Militia Fowlers?

[Smokey Plainsman]

Throughout my years I’ve read that during the revolution, some minutemen and militias carried there personal hunting fowling pieces off to the battles.

Any truth in this? Personally I find this hard to believe from a logistical standpoint.

Would standard military-styled paper cartridges have been used by these men? If so, then how in the world would they have kept ammunition supplied for the various bore sizes of these fowlers vs the standardized military musket bore sizes?

I assume these militiamen would have just used common civilian wadding methods and their powder horns etc. for loading, probably casting their own ball with the mold that came with their gun??

Thanks,

-Smokey

 

[Tumbledown]

There is lots of truth in it. Not so much for minutemen, who were equipped and paid by the towns they served, but definitely for the Average Joe who showed up when the fighting started. Firelocks were in critically short supply and men often received a bounty for turning out with their own arms.

The thing to remember is those men of militia duty age, particularly in New England, were required to have arms of suitable bore and a set amount of powder and ball. There would not have been a huge variation in ball size.

As for wadding, I'd like to know those civilian methods myself. It could be something so ubiquitous no one wrote it down. I know during the F&W Wars, men were expected to have cartridges on hand (typically 9), but still carry loose powder and ball for regular use and keep the cartridges for surprise or nighttime battles when loading was harder.

 

[rchas]

Smooth bore barrels were more regulated than one might think. Just as the English and French standardized their muskets to 11 gauge (.75) and 14 gauge (.69) respectively, fowler and trade gun barrels were typically 20 gauge (.62) or 24 gauge (.57). Complete trade guns and barrels were cheap enough to import that it made little sense to try and manufacture smoothbore barrels here.

 

[ronaldrothb49]

The militia at that time was actually a two tier system. they had the Provincial Militia which during times of emergency you would enlist in for the duration. The colonies usually had stocks of obsolete muskets which would be issued to them. It is questionable how many of those would be serviceable at any given time. For the actual militia you would be required to furnish your own firelock and ammunition for it when you were called up. During the siege of Boston you find Militia commander's complaining of men showing up without a weapon and they had nothing to supply them with.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Thank you all. It now makes sense that they were standardized as to bore diameter.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Smooth bore barrels were more regulated than one might think. Just as the English and French standardized their muskets to 11 gauge (.75) and 14 gauge (.69) respectively, fowler and trade gun barrels were typically 20 gauge (.62) or 24 gauge (.57). Complete trade guns and barrels were cheap enough to import that it made little sense to try and manufacture smoothbore barrels here.

I see, sir. Would that mean there would have been .62 caliber paper cartridges made and available for those militiamen armed with fowlers from home?

 

[smoothshooter]

Throughout my years I’ve read that during the revolution, some minutemen and militias carried there personal hunting fowling pieces off to the battles.

Any truth in this? Personally I find this hard to believe from a logistical standpoint.

Would standard military-styled paper cartridges have been used by these men? If so, then how in the world would they have kept ammunition supplied for the various bore sizes of these fowlers vs the standardized military musket bore sizes?

I assume these militiamen would have just used common civilian wadding methods and their powder horns etc. for loading, probably casting their own ball with the mold that came with their gun??

Thanks,

-Smokey

Not hard to believe at all. The Rebels and even Loyal Militia needed men and guns.
No regimental commander would turn down a volunteer that brought their gun for at least a short-term enlistment.
Down the road, guns with more standard sized bores would replace guns with non-military bore sizes as they became available.
It is important to remember that in most engagements an individual soldier fired very few shots, if any. Perhaps only 3 to 10.

 

[smoothshooter]

In a way I can understand why a volunteer or militia member called up would show up without a gun even if they owned one or more at home.
If if was of a non-standard military bore size, and the organization you were reporting to had some regulation muskets, your privately owned gun would likely be taken from you and maybe stashed someplace, and very subject to being stolen. There was no Fed Ex or UPS of course for you to ship your personal gun back home when you were issued a musket. Many would have chosen to leave their personal gun(s) home where they would not be sold off or stolen. Especially if home was some distance away.
I have never really seen any historical documentation supporting my theory, but human nature does not change over the centuries, and it does make sense.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Ot they would bring an unserviceable gun that would have to be replaced with one of standard bore size.

 

[skwerleater]

When learning about the F&I war, when militia was raised out of Long Island to assault Fort Ticonderoga, I remember reading that men were issued, among other items, a musket, a coat and a blanket. Those are three pretty important items if your out on campaign, or if you didn’t own them already

 

[rchas]

I see, sir. Would that mean there would have been .62 caliber paper cartridges made and available for those militiamen armed with fowlers from home?

Good question. Based on the militia laws, which usually required males to muster with a firearm with a cartridge box with 12 rounds, or equivalent loose ball and powder, and the fact that the Continental's preferred the Brown Bess (although 30,000 or so French Charleville muskets were imported) I am going to say that was unlikely. I think if you brought your gun you brought your ammunition, and probably tried to get a military musket as soon as you could.

 

[Clark Badgett]

Good question. Based on the militia laws, which usually required males to muster with a firearm with a cartridge box with 12 rounds, or equivalent loose ball and powder, and the fact that the Continental's preferred the Brown Bess (although 30,000 or so French Charleville muskets were imported) I am going to say that was unlikely. I think if you brought your gun you brought your ammunition, and probably tried to get a military musket as soon as you could.

30,000 French guns? Closer to 4x that number. They brought in about 30,000 Spanish muskets, and those were much more rare. If you are referring to the AWI that is.