Musket use in 18th century era

[Leadball loader]

In the posts asking about the comparison between the Bess and the Charleville muskets there was a discussion about durability and soldiers abuse of their muskets.
The soldiers and militia in the continental army spent more time carrying those cumbersome long arms than actually using them in formal battles. It provided ample conditions for damage to occur as forced marches and retreats in rough terrain was the norm.
The militia frequently threw away the French supplied Charleville in panic to escape trained British and Loyalist bayonet assaults and the British burned thousands of them.
The AWI was won by a strategy of continuous small unit actions after 1776 with the exception of a few major engagements.
The British rarely reaped great benefit from their victory’s and had to continuously seek safety in fortified positions.
The average soldier in the continental army gave their arms a strenuous life and the Charleville was the best arm to lug at only 10 lbs along with a rugged design.
That says a lot for durability

 

[Rat]

It's my understanding, which may be wrong, is that the lifespan of a musket in use was only about a year. ?? I don't know if that referred to any specific musket. Anyhow, read that somewhere. !!!!

 

[tenngun]

I don’t know how often but stocks were replaced regularly. Off hand I don’t recall the number of Charlie’s sent to America, but I do recall reading it and thinking that’s a lot more men then Washington ever commanded. And I bet any Bess captured went in to the public store. So much fighting was hand to hand I could imagine the percentage of musket loss in a battle was close to soldiers lost.

 

[hanshi]

Certainly a lot rougher on the muskets than simple FW&T.

 

[Artificer]

It's my understanding, which may be wrong, is that the lifespan of a musket in use was only about a year. ?? I don't know if that referred to any specific musket. Anyhow, read that somewhere. !!!!

Bailey, Goldstein/Mowbray and Gale in their respective works mention that British Ordnance considered the average "service life" of the Brown Bess to be between 8 -12 years in the hands of the British Military. Though they don't specifically mention it, that included War Time use. This is also part of the reason it seemed every time a new war came around in the 18th century, they were critically short of New Muskets at the beginning of each war. That doesn't mean a Bess that old could not be rebuilt, sold or given to the local Militia or the Colonies; as British Ordnance did that continually in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

I don't know of similar sources for French Muskets, but it would seem a service life for them around 8-12 years would not be too far off.

This also doesn't mean either type of Musket could not last much longer and be fit for service, if well taken care of and/or rebuilt while in civilian hands. MANY captured AWI British weapons were stripped of their locks, barrels and some of their furniture to build inexpensive muskets when the 1792 Federal Militia act required most able bodied men ages 18 to 45 to be armed.

"That every citizen so enrolled and notified, shall, within six months thereafter, How to be armed and accoutred. provide himself with a good musket or firelock, a sufficient bayonet and belt, two spare flints, and a knapsack, a pouch with a box therein to contain not less than twenty-four cartridges, suited to the bore of his musket or firelock, each cartridge to contain a proper quantity of powder and ball: or with a good rifle, knapsack, shot-pouch and powder-horn, twenty balls suited to the bore of his rifle, and a quarter of a pound of powder; and shall appear, so armed, accoutred and provided, when called out to exercise, or into service, except, that when called out on company days to exercise only, he may appear without a knapsack. 1803, ch. 15.That the commissioned officers shall severally be armed with a sword or hanger and espontoon, and that from and after five years from the passing of this act, all muskets for arming the militia as herein required, shall be of bores sufficient for balls of the eighteenth part of a pound. And every citizen so enrolled, and providing himself with the arms, ammunition and accoutrements required as aforesaid, shall hold the same exempted from all suits, distresses, executions or sales, for debt or for the payment of taxes."

Gus

 

[Elnathan]

Gus,

If you want an extreme example of a rebuilt gun serving long after its life expectancy was up, head over to ALR and have a look at the "Flintlock Wall/Rampart Gun" topic in the Antiques section. German barrel with an integral wall hook, possibly as old as 1590, possibly reproofed and certainly restocked around towards the end of the 17th century, and with a good claim to having been used along the West Virginian frontier as late as 1778.

Given its size it certainly wasn't used all that often, which might account for its longevity, but it is still an impressive lifespan. I think Grinslade's book has some examples of 18th century fowling pieces stocked around recycled matchlock-era barrels, too.

 

[Artificer]

Very interesting. Thank you! Always thought a Wall Gun would have been more handy in early forts on the frontier than even small artillery pieces. Much easier to move around the walls of a fort to shoot where needed and possibly/probably more accurate and effective as well.

The Gunsmith John Brush, who came to Williamsburg,VA in 1717 and died there in 1726, also did work converting a fair number of matchlock guns to early English Flintlocks and they were used for many years afterwards on game and for Militia Duty.

Gus