By 1756, North Carolina Militiamen were required and be "provided with a well fixed Gun, and a Cartridge Box, and a Sword, Cutlass or Hanger, and have at least nine Charges of Powder and Ball, or Swan Shot, and three spare Flints, and a Worm and Picker...". Having previously mentioned the great Hyde County NC Militia list, (with a tip of the hat to Jas. Rogers who posted it a long time ago) I thought exploring the stats and likely forms from that list might be worthwhile. In the list, 57 individual arms are named by type, giving us a fantastic glimpse of the variety in use in this coastal county during the French and Indian War. They are shown below in order of commonality in this militia company.
English fowling pieces (or as sometimes termed shotguns) were likely the most common civilian firearm in British North America at this time. Fowling pieces were multi purpose guns that could fire a ball or smaller shot, and came in a wide range of lengths, quality and embellishment. Prices varied accordingly, but were typically 1/2, 5/8 or 3/4 inch bored with four foot or longer barrels.
The North Carolina Museum of History collections database includes a Richard Wilson marked 54 inch 20 gauge barrel in what appears to be an early 19th century restocked gun marked "Caleb Crews" and "MARCH 15/ 1781 " on the buttplate. Crews was born in Virginia in 1738, migrated to Granville County, NC and fought at the battle of Guilford Court house on that date. (H.1989.97.1).
Fuzees = 10 total (17.5%)
An ambiguous term, in this instance "Fuzees" most likely means cheap Indian trading or "Carolina" guns instead of the lightweight military style muskets which were also sometimes called the same thing. NC had previously utilized Indian Trading Guns for militia use in the 1740s.
These typically featured smaller bored four foot barrels, sheet brass furniture and lower grade locks. The Annely Bristol made trade musket pictured above is shown in more detail on page 138,-139 in Hanson's Firearms of the fur trade. Images of a trade fusil by Bumford can be found here.
English Buccaneer muskets were at this point, outdated club butt muskets, generally made with long barrels, 3 screw (frequently "dog") locks, and were popular in the Caribbean and African trade. North Carolina probate inventories turn up a good number of these prior to the Revolution. The doglock pictured above from the Swedish Royal Armoury collection is shown in more detail on page 136,-137 in Hanson's Firearms of the fur trade and has a 50 inch barrel.
North Carolina's 1756 Militia act authorized:
"Troops of light Horse, in any County of this Province; which Troop or Troops, so appointed, shall be exempt from mustering in any of the Foot Companies within their several Counties, and shall be mounted on Horses not less than fourteen Hands high, and accoutred with a good Case of Pistols, a Carabine, with a Swivel, Belt and Bucket, a broad Sword, and Cartridge Box, with twelve Charges of Powder and Ball, all of his own Property..."
"Carabines" or Carbines with Swivels in this period were generally 37-42 inch barreled musket style arms with a .65 inch (aka Carbine) bore or .75 inch (musket) bore, and a metal bracket opposite the lock side that held a ring or swivel for carrying the gun hands free while on horseback. Given the dearth of information about Tower carbines being imported for colonial militia use at this time, these were most likely commercially purchased. Despite the later legal exemption from infantry service for militia troopers, these carbines may represent men who were only partially equipped serving on foot vs. horseback. Cavalry equipment was in short supply in North Carolina. In a letter from William Mackenzie to Arthur Dobbs dated November 24, 1755 Mackenzie explained:
Should have sent you long ere now the number of Troopers und’r my Command, but my indisposition for Two Months past prevented me. I muster’d them twice & the greatest number that appear’d were Sixteen, not One of which was accouter’d according to law. I can’t fine them, as they are all willing to purchase the acoutriments fit for a Gent’n Trooper, but such is not to be had here.
The remainder (1%) of the arms in this list are unspecified. Although certainly not complete, this list gives us a great jumping off point for documented arms in North Carolina militia use for the French and Indian War, and for the opening phases of the American Revolution.
French Arms in North Carolina during the Revolutionary War
French arms seem to have been very rare in Pre Revolutionary War North Carolina. Cary and Kay's Slave Runaways in Colonial North Carolina (p23) mentions a runaway captured with a "French musket" in Chowan County near Mattacomack creek in June 1774; likely a pre 1754 model.In 1778 some North Carolina regulars in South Carolina received French muskets and bayonets while in Charleston. The pension application of North Carolina militiaman James Barnes
mentions that he "Marched to the Ten Mile House [SC] there we drew New
French Muskets &
left our old Guns that we set out with from home..." prior to becoming a
P.O.W. at the battle of Brier Creek on March 3, 1779. Barnes served in the Edgecombe county regiment under Captain Lee. North Carolina began seeing imported French arms in increasingly larger numbers by 1780, including 2,200 fifty year old French Rampart muskets.
North Carolina militia private Francis Myrick's pension application states that prior to the Battle of Guilford Court house in March of 1781"...when he was attached to Greene's Army his gun, shot bag and powder horn was taken from [him] and a musket and cartridge boxes was given to him in their stead." John Runyon's pension application states that "sometime in November 1781 Shortly after Surrender of Cornwallis he volunteered in the
said County & State aforesaid & entered the service under Captain Williams for one month for
the purpose of Guarding some Waggons that was going to Newbern [ sic, New Bern] N. C. to
bring off a quantity of Public Arms that was Deposited there I think they were principally French
muskets, we went to New Bern, got the Arms & brought them off and gave them up to Major
Hogan [sic, James Hogun?] at Duplin C. H. North Carolina. Served one month this tour.”
English Muskets
Both the pension applications of militia horseman William Peters and militiaman Isaac Johnson mention captured "British muskets" from Wilmington in 1781.
A brief discussion of rifles in 18th century North Carolina is here.
