Dickert Barrel Lengths

[RUSELLLEEDORAN]

In doing family research, I found in Lyman Draper's "King's Mountain and It's Heroes" that about 200 men from Washington County, Virgina joined up with a large party of other overmountain men on their way to fight Ferguson and his men in the Carolinas. Draper mentions that most of the 200 men carried Dickert rifles and in his footnotes he says thay had 30 inch barrels. Jacob Dickert is reported to have become a journeyman about 1761, about 19 years before the battle of King's Mountain in October 1780. Is it possible that under the influence of early Germanic smiths and the Jaeger rifles with shorter barrels than the later developed longrifles, that some of the first Dickert rifles had the short barrels as reported by Draper. Perhaps Draper had a typo and the barrels were longer. I haven't found a source either written, from antigue auctions or reproductions that Dickerts had the short barrels.

My 5th G-grandfather and his son were in that company from Washington County and I plan on getting a rifle as close to what they likely carried as possible for my pleasure and for the family to keep.

Does anyone have any knowledge of shorter barreled Dickerts than the 42 inch or so more commonly available today?

Thanks, Fuzzy

 

[Mike Brooks]

Looks like a typo to me.

 

I'm with Mike, a typo, all Dickert's I've seen are 40" or longer, most longer than 42". Also all I've handled (3) had swamped barrels.

Bill

 

[RUSELLLEEDORAN]

Mike and Bill, Thanks for the feedback. Lyman Draper might have done a great job researching facts, but looks like proof-reading publications is another matter.
I 'preciate it guys, Fuzzy

 

[RUSELLLEEDORAN]

Oops. Lyman didn't publish this! So he's off the hook. Fuzzy

 

[Dphar]

In doing family research, I found in Lyman Draper's "King's Mountain and It's Heroes" that about 200 men from Washington County, Virgina joined up with a large party of other overmountain men on their way to fight Ferguson and his men in the Carolinas. Draper mentions that most of the 200 men carried Dickert rifles and in his footnotes he says thay had 30 inch barrels. Jacob Dickert is reported to have become a journeyman about 1761, about 19 years before the battle of King's Mountain in October 1780. Is it possible that under the influence of early Germanic smiths and the Jaeger rifles with shorter barrels than the later developed longrifles, that some of the first Dickert rifles had the short barrels as reported by Draper. Perhaps Draper had a typo and the barrels were longer. I haven't found a source either written, from antigue auctions or reproductions that Dickerts had the short barrels.

My 5th G-grandfather and his son were in that company from Washington County and I plan on getting a rifle as close to what they likely carried as possible for my pleasure and for the family to keep.

Does anyone have any knowledge of shorter barreled Dickerts than the 42 inch or so more commonly available today?

Thanks, Fuzzy

While not all American rifles were long at this time thinking that ALL the men in 200 man unit were armed with Dickerts is hard to believe, all with 30" barrels makes it impossible.
Anything under 40" at this time would rank as rare, in American arms at least.

Dan

 

[wulf]

Just a courious point...all of the people could
not have a 1780 model rifle. People did not all
have the latest up to date rifle all the time.
I think they had what ever they got even if old
and out of date...Example, watch all westerns and
see all the gun carriers had 1873 Colts and the
rifles were all Winchesters...I think many had
1851's and 60's well past 1873...Even today we
do all not have the latest car or truck...So some
of these early over the mountain men could have
had earlier guns than the long barreled Kentucky
Just a thought based on nothing.....Wulf

 

[tg]

Sounds kind of early for a large number of such guns the Trade Rifles of the 1830's (some types) had 30" barrels, I would go with the typo idea on this one.

 

[flintriflesmith]

The whole story of those men all carrying rifles made by a gunsmith several hundred miles away has largely been proven to be a mistake/myth/folk tale. There is no documentation to support the Draper story and lots that makes it very unlikely.

Most of those riflemen were locals and the odds are that many of them had locally made rifles.

Gary