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Rappahannock Forge wall gun
http://museum.nps.gov/ParkObjdet.aspx?rID=SPAR%20%20%20%201155%26db%3Dobjects%26dir%3DCR%20AAWEB%26page%3D1
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In period documents from the late 18th c in the Americas, we find large caliber firearms referred to as rampart arms, walls guns, and amusettes. They were used by the Royal Artillery, Provincial Forces (Queen's Rangers), German troops, and even manufactured by American foundries for use as light guns in state navies and at fixed fortifications. The following are a few selections on their existence and employment:
Statement of Arms and Men in
Service, [29 January 1781]
Statement of Arms and Men in
Service
[29 January 1781]
1. How many arms have we in the state fit for service,
bayonets &c.
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2. How many have we lent N. Carolina since the war. How many
since the invasion of S. Carolina
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This shall be answered under Qu. 4. because we consider What
have been sent Southwardly as sent into Continental service.
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3. What stock ammunition & military stores of all kinds
have we in hand?.
With what has N. Carolina been furnished? |
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4. How many arms had we from Congress? Were they complete
stands? How many have been furnished Congress since the war?
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5. How many tents, or tent-cloth & other camp
necessaries have we?
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We had 230 tents in November last. They were delivered for
the use of the militia & state troops during that invasion. After the
invasion 75 were sent on with Cob. Green’s corps; some were reserved for the
troops at Chesterfd. C. H. and the rest are in use with the state troops
& militia now in the feud in this state. We have not at present a
sufficient number of camp-kettles, but very shortly shall have. We were
disfurnished of our canteens by the militia which went to the Southward, and
now have very few.
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6. What prospect have we of supplies of the above? Also
blankets & cloth for Souldier’s clothes?
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We have no prospect of any supply of tent cloth. Campkettles
we have it in our power to procure from Hunter’s works. There are provided
for the men at Chesterfeild C. house 400 suits of clothes, 400 pr. stockings,
200 pr. shoes, 800 shirts, & 200 blankets. The deficiency we have no
means of providing, nor yet a single article for Colo. Buford’s corps. Colo.
Taylor’s regiment is unclothed and no prospect of our cloathing them. Our
Captives in Charlestown are in extreme distress, which nothing will enable us
to relieve unless we could get permission to send tobacco to them.
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7. How many men have we in the feud? and how many that cannot act for want of necessaries? & what are their principal wants? |
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8. What stock of provision. What are our resources, &
expectations as to them.
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I hope we shall be able to purchase about 3000 hogs. The act
of assembly will furnish 3000 beeves. We have engaged 10,000 barrels of flour
&can engage more if necessary. The returns of short forage under the
specific tax the last year amounted to about 100,000 bushels, and I suppose
may be reckoned the same this year. Whatever more may be wanting, can be
procured under the provision law. We shall be very far short of the
Continental demand in spirits & salt. The pork, beef, & flour
abovementioned excludes what we are now consuming.
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How far are you
advised as to the wants of N. Carolina?
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I have not the least information.
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| American manufactured wall gun in Rock Island Arsenal Collection |
Virginia Delegates to Thomas
Jefferson, 27 April 1781
Virginia Delegates to Thomas
Jefferson
RC (Historical Society of
Pennsylvania). Written by Theodorick Bland and signed by Bland, JM, and
Meriwether Smith. Docketed, “Virga. Delegates Letter April 27th.—AD.”
Philadelphia April 27th 1781
Sr.
Having discovered that there
were a considerable number of Rampart Arms belonging to the U. S. at this
place, which have long lain dormant, (having been supposed useless for the
Field,) we have found on enquiry that with a small alteration, and fixing Bayonettes
to them they are capable of being renderd exceeding good Field Arms; &
knowing the necessity of the State for a Supply of that article we have been
extreemely desireous to have them alterd and Sent on with all possible
dispatch; we flatterd ourselves that this might have been done expeditiously by
the Intervention of some Virginia Merchants who had money in this City which
they offerd to dispose of for the purchase of the Arms from the Continent; to
have them fitted and transported at their own expence, and on their arrival in
Virginia giving the State the offer of them upon terms yeilding them a
reasonable Profit for their trouble and expence in so doing; but when they gave
in their proposals to us in writing, we were extreemely sorry to find that what
would yield them a profit, (far short as they informed us of what might be
obtaind by vesting their money in other Articles of Commerce,) greatly exceeded
any allowance we thought ourselves Justifiable in agreeing they shd. receive,
especially when we considerd the low1 condition of the treasury of the State, and that we must
engage the faith of the State for the Immediate advance of one half the Money,
and the payment of the other half on the delivery of the Arms.2 This determined us to embrace an Alternative, which we
hope in the End will prove more Eligible; we have in consequence of that
determination procured an Order of Congress to the board of War to have two
thousand Stand immediately alterd and fitted up for field Service, to be
forwarded with all possible expedition to Virginia and the remainder to be sent
to Maryland and North Carolina.3 In order to accelerate this operation, we must entreat
your Excellency to devise some means of furnishing to the amount of 1,300
Pounds hard money or its Value in Paper,4 such as will Circulate in this State; without which we
find it will absolutely be impracticable to carry into execution a measure
which will be productive of the greatest advantage to the Southern States, for
want of some fund in this City we have often found ourselves greatly
embarrassed, and frequently absolutely prevented from expediting Succours of
whose consequences we are fully apprized to the Southward, and are extremely
mortified to find frequently that a very small Sum which would, by being
advanced to Waggoners &.c. set them at work; it is neither in our power to
advance nor procure, either on our own or the States Credit—it being absolutely
impracticable to5 negotiate a Bill we cannot but think it highly proper to
fix an Agent for the State in this City, to be furnished with remittances for
such purposes, and to transact many other usefull pieces of Business for the
State which not only lays greatly out of the line of the delegates duty, but
frequently prevents them from bestowing the necessary attention to the more
important interests of the State and of the Union in General. Your Excellency
will be at no loss to concieve why a remittance of the above Sum for the
present occasion is highly necessary and expedient when we inform you that from
the tardiness of the States in general to pay in their arrearages of taxes,
from the impediments to the Issuing the money according to the Resolution of
the 18th of March 1780,6 and from the daily expenditures for carrying on the war
the Public treasury is at this moment left destitute of a Single Shilling and
has large demands on it which have anticipated what will probably come into it
for some months.7
we are with the greatest
respect Yr. Excy’s most obedt. Srts
James Madison Junr.
Theok. Bland
Virginia Delegates’ Agreement
with Ebenezer Cowell, 27 April 1781
Virginia Delegates’ Agreement
with Ebenezer Cowell
FC (Colonial Williamsburg,
Inc.). Not in Cowell’s hand nor in that of any of the Virginia delegates, but
signed by all of them. Endorsed, “Articles Between the Delegates of Virginia
& Ebenezer Cowell about 2000 Ramport Muskets.” A copy made for Governor Jefferson
by Theodorick Bland is in the Executive Papers of the Virginia State Library.
Philadelphia April 27th. 1781
Memorandum of an Agreement
entered into this 27th of April 1781 Between the Honble The Delegates of the
State of Virginia on the one Part, and Ebenezer Cowell of the City of
Philadelphia on the other.1—
The said Cowell doth hereby
undertake to Cut and put in good Repair two Thousand Rampart Muskets, the
Property of the Said State,2 in the same Manner, and of the same length as
those now Shewn in the War Office, at the rate of Seven Shillings and Six Pence
Hard Money, or the value thereof in Paper Money at the Time of Payment.
And the said Cowell doth
hereby engage to finish Twelve Hundred of the said Muskets in Fourteen Days
from this Time, and deliver the same to the orders3 of the said Delegates to be transported to the said State
of Virginia—and the Residue before the day of Payment.
And the said Delegates do
hereby engage to Pay the said Cowell or order the said Sum of Seven Shillings
and Six Pence Hard Money or the real value thereof in Paper m[oney] for each
Musket, in Sixty days from the day of the Date of these Presents; and they
hereby agree that if it is not paid at that Day, that the Eight Hundred Muskets
or so many thereof as shall be sufficient for the [pu]rpose shall be
immediately sold to satisfy the said Cowell his demand according to this
agreement.
James Madison Junr
Theok: Bland
M. Smith
Ebenezer Cowell
Ocr. 10th. 1781.4
It appears to Me by a
Certificate given by Mr. George Nicolson5 unto the above Mr Ebenezer Cowell that this Contract has
been on his part duly, and fully complied with, as will appear by the said
Certificate in My possession.
Thomas Pleasants jr
C. A for the State of
1. The Bland copy (see headnote) has “of the one
part” and “of the other.” Ebenezer Cowell was a flintlock musket maker at
Allentown, Pa., from 1775 to 1779, and a gunsmith at Philadelphia from 1779 to
1782. On 3 September 1778 he had become an armorer for the Pennsylvania
militia. He was still living in Philadelphia in 1790 (A. Merwyn Carey, American
Firearms Makers … [New York, 1953], p. 24; Heads of Families at the
First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790. Pennsylvania
[Washington, 1908], p. 238).
2. “Rampart muskets” were firearms, ranging from
caliber 0.75 to 1.25, designed for use in defensive works and were seldom borne
in the field because of their weight (sometimes exceeding twenty pounds) and
their severe recoil (Edward S. Farrow, Farrow’s Military Encyclopedia: A
Dictionary of Military Knowledge [3 vols.; New York, 1885], II, 633;
Charles Winthrop Sawyer, Firearms in American History [3 vols.; Boston,
1910–20], III, 132–33). It is obvious, therefore, why Cowell should have been
engaged “to Cut” the pieces. Apparently on 31 May the two thousand arms which
might be purchased from the “Public Magazines” had become the property of
Virginia (George Nicolson to Virginia Delegates, 28 May 1781, n. 3). On 26 April, Congress had directed:
“That the Board of War cause
the rampart muskets in their possession to be repaired; and forward, with all
possible despatch, to the executives of the States of Virginia and North
Carolina, a quantity not exceeding two thousand, to each state, charging to the
said states respectively, the value of the muskets, with the expence of
repairing and transporting them” (JCC, XX, 450; XXI, 923–25; Burnett,
Letters, VI, 204–5). For a
significant modification of this resolution on 31 August 1781, with the
unanimous consent of the Virginia delegates, see JCC, XXI, 923–25.
3. This word is “Order” in the copy made by Bland.
4. This certificate is not appended to the Bland
copy.
5. George Nicolson (1758–1802) was an assistant of
David Ross, commercial agent of the state of Virginia. In a letter of 15 April,
Ross asked Governor Jefferson to request the Virginia delegates to help
Nicolson, who was about to leave for Philadelphia, “procure some of the Stores
wanted for the Army.” Jefferson most probably adopted the suggestion, but his
letter, if any, urging the co-operation of the delegates, has not been found.
Nicolson in 1790–1791 and again in 1799–1800 served as mayor of Richmond (Boyd,
Papers of Jefferson, V, 458; VI, 27 and n.; Virginia Delegates to Jefferson, 1 May 1781; Madge Goodrich, “The Mayors of Richmond,” typescript in
Virginia Historical Society).
6. Thomas Pleasants, Jr. (ca. 1737–1804), of
Goochland County was a planter and merchant who was serving as a commercial
agent for Virginia (Journals of the Council of State, II, 471; III, 249).
On 26 April, Congress had
directed:
“That the Board of War cause
the rampart muskets in their possession to be repaired; and forward, with all
possible despatch, to the executives of the States of Virginia and North
Carolina, a quantity not exceeding two thousand, to each state, charging to the
said states respectively, the value of the muskets, with the expence of
repairing and transporting them” (JCC, XX, 450; XXI, 923–25; Burnett,
Letters, VI, 204–5). For a
significant modification of this resolution on 31 August 1781, with the
unanimous consent of the Virginia delegates, see JCC, XXI, 923–25.
Original source: The
Papers of James Madison, vol. 3, 3 March 1781 – 31 December
1781, ed. William T. Hutchinson
and William M. E. Rachal. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1963, pp.
86–87.]
From George Washington to
John Hancock, 30 August 1777
To John Hancock
Wilmington [Del.] August 30th
1777.
Sir
Since I had the Honor of
addressing you Yesterday, Nothing of Importance has occurred and the Enemy
remain, as they then were. I was reconnoitring the Country and different Roads
all Yesterday, and am now setting out on the same business again.1
Sensible of the advantages of
Light Troops, I have formed a Corps under the command of a Brigadier, by
drafting a Hundred from each Brigade, which is to be constantly near the Enemy
and to give ’em every possible annoyance.2 I have the Honor to be with great respect Sir Yr Most
Obedt Servt
Go: Washington
10 OClock. This Minute 24
British prisoners arrived, taken yesterday by Capn Lee of the Light Horse.3
LS, in Robert Hanson
Harrison’s writing, DNA:PCC, item 152; Df, DLC:GW; copy, DNA:PCC, item 169;
Varick transcript, DLC:GW. GW franked the addressed cover of the LS. The
postscript, which Harrison wrote on the cover of the LS, is not included on the
other manuscript copies. Congress read this letter on 1 Sept. (JCC, 8:699–700).
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| "Advance at Thornberry Farm" by Pamela Patrick White |
1. Howe’s aide Captain Muenchhausen says in his diary
entry for this date: “At noon about 200 dragoons appeared in front of our
jaeger picket; many of their officers are said to have observed our positions
very closely, but without approaching us. It was possibly Washington or one of
his first generals, reconnoitering. The officer of the jaeger picket lobbed a
few shots from an amusette at them. They were too far away, but it caused them
to withdraw” (Muenchhausen,
At General Howe’s Side, 26; see also Scull, Montresor Journals, 444).
2. For the creation of this corps and the appointment
of Gen. William Maxwell to command it, see the General Orders for 28 Aug. and
this date.
3. Muenchhausen says in his diary entry for this date
that “Again last night some of our men, while pillaging, fell into the hands of
the enemy” (Muenchhausen,
At General Howe’s Side, 26).
“From George Washington to
John Hancock, 30 August 1777,” Founders Online, National Archives, last
modified October 5, 2016,
http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-11-02-0091. [Original
source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol.
11, 19 August 1777 – 25 October 1777, ed.
Philander D. Chase and Edward G. Lengel. Charlottesville: University Press of
Virginia, 2001, pp. 93–94.]
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