05-17-2011, 03:17 PM
Yes, against cavalry charging in it would. I have often stated that in my opinion, it is not the spear that makes a horse not wish to gallop in but the wall it perceives in front of it. Napoleonic squares were not protected by pikes nor were Republican or early Imperial Roman lines and they would still not "habitually" be charged into by enemy cavalry. Nor do we have any manual stating that it is all right and safe to charge into infantry without spears. Spears were valuable though, because exactly since enemy cavalry would not charge into dense infantry, they could be used to poke at horses coming too close or allowing the infantry to come close and also hit at those who would ride along the line to shoot or hit at the front-men with their lances, whereas swords, for example, would be too short for the job.
