Also known as: handspike.
| Type | Lever |
|---|---|
| Material | Stout wood, often iron-shod |
| Use | Shifting the trail to aim; levering heavy pieces |
Levering the gun
The handspike was a heavy wooden bar, often shod with iron, used as a lever to move a gun. Thrust under or against the trail, it let the crew shift the piece sideways to lay it for direction, and it served generally for levering and moving heavy carriages and guns.
Every field and heavy gun had its handspikes, and they were among the simplest and most essential of the implements served with a piece.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- United States War Department. Instruction for Field Artillery, Prepared by a Board of Artillery Officers. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1863.