If I was a man living on the frontier during the revolution what would I have carried?

[Coinneach]

they were different in one way, they didn’t go forth to war..
Man, his wife children and any stock went forth to settle. He wants a farm, or a place to practice his skill if he is a blacksmith or cooper or such. The last thing he wants is a fight.
A Hunter/trapper wants his game, get as much skins as he can and get back to the trading post.
A trader wanted to set up a place to trade. None are looking for a fight.
And even in the bad years of conflict we can’t compare the frontier to Vietnam or France in ‘44, or a mud brick village in the near east. And the bad years of conflict were outnumbered by the good.
The frontier was a big space. As well settled areas just became less and less settled a little mor rough and ready.

Valid points, I approached it from the position of a Long Hunter or Trapper and what his attitude to carrying "Ammo" being Powder and Ball would be.

There are times when I curse the insidious influence of Dan'l Boone and D. Crocket portrayed by Fess Parker, in Disneyland movies during my misspent boyhood.

 

[Cvkotvkse]

I was implying heavily forested as the original old growth of that era. Lots of areas near forts were of course burned and cleared, but what i meant as the wind not being much of a factor was that, when I living in the Eastern mountains, with their knobby hills and twisted valleys, the landscape blocks the wind and chops it up and diverts it in so many directions, that its force was insignificant, and with most shots in heavily (mature) forested mountains, the wind wasnt really a factor with the majority of shots being under 150 yards... yes, you could get to a vantage and see across a valley for 100s of yards, but you could not see what lies beneath the opposite valley's tree canopy. And even in open areas, that were burned out and cleared where the forts tended to be, the landscape chops up the wind to the point that, for example, when i lived and hunted in the eastern mountains, the weather forecast could be 40 mph winds, and north, but when you went out to hunt, the winds were actually a calm 10 mph, and thermal dominated... you learned to just not check the forecast...climb to the highest peak in that area, and yes, you will find a 40 mph north wind...but that is a single point on the landscape. Some forts on high ridges and hills, likely did have enough wind that some crack shots became familiar with it, but often, forts were adjacent to an impassible boundary, which tended to also block the wind, and positioned just high enough to overlook the only pass into the area. And often they were built up put of desperation and ignorance, in a low inopportune area, without any vantage and certainly no wind, by the mere terrified and isolated settlers of that era, who sent runners asking for help from reinforcements from the militia which never came, which lead to people being trapped for months at a time, sending their boldest out to hunt and gather water.

Then you also have cases like guys shooting at canoes across the ohio river, for instance, with its valley forming a wind tunnel channeling wind down its length, and realizing that their balls were splashing far to the left or right, and adjusting their point of aim. It did happen... but those are more isolated instances and occasional dealings with...its not like out here in this area on the prairie where you can literally see for 15 miles, there is no cover, and are guaranteed the wind is unidirectional, unobstructed, and always blowing at 40 mph. In general, out east it just wasn't a constant factor.eer

The issue is not the effect of wind on a ball in flight, but the effect of scent on a deer's nostrils... Even a 5-10 mph breeze will carry enough scent to spook a deer 200 yds. downwind, so the longer my range of effective fire, the less of a threat errant breezes and windshifts might be.

 

[Artificer]

OK, just found the 5 year old thread I talked about earlier. It has LOADS of original quotes and information, some of which may be very surprising to some folks here.

If interested, I invite you to take a look.

18th Century Rifle Accuracy | The Muzzleloading Forum

Gus

 

[tenngun]

The issue is not the effect of wind on a ball in flight, but the effect of scent on a deer's nostrils... Even a 5-10 mph breeze will carry enough scent to spook a deer 200 yds. downwind, so the longer my range of effective fire, the less of a threat errant breezes and windshifts might be.

I’ve shot deer at seven yards, with the wind at my back. He was snorting and looking, he had just stepped out of a persimmon grove.
Fish oil and rancid bear grease were Indians skin routine. I think scent is more important to companies that sell little bottles of stuff then to game.

 

[Cattywompuss]

I’ve shot deer at seven yards, with the wind at my back. He was snorting and looking, he had just stepped out of a persimmon grove.
Fish oil and rancid bear grease were Indians skin routine. I think scent is more important to companies that sell little bottles of stuff then to game.

This is true, but not always. I've watched a buck about to cross my entry trail and stop dead at it. Sniff it, and bolt. But I've also seen em walk through heavily "contaminated" areas without blinking.

 

[Ohio Rusty]

I have been reading the book: Travels Through the States of North America, and the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, During the Years 1795, 1796, and 1797. I came across an interesting 18th century first person narrative about the gun calibers the indians preferred to use:
At day-break the next morning I took the boat, and went on shore to join a party that, as I had been informed the preceding evening, was going a bear hunting. On landing, I found the men and dogs ready, and having loaded our guns we advanced into the woods. The people here, as in the back parts of the United States, devote a very great part of their time to hunting, and they are well skilled in the pursuit of game of every description. They shoot almost universally with the rifle gun, and are as dextrous at the use of it as any men can be. The guns used by them are all imported from England. Those in most estimation carry balls of the size of thirty to the pound; in the States the hunters very commonly shoot with balls of a much smaller size, sixty of them not weighing more than one pound; but the people in Canada are of opinion that it is better to use the large balls, although more troublesome to carry through the woods, as they inflict much more destructive wounds than the others, and game seldom escapes after being wounded by them.

The hunters preferred the rifle gun according to the author. 30 ball to the pound is right at .54 caliber. the 60 ball to the pound he mentions would be about a .440 round ball. I agree with the author about .54 caliber. The .54 will drop any animal on the north american continent.

 

[Cattywompuss]

I have been reading the book: Travels Through the States of North America, and the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, During the Years 1795, 1796, and 1797. I came across an interesting 18th century first person narrative about the gun calibers the indians preferred to use:
At day-break the next morning I took the boat, and went on shore to join a party that, as I had been informed the preceding evening, was going a bear hunting. On landing, I found the men and dogs ready, and having loaded our guns we advanced into the woods. The people here, as in the back parts of the United States, devote a very great part of their time to hunting, and they are well skilled in the pursuit of game of every description. They shoot almost universally with the rifle gun, and are as dextrous at the use of it as any men can be. The guns used by them are all imported from England. Those in most estimation carry balls of the size of thirty to the pound; in the States the hunters very commonly shoot with balls of a much smaller size, sixty of them not weighing more than one pound; but the people in Canada are of opinion that it is better to use the large balls, although more troublesome to carry through the woods, as they inflict much more destructive wounds than the others, and game seldom escapes after being wounded by them.

The hunters preferred the rifle gun according to the author. 30 ball to the pound is right at .54 caliber. the 60 ball to the pound he mentions would be about a .440 round ball. I agree with the author about .54 caliber. The .54 will drop any animal on the north american continent.

Interesting that they had English guns. Well, not really with the British holding Canada, and American smiths probably unwilling to arm certain groups of natives. But still, English rifles in the hands of natives by 1794 is an interesting historical note. They weren't Bakers because they hadn't been produced yet, and obviously Bakers were a bigger caliber. Who was turning out trade rifles in Britain in 1795?

 

[tenngun]

Interesting that they had English guns. Well, not really with the British holding Canada, and American smiths probably unwilling to arm certain groups of natives. But still, English rifles in the hands of natives by 1794 is an interesting historical note. They weren't Bakers because they hadn't been produced yet, and obviously Bakers were a bigger caliber. Who was turning out trade rifles in Britain in 1795?

In 1795 at least the American government was suppling Indian tribes with rifles. They were not of a specific pattern as turned out under contract by various Smiths. This would continue till 1821.

 

[Artificer]

Further by 1795-7, England sent British made Trade Rifles were sent to the "the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada," as well, though the smoothbore trade gun was also very popular, if not more popular. I'm sure most of the English rifles mentioned by the author were sent there.

However, since the Americans were buying large quantities of English made locks to build American Trade rifles, I wonder if the author confused some or even all of them as totally "English made rifles?"

Gus

 

[Grenadier1758]

Even then, in the late 1790's, gun makers were well aware that a reliable flintlock was all about the lock and the English locks were the best and most affordable. Arsenals, such as Springfield and Harper's Ferry, could invest in making locks in house, but most individual gun makers would outsource the locks from a reliable supplier.

 

[GAHUNTER60]

In the long-running blog Frontier Partisans, author Jim Cornelius states (with no documentation) that most of Shelby`s men that crossed the mountains carried rifles made by Jacob Dickert in Pennsylvania.

Like I said, no documentation.

I did read somewhere that at least one "Deckhert" rifle was discussed in a piece from that era detailing the battle. Many researchers have stated that the author probably was talking about a Dickert rifle.

 

[William Lincoln]

Smooth bore flinter ,extra powder& Ball, and a trade Hawk for starters. Best water-resistant
clothing available and the best boots available with patching supplies--and a flask of
George Washington's best whiskey.