The above is a link to a site that I believe is fairly accurate. Cannon on ships was almost 15,000 private, and 1200 government.
I was reading about the “Powder House Agreement” or some such. The Brits attempted a raid on a town's powder house about 6 months before Lexington, but were turned away by 2,000 (?) armed citizens. So the town/county removed the “British” leaders of the militia and turned the militia under local control. Then they voted in those same leaders!
They also set up guns and ammo for those men in the county that couldn't afford them - so yes - the government was arming the people. It also set up monthly(?) training. The Founding Fathers were working down in Philadelphia, and wrote a letter to all of the colonies that the colonies should provide them with any support they could.
This idea of having enough of the right weapons in the hands of the locals, and the training, is what “a well-regulated militia” means. Well functioning, in good working (trained) order and organized.
That is were we are hosed today - in the organization of individuals. It would take quite awhile for us to become a force to be reckoned with I think if the government decides to turn on us, and starts confiscating guns.
“Well - that was just that guy in Massachusetts with a 100-round magazine for each of his 20 rifles, and a couple of bump stocks. Those are all illegal - the guy must have been a nut-case.”
“http://www.usmm.org/revolution.html
The above is a link to a site that I believe is fairly accurate. Cannon on ships was almost 15,000 private, and 1200 government. ...”
Partially misstates the situation at the time of the American War of Independence. Cannons were not all the same.
There were indeed many more privateers putting to sea than warships of the Continental Navy. But privateers typically mounted guns of much smaller size - six-pounders on down to two-pounders or smaller. And there were fewer guns per privateer: no more than needed to face down a cargo vessel.
Real warships of the day mounted guns of much larger size: nine-pounders on up to as large as 32-pounders. And each vessel mounted many more guns than a privateer would. These factors made any warship a much more costly proposition than a privateer. The latter relied on intimidation, and would flee from a real warship if they could.
The Colonies were continually pinched for funds, and thus could never float a naval force of any size that could challenge the Royal Navy.