What Change In The Construction Of Rifles Helped The Americans During The Revolutionary War

Outfitting an American Revolutionary Soldier

by J. Lloyd Durham
Reprinted with permission from the Tar Heel Junior Historian. Fall 1992.
Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, NC Museum of History

Revolutionary War militia reenactors at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park When the Americans began to fight for independence, the British government was able to provide their soldiers and weapons to combat the rebels. But the American rebels had to try to put together an army without money and without a strong government to organize that effort. Each colony raised regiments of soldiers to transport to the Continental Line, the main army. Each colony also had its ain militia to protect its citizens and property, if the British army should come within its borders.

Supplying the Troops

Supplying the American troops was an extremely difficult task. In that location were very few factories in the colonies that could produce the weapons and the equipment needed by an army. The coin necessary to pay for supplies was issued past the new land governments and the new key authorities. But this money did not accept the trust of the business organization people and had very fiddling value.

Another problem was getting the supplies to the soldiers. When the Continental army was able to get supplies, they had to be shipped cracking distances, unremarkably by railroad vehicle across rugged trails and roads. The wagons were sometimes attacked and taken past enemy troops or by highwaymen—outlaws.

American soldiers also took supplies from the British ground forces. After defeating the Loyalists at Moore'due south Creek Span in February 1776, North Carolina troops seized 1,500 firearms, 150 swords and dirks, ammunition, two valuable medicine chests, and thirteen wagons. This equipment was put to use against British troops.

Muskets

Weapons were the regular army's main business organization. The nearly of import weapon during the American Revolution was the musket—a long smoothbore gun (a gun without grooves inside its barrel) fired from the shoulder—with a bayonet fastened at the end. These weapons led to a certain style of fighting in the 1700s. Muskets could be aimed and fired accurately only at a target that was within one hundred yards. So the armies fought in groups of men, organized every bit regiments, at close range. The enemy regiments would line up face-to-face and burn two or three volleys—a volley involved firing all the muskets at once—then accuse with bayonets. The losing regiment was either driven from the battlefield or forced to surrender.

Muskets The idea was that because the muskets could not be aimed very accurately at a distance, the regiments would fill the air with massive amounts of pb. This shower of lead would strike downward many of the enemy, causing gaps in their line. The regiment could then accuse through the gaps, creating disorder and panic and causing the enemy soldiers to retreat or surrender. Speed was an important factor. A trained soldier could burn down a musket nigh four times a minute. The flintlock blazon of firearm fired when a piece of flint struck steel. This created a spark, which in plough set up off blackness pulverisation/gunpowder in the barrel of the gun. This blazon of gun did non work in wet conditions because the loose gunpowder got damp and would not ignite. Consequently, both armies avoided battles when it was raining.

The British ground forces used the "Brownish Bess," a musket that fired one-ounce pb balls. These guns were used past American soldiers when they could be captured from the British soldiers.

When the war began, American soldiers used the weapons from their state's militia stores or from dwelling house. Recognizing a shortage, the Continental Congress and the private colonies placed orders with American gunsmiths to make as many flintlocks as possible. Muskets were also bought from European manufacturers.

In 1778 France became an ally of the colonies in their fight against England. The French government sent large quantities of French muskets. These muskets were much lighter in weight than the British army's "Chocolate-brown Bess" and fired a smaller atomic number 82 ball. They were a favored weapon of the Continental soldier.

Muskets could exist fitted with a bayonet that fabricated them into a "spear that could shoot." The soldiers would use bayonets for hand-to-hand combat when they charged the enemy later firing their volleys. The bayonets had abrupt points that were used to thrust and jab at the enemy.

Bayonets were brutally effective weapons, causing many of the wounds and deaths during battles.

Rifles

Another type of weapon was the American long burglarize. Many legends environs the American long burglarize in the Revolution.

The rifle was a long gun made with grooves inside its barrel which made information technology more accurate than a musket. It was very accurate upward to 300 yards and thus was a powerful weapon in the hands of scouts and skirmishers. American riflemen were so feared that some British officers were advised to remove the gold trimmings from their coats. All the same, the rifle was a boring weapon to reload and did not accept a bayonet. A rifleman could exist overtaken quickly by dragoons—troops on horseback—or by men with bayonets. North Carolina riflemen participated in defeating the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain.

Small Arms

The armies also had modest arms—weapons that could be carried in a soldier's hand. These included pistols, sabers, and other spear-like weapons called spontoons and halberds. Ofttimes these weapons were carried past officers and sergeants as a sign of rank. Officers, specially, carried smallswords. Dragoons were equipped with pistols and sabers. For North Carolina mounted troops, sabers were often made from steel saws by local blacksmiths. Pistols were rare.

Artillery

Besides very of import to the armies was artillery—big guns mounted so they could be moved easily and fired past a crew of men. Arms included field cannon used on the battlefield, cannon used in forts and on ships, and cannon called howitzers and mortars used to drop bombs into a fort or a bars area such as a send. North Carolina had artillery companies at diverse places throughout the war. It too sent an independent arms visitor to the Northward Carolina Brigade with Full general George Washington's army.

Equipment of the Continental Ground forces Soldier

During the state of war, Continental soldiers were the core of the American Revolutionary state of war endeavour. These were the men that Full general Washington and Congress depended most upon. Congress raised the Continental army by calling on the individual states to organize regiments of soldiers. North Carolina was asked to raise two regiments of 5 hundred men each. Eventually it sent ten regiments of infantry to the Continental Line. These regiments were formed into a single brigade called the Due north Carolina Brigade. This brigade joined Washington's army in 1777.

The Continental infantryman had equipment that was similar that of the British soldier. In addition to a musket, he carried on his right side a leather or tin cartridge box that held twenty to thirty rounds of ammunition, a musket tool, and a supply of flints. On his left side he carried his bayonet in a leather scabbard attached to a linen or leather shoulder strap. Each soldier had a haversack, usually made of linen, to carry his food rations and eating utensils. The utensils commonly included a fork fabricated of wrought iron, a pewter or horn spoon, a knife, a plate, and a cup. He also had a canteen of wood, tin, or drinking glass to acquit water. A knapsack held extra clothing and other personal items such every bit a razor for shaving, a tinderbox with flintstone and steel for starting a fire, candle holders, a comb, and a mirror. Soldiers also often carried a fishhook and some twine so that they could catch some fish when they were most a lake, creek, or river.

Equipment of a Militiaman

The Continental regular army often used the local militia to help out. The militia, made upward of male citizens over sixteen years of historic period, was the defense strength of each state. Regiments of militia were called upwards for service past the governor or the commanding general to serve for a entrada or for a period of time as needed. These soldiers were told what equipment they had to bring with them.

The militia soldier carried equipment that looked different from that of the Continental soldier simply that ordinarily performed the same or similar role. His knapsack was generally made from linen or canvas and sometimes painted. His backpack and canteen were usually like to those used by the Continentals. He likewise had an ax and a blanket.

A militia rifleman carried his rifle, pocketknife, tomahawk—a light ax, water bottle, a powderhorn for his black powder, and a hunting pouch that held other shooting supplies. Sometimes a patch pocketknife, used to cutting a patch of cloth, and a loading block, which held patched bullets enabling the rifleman to load quicker, were attached to the strap of the hunting pouch. In addition, a charger measured the amount of powder to put into the rifle when loading.

Uniforms

Uniforms were a vital consideration to the armies. During this menses, battles fought with blackness-powder weapons would produce enough smoke to brand information technology hard to encounter more than than a few yards. Clouds of thick smoke would grade over the battleground. It was important to distinguish between friend and foe. Because the smoke was white, vivid colors were used for uniforms. The British wore, for the nearly part, red and scarlet uniforms; the French, uniforms of white and differing shades of blueish; and the Americans, night blues and browns.

Congress did non prefer a Continental compatible until 1779. All the same, soldiers attempted to have clothing similar to the others in the company or regiment. Many volunteer companies entered the war in uniforms purchased past themselves or their commanders.

The compatible of the American soldier was made upward of:

a hat, unremarkably turned up on 1 or three sides,
a shirt fabricated of linen or cotton,
a black leather stock, worn around the cervix,
a wool glaze, unremarkably with neckband, cuffs, and lapels that were a different colour
a waistcoat or belong, usually made of linen or wool,
a pair of wool, linen, or cotton trousers, either breeches that were gathered simply below the human knee, or overalls,
stockings, and
leather shoes.

Congress adopted chocolate-brown every bit the official colour for uniforms in 1775. Only in that location was a shortage of brown textile, so some regiments dressed in blue and gray. In September 1778 Congress received a large shipment of uniforms from France. The North Carolina Continental Line regiments received blue coats faced with scarlet collars, cuffs, and lapels. In October 1779 Congress adopted regulations requiring Northward Carolina troops to vesture a compatible made of a blueish glaze with blueish facing and laced with white effectually the buttonholes.

North Carolina troops frequently were without proper uniforms, but the nigh hard item to supply was shoes. In 1777 officers from one regiment appealed to Governor Richard Caswell for assistance, stating that the men were "without blankets or tents or shoes." The governor noted that many of the privates of the Contained Artillery Company were barefoot. The wintertime of 1777–1778 was a hard wintertime for the American soldiers. Driving rains turned to snow and sleet, causing not bad suffering to men without shoes. General Washington wrote: "You might take tracked the army . . . to Valley Forge by the blood of their feet." Eventually the government was able to supply the necessary shoes to the North Carolinians.

Hunting Shirts

Along with the American long rifle, the American hunting shirt became famous in the American Revolution. Information technology was generally fabricated of homespun linen and cutting in a long overshirt or wraparound style. It had rows of fringe around the edges and fit loosely then the wearer could movement easily. Favored by General Washington, it was frequently worn by both Continentals and the militia. In 1776 Washington described it: "No apparel can exist cheaper nor more convenient, equally the wearer may be cool in warm atmospheric condition and warm in common cold weather by putting on [additional apparel]. . . . "

In 1775 when the North Carolina Congress raised a battalion of ten companies of minutemen, or militia, it called for these men to exist uniformed in hunting shirts. General Washington stated that a human wearing a hunting shirt created "no small terror to the enemy who remember every such person is a complete marksman." Bated from hunting shirts, the militia usually wore homespun wool coats in a diversity of colors and patterns and waistcoats, breeches, and stockings.

Equipment for the Camp

Equipment for camp was vitally of import to the soldier's comfort as well as his life. Probably the most important slice of campsite equipment for the American soldier in the American Revolution was his blanket. It protected him against the common cold, and, when he did not take a tent to slumber in, from the moisture in the air. It also served equally an overcoat when a soldier did not have one. Blankets were usually fabricated of wool, and Governor Caswell considered them a priority when he supplied the troops.

Tents provided protection from the cold and rain. They came in various sizes, more often than not depending on the occupant'southward rank. The officers' larger tents were called marquees. They were made of canvas or heavy cotton, usually nigh ten feet beyond past 14-anxiety deep past viii-feet high. Past comparison, a private's tent was about six-and-half–anxiety square past v-feet loftier. It was expected to hold v men.

Food

Feeding the regular army was difficult, peculiarly during the winter. When the regular army was marching or on a campaign, soldiers were given a blazon of biscuit or hard bread and ears of corn. Sometimes in that location was a packet of cornmeal and, when available, some dried beef. Baggage wagons carried the provisions and rations in front end of the North Carolina soldiers as the men marched. This was done so that when the campsite was reached, the men could selection upwardly the rations from the wagons as they passed by.

In camp, cooking utensils were necessary because food was issued in raw course. A fix of cooking utensils was usually issued to every six or viii men. This included a kettle, cooking forks and spoons, and ofttimes a h2o bucket. Soldiers unremarkably provided their own forks, spoons, and knives to swallow with. They also needed a plate, usually made of forest or pewter, and a drinking cup. In the North Carolina Brigade, soldiers were non allowed to put whatever of their personal property in the baggage wagons when they were on the march. They had to carry their ain blankets, kettles, and other personal items.

In 1777 it was ordered that each soldier would receive one pound of flour or bread, one and one-half pound of beef or pork, and one quart of beer per day. Each week he would receive 5 pints of peas, ane pint of meal, and six ounces of butter. Vinegar was issued on occasion and rum was issued to those men working around the camp and on guard duty. It was recommended that the men should always boil or roast their provisions.

Supply Shortages

Often information technology was hard to get supplies, and the shortages hurt the state of war effort. The North Carolina troops planned an expedition to Georgia and Florida, but it failed for lack of supplies. One officer dedicated General Robert Howe of North Carolina, stating that the public was "throwing a thousand reflections on the General and the army for non marching to attack the enemy and storm lines, without provisions and without armament." The officeholder elaborated, "What can exist more barbarous than crowding eight, ten, and twelve men into 1 tent, and oblige those who cannot go far, to sleep in the heavy dews?" Ten to fifteen men were using 1 camp kettle and half-dozen to viii men were sharing i canteen. Sometimes when supplies were issued, in that location was defoliation as to whether they were meant for the Continental Line troops or the state militia regiments.

With poor shelter and nutrient, and lack of sanitary conditions, thousands of soldiers fell seriously ill and many died. Overcrowding in tents and hospitals caused the diseases to spread. Soldiers sent to hospitals with ane disease often caused a second i while they were there. In an effort to prevent sickness, the North Carolina Brigade was often ordered to clean their military camp and warned not to throw bones and scraps of meat around their tents. The troops were ordered to go along themselves equally clean equally possible. Viii pounds of lather was distributed each week to every hundred men. A general gild in 1777 called for the North Carolina Continental troops to shave their beards and to be properly dressed in regimental uniforms.

The Continentals and militiamen from Northward Carolina were never supplied equally well as some of the soldiers from the wealthier or more than industrial states. Withal, they seemed to make upwards for their lack of supplies and equipment with their willingness to endure hardship. At Valley Forge during the cruel wintertime of 1777–1778, the North Carolina Brigade had the lowest number of desertions of any state although it was the poorest in provisions and clothing. Maybe by this fourth dimension, the North Carolinians had grown accustomed to doing without.

Later on General Cornwallis retreated to Wilmington and then to Virginia in 1781, the Northward Carolina militia generally controlled the land and its resources. Food and equipment were supplied more regularly to its troops fighting in South Carolina and elsewhere. Later on Cornwallis surrendered to Full general Washington in October, the shortages the Carolina troops experienced were due more than to a general feeling that the war was over and Due north Carolinians did not have to worry and so much nigh supplying the army.

1 January 1992 | Durham, J. Lloyd