Flintlock at Gettysburg

[hawkeye1755]

Seventy-two year old John L. Burns dropped everything to fight for his country in the battle of Gettysburg.From his house, Burns could see the armies of the Union and the Confederacy locked in battle at Gettysburg. At first he stopped what he was doing and just watched. Then he grabbed his rifle and ran to fight when the 150th Pennsylvania came to reinforce the Union forces at the end of the first day.Burns fought successfully on the second day, but he was wounded on the third, probably as he was defending the ridge against Pickett's charge. Even though wounded, he kept fighting until the battle was over. Since he was not a regular solider, he simply went home at the battle's end and resumed his normal life.But his life soon became anything but "normal". The story of his bravery quickly got out among his friends and neighbors and then spread all over the nation as his cobbler shop was visited by many reporters, myself among them. Burns was now a national hero, "the old hero of Gettysburg", as the press calls him.

What rifle did he use?
:hatsoff:

 

[Trot]

Well, the story is a little messed up. While Burns supposedly had a flintlock musket he did not use it in the fight, he was given an Enfield percussion rifle musket to use in the battle. He only fought on the first day of the battle on the McPherson farm, he was wounded three times on July 1 and went home.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

What rifle did he use?
:hatsoff:

The gun shown in the photograph is likely the personal property of Mr. Burns and is not a rifle, it is a military surplus M1816 smoothbore flintlock musket converted to civilian use ase a shotgun or foweler by removing the wooden forend and barrel bands.

 

[Wehrmacht]

Thanks,Mr.Hern, for posting this info.

Last spring while scrounging the Southern Appalachians in my home county up in the Georgia Mountains for original Gillespie rifles, I came across an old half stock 16ga smoothbore that for the world looks like it had at some point been a military piece.The stock profile is very much like the M1816 in the photo that Andreas posted. The more I look at this piece,the more I'm sure that it is former military. An old widow lady had it,said her Ggrandad had used it during the War.But you know how that is...every old muzzleloader you find down here was "used during the War" :winking:

Andreas, I am always in awe at your interest in our history, and most especially in your knowledge! Why don't you bring your Tochter and come on over and join us? Remember, between 20% and 25% of our population originated in Deutschland, and we can ALWAYS use more good pepole :bow:

 

[almrl]

After Fredericksburg, the Confederates salvaged 9,091 weapons off the battlefield. Among these were "at least 13 flintlocks."

These, however, may have been Confederate weapons turned in by Secesh scroungers who kept the new ones they had found.

Grant did this after Vicksburg, keeping the Confederate imported Enfields and turning in 60,000 of his men's smoothbores.

Old Coot

 

[flintlockmdj]

Yeah I know what you mean. I have seen guns that could not possibly have been used in "the wah" that the owners would swear grandpa used when he fought Sherman.

 

[Brasilikilt]

I think I remember seeing something about this same story on the History channel a few years back

I'm almost 100 certain of it

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

I think I remember seeing something about this same story on the History channel a few years back

I'm almost 100 certain of it

Yes you did. His story was featured in the series they do on "The Ghosts of Gettysburg". It is background to the story of his being haunted by several ghostly events on the battlefield throughout the rest of his life.

 

[windsor]

Oh man. My last name is Burns and I have family from that area. I wonder! :shocked2:

 

[Speedy]

Montgomery Burns by chance? :winking:

 

[Trot]

The John Burns story is one of the many fascinating human interest stories of the battle of Gettysburg. The story has been told and retold so many times it is sometimes hard to tell fact from fiction. Indisputable is that John Burns,somewhere around 70 yrs. old and who may or may not have been a veteran of the war of 1812, grabbed his flintlcok musket and went to help defend his town. He reported to an officer of the 150th PAV, and asked if he could fight. The officer said if he was going to fight he needed a proper rifle and had an Enfield rifle musket brought for him. Burns fought alongside the Pennsylvania Bucktails for the remainder of July 1 recieving three wounds. When the Union forces were pushed back in the afternoon Burns found his way back to his home to recover. The battle raged for two more days but without Burns participation. When Lincoln dedicated the national cemetery in November he asked to meet the old hero, and attended church services with him.