Descriptions of Colonial Era Weapons

Excerpts from Various Places, Many of them Contradictory
The main weapons of the American Revolution were the muzzleloading flintlock musket, its attached bayonet, and the cannon. Secondary weapons were the rifle and pistol, swords and other cutting weapons.

Flintlock Musket
By far, the most common weapon was the smoothbore flintlock musket, of a large caliber, .62 to .75 inch bore, or equal to 16 to 11 gauge shotguns. Soldiers were expected to be able to fire a shot every 15 seconds for at least 4 minutes before needing to slow down because of the fouling in the barrel.

The flint lock musket could be loaded in 30 seconds

The flintlock was the first line of offense or defense in the arsenal of revolutionary war weapons. Its lack of accuracy was minimized by its mass utilization in line formations firing simultaneous, rotating volleys. That same line could present a wall of bayonets, attached to the gun barrel, and on the order to charge, moved forward against a wall of opposing fire.

The most commonly used musket shot a cluster-style shot that had an effect similar to today’s shotguns.

The weapon was loaded through the muzzle---front loaded. The metal ball, 2/4 inch in diameter, weighed about 1 ounce, and was contained in a paper cartridge. The powder was stored in a horn shaped object. When the ball struck the human body at a high velocity it tore a large hole in the victim.

Battles in the 18th century took place on open plains. The brave, or not so brave, souls faced each others like gladiators across the field. Their muskets had minimal accuracy up to 100 yards. The time that was required to load meant that, at best, each shooter could fire 3 times without a fixed target other than shooting generally at a charging line of fixed bayonets.

Tooled Bore Rifle
The 200 yard accuracy of the tooled bore rifle was a huge departure from the traditional flintlock. Newer technology produced a longer barrel that burned the powder more efficiently and increased the velocity of the projectile The “Kentucky”, however great that it was on the frontier, did not pass muster on the open battlefield. It took more than twice as long to load than the traditional flintlock, and was not equipped with a bayonet.

Rifles, while much more accurate than muskets, also were loaded much slower. It would take almost 30 seconds, and sometimes a minute or more, to reload a rifle. In that time they were often charged with the bayonet, and since rifles were not equipped with bayonets, riflemen usually had to yield to musketmen.

Long Rifle: There were very strong feelings related to this rifle’s use because while its accuracy was much better than a musket’s, it took longer to reload. It also was unable to hold a bayonet attachment, so new tactics for use had to be developed.

Infantry Sword
The British infantry sword was forged with either a straight or slightly curved blade and was shorter than the cavalry sword. The infantry companies equipped with these weapons were an alternative to the bayonet. Infantry officers used a lighter version with a straight blade which required training in the techniques of thrust and parry.

Pistols
Officers in both armies carried the highly inaccurate flint lock pistol in addition to their swords.

Native Weapons
Bow and Arrow: While the range of a bow and arrow is significantly less than that of a musket or rifle, its silent use and ability to be reloaded quickly often provided an advantage.

Tomahawks were used effectively by skilled handlers in close combat, but in the right hands, it could be thrown as a weapon as well. A Tomahawk was almost 2 foot long, and its head could run well over a pound.

Grenades
The grenadiers, also infantrymen, had special functions. They were usually chosen for size and strength with the intention to intimidate the enemy. One of their duties was throwing a hollow metal ball with a lit fuse connected to an interior powder charge.

Encumbrance
The infantryman carried about 60 pounds of equipment. The musket weighed 14 pounds. Add to that the bayonet, cartridge pouch, water bottle, knapsack, 60 rounds of ammunition.