![]() Infantry tactics of that time called for a fast-loading weapon that could produce a volume of fire, and the musket provided exactly this-volume without much accuracy. The musket was not very accurate, even at short ranges, but it did not have to be. For the warfare of the day, it was considered an excellent weapon. The basic infantry weapon of the 18th century, in Europe as well as the militia groups of the 13 American colonies, was the smoothbore musket. These men were used to living and fighting in the wilderness, and the accuracy of their firearms left British soldiers goggle-eyed. A few American “specialists” were employed by British units during the French and Indian War, and made quite an impression. They also used their weapons for entertainment-there were frequent turkey shoots, beef shoots, and target matches. An entire population of American backwoodsmen grew up with rifles, and marksmanship had become second nature to them. Boys were taught how to load and aim a rifle as soon as they were old enough to carry one. Rifles were used by settlers to supply meat for the table, as well as to defend themselves against Indians and robbers. In the frontier territory of Kentucky or Pennsylvania, a rifle was vitally important for survival, and every man became proficient in shooting at an early age. The rifle has “Liberty of Death” inscribed on the brass patchbox. Because it was such a hybrid, changed and modified by many so people in so many different places, it was most accurately called the American long rifle. Because the weapon had been modified over the years in a number of places, it was called by a variety of names: the Kentucky rifle, the Tennessee rifle, and the Pennsylvania rifle. It was long-between five and six feet in length-but graceful and well-balanced. This new hybrid was easier to carry in the field and used less powder than its more cumbersome ancestor.īy about 1750, the rifle that had been developed was light and deadly accurate. ![]() As they were taken to other colonies, including the backwoods of Virginia and Kentucky, the old country rifle evolved into something lighter and smaller, between. The original rifles were fairly heavy and of very large caliber, ranging from. The ancestor of the weapon used during the war was brought to William Penn’s colony in North America by German and Swiss immigrants. And the men who used it against them seemed to have a demonic talent for shooting-they never seemed to miss. To the British troops who were unfortunate enough to come up against it in combat during the Revolutionary War, the rifle was more an affliction than a weapon. By the mid-1700’s, the American long rifle had acquired an almost supernatural reputation.
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