In this article, we’ll be talking about speed vs. accuracy. Unbelievable as it is, many European soldiers of the day were not taught to aim. They counted on massed volley musket fire and the bayonet. That’s not the case with the Continentals, who aimed not just their muskets but their rifles — to deadly effect.
“This province has raised 1000 riflemen, the worst of whom will put a ball into a man’s head at the distance of 150 or 200 yards, therefore advise your officers who shall hereafter come out to America to settle their affairs in England before their departure.”
(Letter to the London Chronicle from Philadelphia, c. August 17-19, 1775)
The American Revolution was the turning point in our country’s history, as it was the creation of the nation itself. Tired of the laws and taxes of our former British masters, the colonists took arms to fight. After many years of virtually impossible odds and bloody battle, we won our independence as free men.
“God is not on the side of the big battalions, but on the side of those who shoot best.” – Voltaire
More than just a remarkable story of simple peasants beating an empire, the American revolution stands as a historical lesson. The idea that common farmers, tradesmen and townspeople could take up arms and beat the most powerful army of its day is amazing in itself. The fact that they did it while outgunned and outmanned is even more impressive. One factor that likely contributed to their success is their superior understanding of accurate fire, and the ability to deliver it effectively.
While The British redcoats carried smoothbore “Brown Bess” muskets, many “Minute Men and colonial soldiers carried the rifles they already owned. The Colonial Army possessed a mix of personal, issued, and captured weapons, and the availability of ammunition was a constant worry throughout the war. As early as 1774, with tensions rising and militias forming, requirements for the “Combat Load” were laid down.
Many of these pre-war militias mandated that volunteers muster with their own weapons and ammunition. This also meant they needed their own support gear as well, in form of powder, molds, flints, patches and small tools. This loadout was often what men already carried in their bags and gunny sacks to survive the wilds of the frontier. The men who reported to the first militias were a mixed bunch, but many had mastered their personal weapons and understood accuracy long before the first shots at Lexington and Concord.
