Blunderbuss-Packin' Mama Typical of Armed Patriots

Wall St. Journal ^ | 2-12-04 | Nancy Ann Holtz

[Pharmboy]

Kimberley Strassel (de gustibus, Taste page, Weekend Journal, Feb. 6) reminds us of historian Michael Bellesiles's discredited claim that many fewer colonists had guns than previously supposed.

In Page Smith's "A People's History of the American Revolution" we learn that close to 90% of the rebel soldiers came from farms, where hunting was part of daily life. But even in towns people were armed. A British soldier looting Cambridge wrote that "even women had firelocks. One was seen to fire a blunderbuss between her father and her husband from their windows. . . ." Boston patriots, ordered to surrender their firearms, "turned in 1,778 muskets, 634 pistols, 973 bayonets, and 38 blunderbusses" -- this "in a city of some 16,000." Mr. Smith writes that, with a number of weapons already taken out of the city by patriots, "it is probably not far off the mark to say that every other Bostonian over the age of 18 possessed some sort of firearm."

Nancy Ann Holtz Beverly, Mass.

[lentulusgracchus]

But they could have melted and recast the lead.

Assuming they got it all back......how likely is that? Moreso if they used copper balls, like the Mexicans did, much less so if they used lead. That ball would have had to strike nothing but soft tissue on every hit, not to have been badly deformed and fragmented.

Occam's razor.

[katana]

The Brits took great exception to rifemen targeting the officers first. Not quite cricket.

Different war, but during a tour of the Battle of New Orleans field our guide pointed out how nice it was for the British foot soldiers to wear wide crossed white belts forming an "X" over their hearts that could be seen from a couple hundred yards. Many of their opponents, of course, were Kentucky Long Riflemen who (as the article states) considered squirrel pie a staple food.

[Ancesthntr]

Here's someone else who you wouldn't have wanted to be ticked off at you:

A description of the attack on the British Troops returning from Concord Mass. to Boston on April 19, 1776.

"It was also in Menotony that the Briitish met their most formidable individual opponent, the aged Sam Whittemore. An old soldier who was out to stop the British even if he had to do it all by himself. Whittemore,who in his younger days had commanded a troop of dragoons for the Crown, was a tough customer, and always had been. The Middlesex Court Records for January 1741 show that he was hauled into court for expressing publicly his opinion that one Colonel Vassal was no more fit for selectman than his horse was; whereupon Colonel Vassal had him clapped in jail and sued him for defamation of character, claiming damages of L10,000. The court ruled that the words were not actionable, and when Whittemore heard the verdict he commenced action against the colonel for "false and malicious imprisonment" and recovered L1,200 damages.

Now eighty years old, Whittemore was not the kind of man to be cowed by a mere 1,500 redcoats. Having heard that the British had marched through town, he spent the day preparing his own private arsenal, which included a brace of pistols, a saber, and a musket. Then he loaded himself with his gear and told his wife he was going up town to meet the regulars.

He joined the men going into position near Cooper’s Tavern, where the road to Medford branches off to the north, and stationed himself 150 yards off the road, behind a stone wall that offered him a good view of the route to Boston. This location put him directly in the path of the flanking companies of Colonel Nesbitt’s 47th Regiment, as well as in the way of the main body.

When the heavy firing began, Whittemore waited until the flankers were almost upon him, then fired his musket and dropped a regular in his tracks. He jumped up and fired off both pistols, killing at least one and possibly two more redcoats before a round hit him in the face and knocked him down. The men around him were driven back and the regulars, who lost several men getting across the Medford Road, leaped over the wall as Whittemore fell and bayonetted him again and again. Then they moved on, satisfied that they had killed at least one of their elusive tormentors. But with his face half shot away and thirteen bayonet wounds in him, Sam Whittemore survived and lived to be almost a hundred years old, always insisting that if he had to live that day over he would do the same thing again. "

From The Minute Men by John R. Galvin, Brassey’s 1989 p.220-221.
_________________

Geez, 80 years old and he not only grabs a bunch of weapons and walks who knows how far with them to fight, but he waits until his attackers are almost upon him! What a tough old bird - thanks to him and many of similar mind, we are free.

Now, folks, in light of this inspiring story, how many of you will be meekly handing over your firearms to the BATF#$%ers when guns are banned during the Kerry administration?

[Pharmboy]

OK--makes sense; thanks for the info.

[Pharmboy]

Thanks for posting. I read about him in another book about Lexington and Concord.

The description you posted had more detail.

[happygrl]

The American Revolution, by Sir George Otto Trevelyan, Longmans, Green and Company, 1903:

The Minute Men by John R. Galvin, Brassey’s 1989 p.220-221.

Thanks for thse references.

BTW, I am the direct descendent of a Lexington Minuteman, John Gibson, who was there with his four sons. We tend toward red-heads, so we remain convinced that it was one of our hot-headed ancestors who "fired the shot heard round the world."

[Pharmboy]

BTW, I am the direct descendent of a Lexington Minuteman, John Gibson...

Nice thing to have in the family tree. Thank you and your ancestors for letting mine in about one hundred years later--ya didn't HAVE to, y'know.

[SevenDaysInMay]

Recasting the lead ball each time.

Part of the shootist's kit was a mould designed for his custom rifle.

All arms were custom made because mass production was not yet invented.

[lentulusgracchus]

Part of the shootist's kit was a mould designed for his custom rifle.

Yes, I know, but what are the odds? As opposed to the odds against a little embroidery. OK, a lot of embroidery.

[MissAmericanPie]

"There was no question of justice, but of physical and mental custom which had become an engrained instinct."

Well that has certainly been bred out of a great number of Americans.

[tpaine]

Pharmboy:
But they could have melted and recast the lead.

Assuming they got it all back......how likely is that?

Quite likely. The lead they used was fairly soft, and held together well at the low velocities.

Moreso if they used copper balls, like the Mexicans did,

Mexicans of the day commonly used copper? First I heard of this one.. Copper was more plentiful than lead down there?

much less so if they used lead. That ball would have had to strike nothing but soft tissue on every hit, not to have been badly deformed and fragmented. Occam's razor.

The 'razor' of soft lead & fairly low MV's would make it rather easy to recover bullets.. Even ones that struck bone.

But 40 times? Granted, the bull was probably being slung, & more than a bit..

[CrazyIvan]

I believe he was hunting rabbit. A patched, hard cast round ball with a light load would both stop inside the game and deform little. I've hunted with a .54 Hawkins replica and even with the soft lead balls I use they stay fairly round if they don't hit bone. Wonder if I could do a little ballistics testing on this?

[El Gato]

Remember: the reason the Brits marched to Lexington Mass. was that they heard the colonists had arms stored out there.

Actually they heard Sam Adams was out there, along with other Patriot leaders, they were, but not when the Redcoats finally got there. The Regulars were also on their way to Concord, which is where they "heard" that the colonial militia stores were located. They were there too, and the Regulars burned some of them, although not the 3 militia cannon, which where buried (sans carriages, the Brits burned those) in a field not far from the "Old North Bridge". But they also ran into huge numbers of PO'd militia, who chased them back to Lexington, where a Regular relief column, with cannon, saved their bacon. Even the relief column was vastly outnumbered the every growning numbers of militia, some from tens of miles away. If it hadn't been for the cannon, most likely not a single Redcoat would have made it back to Boston. As it was many did not, including a couple felled at the "Old North Bridge" where the shooting started with the "shot heard 'round the world".

[El Gato]

Boston on April 19, 1776.

That would be 1775. The story of the "Old Men of Menotomy" is my favorite part of General Gavin's book. BTW, Menotomy is now known as Arlington.

[Ancesthntr]

You're correct. I just cut and pasted the text, and now I know that it is off by a year. Thanks.

[Charles Martel]

Can you imagine how flat that bullet would be, after only 20 hits? Never mind 40.

True. Might've been melted and re-cast over and over, though. I don't doubt that whenever lead might be recovered, they went looking for it.

[supercat]

Assuming they got it all back......how likely is that

Perhaps they added lead as needed each time. Sorta like the axe that's been in the family for generations, even though the handle's been replaced seven times and the head twice.

[lentulusgracchus]

Perhaps they added lead as needed each time.

Perhaps so, but still, that's some mighty fine shooting, which is generally still more difficult than mighty fine tale-telling. I still like my theory, thanks.

[lentulusgracchus]

Mexicans of the day commonly used copper? First I heard of this one..

Yes. They used copper balls in their smoothbore muskets during the 1836 campaign. I don't know why, but their use of copper for bullet material is documented. It would have accelerated to higher MV's, but given the poor accuracy of smoothbores, I don't know what the advantage would have been.

[lentulusgracchus]

I've hunted with a .54 Hawkins replica and even with the soft lead balls I use they stay fairly round if they don't hit bone.

That was my point.....the ball would have to be re-cast practically every other time, if not every time, and at some point it's fair to ask, OK, is that really the same musket-ball you used two years ago? Remember, there will be small losses to sprues, flashing, coating the crucible and so forth on every melt.