Cossacks and Weapons

(This is not a systematic research, this is just a selection of facts, and I will be adding more).

In Zaporozhye the musket did not exclude the lance, which substituted for the bayonet. In Western Europe musketeers were separated from the spearmen which resulted in significant disadvantages in the battle. One warrior had either only a defensive weapon or only an offensive one.

Cossacks took care of their weapons like treasured possessions. He is not a Cossack who has fouled weapons.

Besides the firearms, Zaporozhians had diverse weapons of hand-to-hand combat. The latter ones they even preferred to the former ones and respectfully called them "honest weapons".

Cossacks used lances which consisted of a three meter long shaft and an iron point. At a certain distance from the point an iron disk was centered on the shaft. It was made so that the pierced enemy would not slide on the lance up to the Cossack himself. Because not so rarely it happened that the enemy, in the heat of the battle could keep fighting for a few moments even after being fatally wounded. Sometimes lances helped the Cossacks out when they needed to get across the swamp: the pikes would be placed in rows perpendicular each other.

Cossacks used kalep or chekan (i.e. battle hammers) when fighters were mixed in hand to hand combat and it was dangerous to shoot without harming one's own troops.

When fighting with the lance, Cossacks tried to take to the right, because it was an advantage to have the enemy on the left side.

Cossack shashqa was a sword originated from the Caucasus, originally Circassian, but later in widespread use with Russian cavalry.

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