Civil War bayonets caused very few wounds. Federal surgeons recorded fewer than one percent of treated combat wounds as bayonet wounds — the same percentage as bowie knife and sword wounds combined. The reason was simple: by the time two opposing infantry formations got within bayonet range, one side had usually broken and run, or the firing had become so intense that close hand-to-hand combat was impossible. The bayonet's tactical job was therefore psychological. A line of fixed bayonets advancing at "charge bayonets" had the moral weight to push an opposing line off a position before contact. The bayonet was also a soldier's universal tool — used for cooking, digging, candle-holding, and prying open ration cans on long campaigns.

This W. Britain figure depicts a Federal infantryman in the regulation "charge bayonets" position — rifle held diagonally across the body, bayonet fixed and angled forward, body squared up to receive a charge. He wears the regulation Federal infantry kit: dark blue frock coat, light blue trousers, dark forage cap, the bedroll across his chest, and the cartridge box on his belt. The bayonet is the Model 1855 socket bayonet for the Springfield .58 caliber rifle musket — twenty-one inches of triangular-cross-section forged steel that fitted around the musket's muzzle. The figure is a natural defending centerpiece for any line-of-battle diorama. Pair this figure with Iron Brigade Charging No.2 for an attack-defense pairing; with Federal Infantry in Frock Coat Advancing for a transition from advance to defense; or with Col. Henry A. Morrow as the regimental commander.

Scale: 1/30 (60mm). Matte-painted metal. W. Britain model 31348. From the American Civil War range. Single foot figure, supplied painted and ready for display.