Firearms were the premier item of trade, introduced to North American in the 17th century. For Natives, they made hunting for both personal provisions and trade much more efficient. Tribes guarded their contacts with traders and expected that among the trade goods provided to them for treaties, use of hunting range, or their services as auxiliaries would be a generous supply of weapons. When colonial officials tried to curtail trade in firearms, rebellions could erupt, as with Pontiac's Rebellion in 1764, one of the issues being the less generous trade goods distribution by British officials, most notably firearms and ammunition, as well as alcohol. Smoothbore muskets known as trade muskets were mass produced in England and France and shipped to North America as part of the firearms trade.
For settlers, too, life in a new country meant adapting to different environments. firearms that might be efficient in war, such as the musket, were not as effective for hunting. Guns ran the gamut from muskets to fowling pieces, meant to shoot birds and smaller game, to rifles. The advantage of a rifle over a musket was obvious. Groves in the barrel and a longer barrel put a stabilizing spin on the projectile and allowed it to travel over longer distances to reach the target animal. A hunter could stay concealed and hope to bring down an animal several yards away. He could use the same tactics when pursuing, or being pursued by, a human enemy. We'll take a look at two of the most famous types of weapons used on the frontier.
Trade guns went by a variety of names, fusil, fuse, Carolina musket, London fusil, Northwest gun or Mackinaw gun, depending on the time period and area of the country. Trading companies requisitioned large numbers of these basic smoothbore muskets and trade them to Natives for beaver pelts in the fur trade. They established a table of pelts per item, so many pelts for shot and powder, so many for a pistol and more for a rifle. Like many mass produced items then and now, these guns could be shoddy. There were reports of explosions from improperly made weapons. Although some of these traders offered rifles, the preferred weapon of choice for Natives were the muskets, readily available, efficient to load and use, and not hard to replace if needed.
On the other hand, settlers preferred rifles, particularly those known as Kentucky or Pennsylvania Rifles, or simply Long Rifles. These weapons were initially developed in the 18th century by German gunsmiths and may have been inspired by a similar rifle, the Jaeger rifle, used for mountain hunting in Germany. In contrast to the trade muskets, the Long Rifles were custom made by gunsmiths and some could feature fine woods and elaborate scrolling or other artwork on the works of the gun. An experienced smith hand to know woodworking, metalworking and other skills to produce one of these weapons. They were prized by their owners, who sometimes gave them names. Daniel Boone is reported to have called one of his rifles Tick Licker, owing to the supposed ability to shoot a tick off a target animal. Davy Crockett referred to his weapon as Old Betsy. These guns were the staple of American frontiersmen and militias through the Seven Years War (1755-1763), the American Revolution (1775-1783), the Northwest Indian War (1785-1795), and the War of 1812 (1812-1814). Their most prized feature was accuracy at long distances, up to 250 yards from an intended target. However, an American marksman at Saratoga, Timothy Murphy, shot a Redcoat general, Simon Fraser, at Saratoga at about 300 yards away. He also shot an aide from Fraser's superior, General Burgoyne, bringing a message about a change in plans for that wing of the army. Murphy's kills seriously disrupted British operations on that portion of the battlefield.
The popularity of the Long Rifle declined in the early 20th century as newer weapons came into use and the old ways of making them died out. They are now a staple of reenactors and hobbyists who enjoy recreating and using them.
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