Prevost Rifles

[Cattywompuss]

Anyone know anything about the 300 rifles brought to North America in 1756 by Colonel James Prevost?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Well he was "Swiss", commissioned into the British Army under a rather new idea to recruit colonials as soldiers, and foreign officers from Europe who had woodland fighting experience as commanders. Captain James Prevost later Colonel Commandant aka Jacques Marcus Prevost of Geneva was commissioned an officer in the 62nd Regiment, later it was designated The 60th Regiment "Royal Americans". He was a contemporary of Henry Bouquet, but unlike Bouquet, he was not well liked and spent most of the F&I war away from the combat areas, and a lot of time in Europe.

It's likely that as Prevost did a LOT of recruiting in what is today Germanic, Swiss, and Western French areas, that any rifles he obtained had a good probability of being what we today call Jaeger style rifles. The regiment in North America consisted of about 4500 men and officers. The writings of Henry Bouquet indicate his thinking on the combining of men with rifles with normal muskets, and thus it's likely that the 300 rifles employed in what we'd call a "designated marksman" duty.., and were disbursed among the four battalions with about 3 or perhaps 4 rifles per 50-man company. (or 6 per 100 man company)

LD

 

[Cattywompuss]

Thanks for the answer!

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Thanks for the answer!

I'm sorry there isn't much that I can find on their actual origins.

LD

 

[Beau Robbins]

James wasn't alive in 1756.

 

[Cattywompuss]

James wasn't alive in 1756.

I think you'll find he lived from 1736 to 1781. Is there a joke I'm missing?

 

[Beau Robbins]

That's James' uncle, long before they had rifles.

 

[Cattywompuss]

That's James' uncle, long before they had rifles.

Is this trolling? Cause you have to know rifles predate the 18th Century.

 

[Cattywompuss]

That's James' uncle, long before they had rifles.

You're referring to the later James from the British Peninsular Campaign. We are talking about Jacques "James" Prevost of the pre-Revolutionary American period. I can understand your confusion.

 

[Cattywompuss]

Jacques Marcus Prevost - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Here is the most convenient link, but you will find that the man we are talking about certainly was born, and called James, and bought rifles for use in American during the middle of the 18th C. Prior to his later namesake being born.

 

[Beau Robbins]

Where's your source that the 60th had rifles prior to the 1790s?

 

[Cattywompuss]

Where's your source that the 60th had rifles prior to the 1790s?

No one has claimed they did. My original post did not allude to the Royal American regiment, but to 300 rifles purchased by Colonel James Prevost for use in America. Where is your source for buggering every reply you've made? You claim we aren't talking about the right guy. You claim rifles didn't exist prior to the 1790s, then you claim that others made claims that were never made. Either answer the original post, or sod off.

If you don't know anything about the rifles Prevost purchased, we do not need further replies from you.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Take it easy folks. Sometimes posters are not as precise as perhaps they should be.

That's James' uncle, long before they had rifles.

I understand this to be referring to the 60th regiment when he wrote "they"...

Where's your source that the 60th had rifles prior to the 1790s?

This appears to be an effort to clarify the "they" of his previous post.
It's also a misunderstanding of what I wrote, not the original post.

I merely pointed to the fact that speculation shows a connection between the known buyer of the 300 rifles, and a regiment here in North America. Not that said regiment had any rifles at all. In fact, while there is a record of sorts of 300 rifles being bought for use in the colonies..., without some sort of confirmation that they arrived, we today have no real proof that any rifles were actually bought, let alone shipped, arrived, distributed, and then used. It wouldn't be the first time that an officer ... padded.., his accounts, IF the fellow reported buying the rifles, but spent the money elsewhere. Again that too is speculation.

LD

 

[Cattywompuss]

Take it easy folks. Sometimes posters are not as precise as perhaps they should be.



I understand this to be referring to the 60th regiment when he wrote "they"...



This appears to be an effort to clarify the "they" of his previous post.
It's also a misunderstanding of what I wrote, not the original post.

I merely pointed to the fact that speculation shows a connection between the known buyer of the 300 rifles, and a regiment here in North America. Not that said regiment had any rifles at all. In fact, while there is a record of sorts of 300 rifles being bought for use in the colonies..., without some sort of confirmation that they arrived, we today have no real proof that any rifles were actually bought, let alone shipped, arrived, distributed, and then used. It wouldn't be the first time that an officer ... padded.., his accounts, IF the fellow reported buying the rifles, but spent the money elsewhere. Again that too is speculation.

LD

Your generous inferal is noted Dave, but I think you are being far too generous. Some folks think history is merely an excuse to be obtuse.