What were they carrying in north florida

[Shine]

As the title says. What was the common man carrying for a gun in 18th century northern florida?

 

[Brian6396]

I don't know the answer to that question, but I have to ask why someone in main would ask about florida?

 

[Shine]

Because im on my way LOL. You have to ask.

There is 4 feet of snow on my lawn.

 

[galamb]

Hmmm, something from the very early Traditions line of rifles (or another Spanish source).

Wasn't Florida mostly under Spanish rule until the mid/later part of the 18 Century??

Then the Brit's had it for a couple decades and then Spain again until the early part of the 19th Century.

So in the time period you are asking about something of Spanish or English origin would seem "most likely".

 

[54ball]

Florida was under Spanish rule from the 16th Century until 1763. In 1763 Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain at the close of the Seven Years War. France lost all territory and Spain controlled Louisiana.
Great Britain divided Florida into two Colonies, East and West Florida. Daniel Boone journeyed to West Florida before his forays into Kentucky but Rebecca refused to consider the subtropical and distant Floridas.

At the time of the Revolution there were 15 British Colonies. Since East and West Florida was sparsely populated and garrisoned by troops they remained loyal to the Crown and became a haven for Tories.

Spain, allied with the United States and France, invaded Florida from Louisiana in 1781. As a result Spain regained the Floridas.

Spain held Florida until 1818 when it was purchased by the US after Andrew Jackson's Invasion in the First Seminole War.

The population of Florida would be Spanish, French, English and African in settled areas like St. Augustine and Pensacola. In the interior were Muskogees and Africans who became known as the Seminole.

A large number of English Carolina Type G Trade Guns have been found in Florida. Spain did not have a strong gun trade with the Indians.

So most guns in Florida would be French or English types, mainly English. I'm sure you would find some Spanish guns too along with a few American longrifles.

 

[Patocazador]

Florida was very sparsely settled until the early 20th century. The climate, bugs, reptiles, disease and lack of roads discouraged settlers. The loggers came for the cypress and most of the people were in port towns .. Jacksonville, Cedar Key, Tampa, and Key West.
I read an account of a dentist who wanted to get to Tampa from the NE part of Florida in 1885. He had to buy a wagon and team and drive it to Cedar Key to book passage on a schooner to Key West. Because of bad weather he had to stay in Key West for almost 3 weeks until he could find passage back north to Tampa.

What all this is driving at is Florida was a frontier and the people here at the time probably used anything they could get their hands on. This applied to firearms as well as anything else.

 

[Brian6396]

Go figure. I was wearing shorts and tshirt all day :grin:

 

[Alden]

Early?
:wink:

Seven years and Rev War?
http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=15323
http://www.middlesexvillagetrading.com/MS1757.SHTML

I did NOT buy a Dixie when on sale because the guns are so close to the French and are genrally reviewed as being pretty poor historic reproductions, worse than the composite 2nd Model Bess that Pedersoli makes which, for any historical breadth baked into it, is still clearly a SLP Bess and a damned fine gun.

 

[curator]

In the early 18th century, few Native Americans in Florida had firearms. The Spanish government made it a capital crime to give a firearm to an Indian. Nonetheless, certain trusted caciques were issued obsolete firearms--mostly matchlock arquebus, often without ammunition. The Spanish garrisons in Pensacola and St. Augustine were armed with the 1696 Miquelet .69 caliber smoothbore musket. Spanish colonial militia often carried various miquelet escopeta (smoothbore fowlers) The unarmed state of the Florida Native peoples emboldened the well-armed Creek and Yamassee tribes who were raiding into Florida to capture slaves for the plantations of the English sugar islands. Spanish militia were often dispatched to villages under siege only to arrive a week or more after all the inhabitants had been carried away.

 

[Wes/Tex]

This kind'a stuff!
https://www.google.com/search?q=sp...mGcPfkgfNmYGgCw&ved=0CCYQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=667

PIck one or many! :thumbsup:

 

[matt denison]

Consider type G or Carolina guns. The original gun that our Early English was coppied from came from Florida.

 

[FishDFly]

"As the title says. What was the common man carrying for a gun in 18th century northern florida?"

Bow and arrow?