THIS IS JUST A SMALLISH PART of what you **don’t** know; i can’t bother with ALL the rest of it, vato. :)
RevolutionaryWarJournal.Com:
“The preferred choice of musket, (also labeled as flintlock, firelock, or smoothbore) in the British Army and subsequently in the American Army during the American Revolution was the Brown Bess. “Rugged, simple, sturdy, and terrible at close quarters”, when fired (if it fired), this smooth bore (grove bored were ‘rifled muskets’, later simply called rifles), hurtled a round ball weighing about fourteen to the pound. For all the legends and discussion on the musket’s firing power, it was basically a handle for a bayonet – its’ most destructive and fearful advantage on the battlefield...”
The American Army, also known as Continentals, were NOT the same as the Militia.
Indeed, the Continentals (American Army) had the Brown Bess, but Militia, such as your Thomas, did not. They had whatever firearms of the time that a man could afford.
So in this regard, Chainmail is correct.
“THIS IS JUST A SMALLISH PART of what you don’t know;...“The preferred choice of musket, ... in the American Army during the American Revolution was the Brown Bess....hurtled a round ball weighing about fourteen to the pound.’ “ [RArtfulogerDodger, post 17]
“...the Continentals...had the Brown Bess, but Militia...did not. They had whatever firearms...a man could afford...Chainmail is correct.’ [Alas Babylon!, post 20]
Forum members are advised to go very carefully when it comes to trusting author Harry Schenawolf, “principal contributor” to revolutionarywarjournal.com. He has ignored major subjects entirely, and managed to get other details wrong.
The British Land Pattern muskets, Short and Long, were the principal shoulder arm of British foot troops during the American War of Independence. Known informally as the Brown Bess, it was not the “preferred choice” of Americans.
At first, the colonists were armed with whatever they could purchase, or scare up. Many civilian-pattern arms - along the East Coast, long-barreled smoothbores known in general as “fowling pieces” - went afield with their owners. What few military-style shoulder arms existed in the Colonies prior to 1775 were mostly of British pattern, closely resembling the Brown Bess, with a barrel pinned semi-permanently to the stock and a gooseneck cock (hammer).
As the situation heated up, officials of the individual colonies contracted with various local forges and gunsmithing operations to manufacture muskets; so did an outfit set up by the Continental Congress called “The Committee of Safety.” Some gunmakers imported barrels and locks; the colonies (later the states) competed with each other for supply of arms.
Muskets were also purchased abroad by the individual colonies, and by representatives of the Continental Congress - before independence was declared and the United States officially existed. Muskets were purchased from France, Holland, Prussia, Belgium (then subject to Austria) and English dealers.
The great bulk came from the French. A private firm sent a representative to Philadelphia in 1775, to finalize a contract with a secret committee of the Continental Congress to supply arms. Silas Deane, a merchant from Connecticut, went to France in spring 1776 to purchase arms, get loans, and press for an alliance.
Used French muskets of several models (1763, 1766, and others) were sold to the Americans, through a dummy corporation at first; ten ships sailed from April through November 1777 and the Royal Navy caught only one.
French muskets exceeded all the others in quality and became the preferred standard of the Americans before the Battles of Saratoga. Of 69 caliber, all had three bands fastening the barrel to the stock, and a dual-throated cock. Slightly lighter than the Brown Bess, they became the pattern for all muskets later made by the national armories at Springfield and Harpers Ferry for issue to US troops, to and including the Model 1842.
The loading steps author Schenawolf lists at the end of his article are out of order. For loading by paper cartridge - the strongly preferred method and the one Continentals were trained to meet - the pan is primed first, immediately after tearing open the cartridge with the teeth. The remaining charge is poured into the muzzle, followed by the ball and the cartridge paper as wadding to prevent the ball falling out if the loaded weapon was inverted. Then everything in the bore is pushed down to the breech with the rammer, after which that tool is returned to its storage hole under the barrel. Cloth wrapping was not used in muskets.
Most details here have been taken from _The Book of the Continental Soldier_ by Harold L Peterson (Harrisburg PA: Stackpole, 1968. LCCN 74-27880, ISBN 0-88394-033-7). The rest have been drawn from my 26 years of experience in reenacting, most as a member of a recreated Continental regiment of foot.