I have another question. In my pursuit on cutlasses, according to Benerson Little's book "The Sea Rovers Practice," Sailors, particularly English sailors, would have been familiar and be able to use cudgels well, and adapting them well to cutlass techniques (with short-stick techniques as well). A English Privateer captain during the mid-eighteenth century is said to have allowed cudgels on the main deck for the crew to practice with.
So far, all I have found on this weapon, besides things relating to oriental combat, is "A wooden European practice sword, fitted with a basket hilt; sometimes used as a club" http://www.snowspine.com/armory/cudgel.html
And "Cudgel (shortstick), This term is used for convenience since the term cudgel can be applied to any club type weapon. Although clubs were used on the battlefield they were only likely to have been resorted to by the poorest of peasants. The cudgel as used by the Company of masters is a stick roughly of walking stick proportions which, apart from being a useful weapon for civilian self-defence was also used as a training medium for the backsword. Indeed, using the stick became known as backswording. Backswording contests were at one time very popular at fairs and revels (there is a superb, contemporary description of backswording in Tom Brown's Schooldays). Such contests were won by 'breaking' an opponent's head. This actually meant to produce a wound of at least an inch in length from which blood could be seen flowing. There is a tendency for some people to interchange the terms singlestick and backsword (as in the stick). This should be resisted at all costs since the singlestick was a medium for learning the use of the smallsword/post renaissance cut and thrust weapon. Whereas the 'cudgel' was, as stated, for learning the use of the backsword/broadsword" http://www.maisters.demon.co.uk/weapons.htm#cudgel

Well what I have collected is good information, I think I need information that is resourced, or that shows resourcing. One thing I did notice in the last reference was "Such contests were won by 'breaking' an opponent's head." If logic is followed, I can see why if sailors did have common knowledge with cudgels, why William Gilkerson states that sailors had the tendency to slash for the head first in a fight.

Can anyone expand on this interesting topic? I am also researching technique to sword use at the time, so I really want to find out more about these "cudgels."

David,
Since this is quite a different topic than your original one, I've split it off so it can get its own attention.

Okay, if that works. I thought that the cudgel, as far as I understood, could relate to use in tactics of swords of the period of 1625-1825. That is one other aim I have in my research.

Thanks, they are a very good resource.

Here is their website: http://www.historicalmaritimecombat.com/index.html

I also found these people: http://ahfaa.org/
American Heritage, Fighting Arts Association, 18th-19th Century Martial Arts.

Waiting for email replies from both of them.