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« Last post by RobD on January 29, 2026, 06:41:28 PM »
My overall take of what was used by the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783 started off with militia farmers toting fowlers and the use of hatchets, tomahawks, knives, and swords as their CQB (close quarter battle) weapon. Some militia had their fowlers modified for socket spike bayonets and whilst plug bayonets saw some limited service in the F&I war, there is no mention of their use during the AWI ... but ... who really knows for sure. I strongly suspect that whatever was handy and most viable, was used.
There was no initial Continental Army regimental coat, only a large variety of simple clothes. The Fall of 1779 was when the red trimmed blue regimental came to being as ordered by General Washington. I suspect that simple clothes were still used by some, and right on up to 1783 ... as well as fowlers.
The Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783) relied on a mix of muskets due to initial shortages, limited domestic production, and evolving foreign aid. No single model was universally "standard" across all units or years, but patterns shifted over time.
A "musket" is specifically a military weapon that is a fowler by general design in that it is a smoothbore but with an average bore of between .650"and .800", have a very robust stock (typically of walnut wood), will have the ability to accept a socket spike bayonet, and will weigh between 10 and 12 pounds. In comparison, a typical fowler will have a bore of between .500" and .650" but some could go to.800", have a light weight stock of between 6 and 7 pounds, and will not normally have the capacity to accept a socket spike bayonet.
Having a musket with a bayonet is a military advantage.
On the matter of the use of the bayonet, it clearly was the best close quarter combat weapon because there was at least a four foot distance between combatants and the weight of the musket or fowler or smoothbore turned any bayonet equipped firearm into a fairly deadly spear. A patriot having a firelock with no bayonet, and only a hand held knife or tomahawk whence charged at by a Redcoat wielding a bayonet on the muzzle end of their Bess musket was for the most part a big patriot disadvantage.
Having a fowler/smoothbore with a plug bayonet was better than having no bayonet.
I believe that there were many variations to the weapons and accoutrements and clothing of the AWI patriots and soldiers - far more so for the first 2 or 3 years, to a lesser degree as the war progressed. If your town or state militia joined the early Continental Army, it was far more likely you arrived with a fowler/smoothbore and some manner of blade(s). The advantage of having a bayonet would hit home quickly. Some fowlers/smoothbores were retrofitted with socket bayonets - stocks were cut off at the muzzle and a socket lug was brazed on to accept a bayonet that was made for the bbl's muzzle area dimensions. There are documents and preserved guns with provenance of such added socket bayonets. While there is documentation and original artifacts for the use of plug bayonets in the French & Indian war, non exists for the Revolutionary war ... but ... common sense would think that it is quite likely that there was at least some use of plug bayonets in the AWI, at the very least within 1775 aand 1776, when the Continental Army was made up of militia with their fowlers, dressed in their simple clothes.
1775 -1776 (Early War)
* Primary models: Various British Long Land Pattern and Short Land Pattern muskets (collectively known as the "Brown Bess", .75 caliber smoothbore).
* These were the most common firearms, sourced from colonial militias' pre-war stocks, captured British supplies, seized royal armories, and personal weapons brought by recruits.
* Committee of Safety muskets: American-made copies, often patterned after the Brown Bess, produced under colonial or state contracts (e.g., by local gunsmiths fearing British reprisal, so rarely maker-marked). These were composite arms using mixed imported and domestic parts.
* Other assorted smoothbore muskets (e.g., older Dutch, Spanish, or fowling pieces) were also used due to desperate shortages.
* French aid was minimal and secret at this stage; the army was poorly equipped overall.
1777 - 1783 (Mid-to-Late War)
Primary models: French Charleville muskets, specifically the Model 1763 and Model 1766 (.69 caliber smoothbore).
* Large shipments began arriving in 1777 (e.g., ~25,000 - 60,000 in initial batches, even before the formal 1778 alliance with France), with totals estimated at 48,000 - 100,000 over the war.
* These became the most common firearm for Continental line infantry, especially after major arrivals in 1777 - 1778, due to their reliability, lighter weight compared to the Brown Bess, and standardized supply.
* Captured or remaining Brown Bess muskets continued in use (e.g., boosted by captures like Saratoga in 1777).
* Limited American production (e.g., at Rappahannock Forge in Virginia or Philadelphia facilities) provided copies of British or French patterns.
& The later French Model 1777 Charleville was used only by French expeditionary troops under Rochambeau (arriving 1780), not issued to Continental soldiers.
Overall, the shift from predominantly British-pattern arms early on to French Charleville models later reflected France's critical role in arming the Continentals. Rifles (e.g., Pennsylvania/Kentucky long rifles) were used by specialized units but not as standard infantry weapons due to slower loading and lack of bayonet compatibility.
Fowlers (also called fowling pieces) were smoothbore flintlock firearms primarily designed for hunting birds and small game. They were lighter, often had varied bores, and lacked bayonet mounts in most cases, making them less ideal for military use compared to standardized muskets.Usage in the Continental Army - Fowlers were relatively common in the early years of the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1777), particularly among militia and initial Continental recruits who brought their own personal firearms. Many colonists owned fowlers as everyday hunting guns, and colonial militia laws often required only a "good firearm," which frequently meant a fowler.At the war's outset (e.g., Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775), militiamen and early Continental soldiers used a mix of weapons, including fowlers, older muskets, and rifles. Sources note that New England-style fowlers were among the most common arms for militia, and mixed arms (including fowling pieces) were present even in Continental line regiments as late as 1778.
Fowlers declined significantly in usage after 1777 - 1778 due to:
* Large shipments of French Charleville muskets (Models 1763/1766) arrived, providing standardized, reliable .69-caliber smoothbores with bayonets.
* Captured British Brown Bess muskets (.75-caliber) also became widespread.
These military muskets were preferred for line infantry tactics, as fowlers were lighter and more fragile, had inconsistent bores (complicating ammunition supply), and usually could not mount bayonets effectively.By the later war years (1778 -1783), the Continental Army was largely re-equipped with Charlevilles (the primary weapon) and Brown Besses, with fowlers mostly relegated to militia or irregular use.Overall Frequency Fowlers were not rare early on but never the dominant weapon; they were part of a "motley assortment" of arms due to initial shortages. Historians describe them as common in 1775 - 1776 militia/early Continental forces but phased out as standardization improved.
Fowling pieces (fowlers), which were civilian smoothbore shotguns primarily designed for hunting birds, were commonly used by American forces early in the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783), especially among militia and some Continental Army units. These guns were lighter, often longer-barreled, and not originally built for military use, with varied bores and no standard provision for bayonets.
Plug bayonets - the early type that inserted directly into the muzzle (blocking the barrel from firing) ? were largely obsolete in European armies by the early 18th century.
Socket bayonets (which fit over the muzzle and allowed firing) became standard around 1700 - 1720.Fowlers were not typically equipped with plug bayonets during the Revolutionary War. Most fowlers lacked a bayonet lug or stud, as they were hunting weapons. Some were modified for military service by cutting back the stock and adding a socket bayonet lug, but this was uncommon and makeshift.
Plug bayonets saw limited or no documented use with fowlers in the Continental Army. The Continental Army faced severe bayonet shortages overall in the early war years (1775 - 1777), with many units having few or none.
Bayonets in use were predominantly socket types, often on imported French Charleville muskets (starting 1777 - 1778) or captured British Brown Bess muskets.Fowlers were most prevalent in 1775 - 1777, when the Continental Army relied heavily on personally owned civilian firearms (including fowlers, rifles, and mixed muskets). Baron von Steuben noted in 1778 that arms included "muskets, carbines, fowling pieces and rifles" in the same units.
As French aid increased (thousands of Charleville muskets with socket bayonets from 1778 onward), standardized military muskets largely replaced fowlers in regular Continental line units by the later war years (1778 - 1783).In summary, fowlers with plug bayonets were rare to nonexistent in the Continental Army, and fowlers themselves were used sporadically and decreasingly from 1775 to around 1778, giving way to proper muskets equipped with socket bayonets.
The French Model 1766 infantry musket (often called the Charleville musket) was not produced in a single factory. It was manufactured at France's three primary royal arsenals: Charleville (in Charleville-Mzires, Ardennes region), Saint-Etienne, and Maubeuge.Production occurred mainly between 1766 and around 1769, with approximately 140,000 units made across these sites. Charleville was the most prominent or namesake arsenal (giving the generic "Charleville" label to the entire family of French muskets), and many surviving examples bear its markings, but significant numbers were also produced at the other two. Some sources note additional minor production at places like Tulle, though the core output came from the three main arsenals.This multi-site manufacturing was standard for French military muskets of the era, allowing for high-volume production while maintaining design consistency. The Model 1766 was a lightened improvement over the heavier Model 1763, and both patterns (especially 1763/1766) were widely supplied to American forces during the Revolutionary War.
The French Model 1766 infantry musket (often called the Charleville musket) was not produced in a single factory. It was manufactured at France's three primary royal arsenals: Charleville (in Charleville-Mzires, Ardennes region), Saint-Etienne, and Maubeuge.Production occurred mainly between 1766 and around 1769, with approximately 140,000 units made across these sites. Charleville was the most prominent or namesake arsenal (giving the generic "Charleville" label to the entire family of French muskets), and many surviving examples bear its markings, but significant numbers were also produced at the other two. Some sources note additional minor production at places like Tulle, though the core output came from the three main arsenals.This multi-site manufacturing was standard for French military muskets of the era, allowing for high-volume production while maintaining design consistency. The Model 1766 was a lightened improvement over the heavier Model 1763, and both patterns (especially 1763/1766) were widely supplied to American forces during the Revolutionary War.
The French Model 1777 musket (Mod'le 1777), commonly known as the Charleville musket, was not produced in a single factory. France manufactured it across several royal or state armories (manufactures d'armes) to meet high demand during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.The primary production sites included:
Charleville (Manufacture d'armes de Charleville, in Charleville-Mzires) - the most famous, giving the musket its common name, though not the sole or even predominant producer.
Saint-?tienne (Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne) - often cited as one of the largest producers.
Maubeuge (Maubeuge Arsenal). Tulle (Manufacture d'armes de Tulle).
Other sites contributed occasionally. Production of the 1777 model and its variants (including the corrected "an IX" version) totaled around 7 million units from 1777 into the 1840s, making it one of the most prolifically manufactured firearms of its era.Muskets typically bore markings indicating their specific manufactory (e.g., on the lockplate), such as "Manuf. Imp. de Charleville" or "Manufacture de St. Etienne." The design's standardization across these state-run facilities helped enable mass production and influenced later firearms, including early U.S. models like the Springfield 1795.
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