Something folks may not know about Virginia is what Tidewater and Piedmont means. Tidewater is the far eastern edge of Virginia near to the Ocean. Going west to the flatter coastal plains land beyond that has long been called the Piedmont and that goes to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains further west. To give you an idea of where the Tidewater ends and the Piedmont begins, Fredericksburg, VA is considered to be on the border between the Tidewater and Piedmont. Fredericksburg is almost exactly halfway between Washington, DC to the North and Richmond, Va to the South. The Rappahannock River runs past Fredericksburg and though it is about 50 miles to the ocean at that point, this river is STILL tidal that far west.
Some may be interested in the following:
“David and William Geddy advertised their trade in Hunter's Virginia Gazette, August 8, 1751.
(plain text of the advertisement)
David and William Geddy Smiths in Williamsburg, near the church, having all manner of utensils requisite, carry on the Gunsmith’s, Cutler’s and Founder’s Trade, at whose Shop may be had the following work, Viz.
Gun Work, such as Guns and pistols Stocks, plain or neatly varnished, Locks and Mountings,
Barrels blued, bored and rifled;”
Also this is interesting:
“Cutlers Work, as”¦”¦”¦., Sword Blades polished,
blued and gilt in the neatest manner”
http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/trades/tradegunfou.cfm?showSite=mobile
This is one of the earliest advertisements in Virginia for rifling barrels (if not the earliest), BUT it was for a service to cut rifling into smooth barrels, rather than making complete rifles. There is no clear evidence complete rifles were made in Tidewater Williamsburg earlier or a bit later than this. IF complete rifles had been made in the Tidewater region around 1750 or earlier, it almost assuredly would have been in Williamsburg or maybe Norfolk, but Norfolk also draws a bust for rifle making that early.
I was HOPING to find a gunsmith in the area of Fredericksburg, VA (on the border between the Tidewater and Piedmont) who was making rifles in the FIW period. My intention was I could see if I liked the work to copy it, but there was no evidence of rifle making there until the AWI. There MAY have been some rifle making going on in Orange County during the FIW period, which is 38 miles west of Fredericksburg, but the evidence is only sketchy at best.
According to the information from many trips to the Gun Shop at Colonial Williamsburg over the years, Virginia Rifle Making began in the James River Basin Area of the Shenandoah Valley. These rifles were made by German or German descended gunsmiths as noted earlier.
However, there is at least some documentation of rifle usage in Fredericksburg during the early part of the AWI and before the Hunter Iron Works/Rappahannock Forge began producing rifles there.
“In the summer of 1776 the Continental Congress requested Virginia to furnish six galleys for the protection of convoys transporting troops across Chesapeake Bay. In response to the request the state decided to build more substantial vessels than those it had so far hired or was building. The Virginia Navy Board authorized four galleys.1”
http://www.awiatsea.com/sn/VA/Drag... Markham Singleton Travis Chandler Joel].html
I have found two references for Virginia Militia who were enlisted as Virginia Colony/State Marines for the Galley/Sloop of War Dragon, laid down in Fredericksburg in the autumn of 1776. The Dragon’s builder was Colonel Fielding Lewis, who also had an interest in the Rappahannock Forge. The Marines who were to eventually serve aboard the Dragon, were being recruited at the time the Dragon was laid down. In one case, it was noticed one Virginia State Marine had his rifle stolen and another Marine had just the lock of his rifle stolen. These were indeed Rifles and not smoothbores, BTW. The problem is there was no record of where these Marines had enlisted and brought their personal rifles with them when they enlisted.
Bottom line, though rifle USAGE goes back in Virginia to the FIW and before, the evidence is when they were made at that time, they would have been made in the German manner by those who came from Pennsylvania. So Virginia can not claim to be the origin of the American Long Rifle.
Gus