Spontoon

A spontoon, sometimes known by the variant spelling espontoon[1] or as a half-pike, is a type of European polearm that came into being alongside the pike.

The head of a spontoon often had a pair of blades or lugs on each side, giving the weapon the look of a military fork or a trident.

In the British army commissioned officers carried the spontoon until 1786[3] as a symbol of their rank and used it like a mace, in order to issue battlefield commands to their men, whilst sergeants generally carried the halberd until 1792 when it was replaced by the sergeant's pike, a spontoon.

[6] During the Napoleonic Wars, the spontoon was used by sergeants to defend the colours of a battalion or regiment from a cavalry attack.

[7] The weapons came in handy as backup arms when the Corps travelled through areas populated by large bears.