The first bayonet, the plug bayonetThe bayonet traces its origin to mid 17th century France and Spai

The first bayonet, the plug bayonetThe bayonet traces its origin to mid 17th century France and Spain, and is thought to originate in the city of Bayonne, France.  Originally, the bayonet was intended as a hunting weapon, as with single shot muzzleloading weapons, if the user missed or the firearm misfired, the hunter may have to defend himself from a dangerous animal.  It would not be long for the bayonet to become a standard part of military equipment.The bayonet was first introduced for military use by the French general Jean Martinet in the 1660’s. Essentially it turned a musket into a pike and became a handy weapon as soldiers often found themselves in close combat or needed a defense against heavy cavalry. The original bayonet, however was not the socket or mounted dagger type that we know in modern warfare.  Rather the original bayonet was a simple dagger with a conical shaped handle.  Rather than being mounted on the barrel, the dagger was placed directly in the muzzle, with it’s fit being aided by it’s tapered handle.  Alas this “plug” type bayonet prevented the user from firing his musket while the bayonet was in place.  The bayonet served as a dangerous bore obstruction, and if firing was attempted with the bayonet mounted it would cause a catastrophic explosion.  By the later 1670’s and 1680’s the first socket bayonets were invented, which fitted over the barrel allowing the user to shoot with a bayonet mounted.  By the 18th century plug bayonet were no longer used by militaries. -- source link

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