iron one, drill out the spike, or drill a new vent. To drive out a shot wedged in the bore. Unscrew the vent piece, if there be one, and drive in wedges so as to start the shot forward, then ram it back again in order to seize the wedge with a hook; or pour in powder and fire it, after replacing the vent piece. In the last resort, bore a hole in the bottom of the breech, drive out the shot, and stop the hole with a screw.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">http://www.usregulars.com/IFA/IFA_17.htm#SPIKING%20AND%20UNSPIKING%20CANNON,%20AND%20RENDERING%20THEM%20UNSERVICEABLE.
This manual is the best source of information that I have found about the operation of ACW artilley. You may find the <font color="yellow">description of movement by prolonge</font id="yellow"> interesting, either retreating or advancing.

http://www.usregulars.com/IFA/IFA_intro.htm INSTRUCTION for FIELD ARTILLERY

BG Ross McDaniel
2nd Bde, 3rd Div, III Corps, AoG, CSA

I think Ross pretty well explained it to me and it is easy to see that to unspike a cannon is an activity not pursued during battle but after it. thank you sir for enlightening me.

Lt.Drex Ringbloom,
1/3/VIII
Army of the Shenandoah