the flint longrifle in combat ?

[54ball]

I have just started with a living history group that portrays Jackson's militia in the Creek War of 1813.
I know how a rifleman would have loaded his rifle for hunting. What I would like to find out is how he would have loaded his arm in a combat situation.

Would they have used cartridges like the smooth bore equipped troops? I do have period accounts of settlers sewing patches to their round balls for quicker loading.

Right now another fellow and myself are the only ones in the group that have rifles. I want to make a good impression and show the differences in the loading of the rifle vs the musket in combat.

Thanks

[Sir Michael]

Can't say about Americans but, British riflemen carried both loose ball and powder and cartridges.  The loose ball and powder was used when skirmishing or sharpshooting when accuracy was the requirement and rate of fire was not an issue.  When formed on the line the riflemen used cartridges, accuracy was not an issue and rate of fire was everything.  I would assume that American riflemen had the same philosophy.

[Dphariss]

I have just started with a living history group that portrays Jackson's militia in the Creek War of 1813.
I know how a rifleman would have loaded his rifle for hunting. What I would like to find out is how he would have loaded his arm in a combat situation.

Would they have used cartridges like the smooth bore equipped troops? I do have period accounts of settlers sewing patches to their round balls for quicker loading.

Right now another fellow and myself are the only ones in the group that have rifles. I want to make a good impression and show the differences in the loading of the rifle vs the musket in combat.

Thanks

There really isn't any specific info on this.
I would suggest you get a copy of  "The Frontier Rifleman"  By LaCrosse and if you can find one "Colonial Riflemen in The American Revolution" by Huddleston. This last was art of the Longrifle Series by Shumway.
Another very informative book, a must have perhaps for any student of American firearms of the 18th Century is DeWitt Bailey's "British Military Flintlock Rifles" it has chapters on Loyalist Riflemen and a very interesting chapter on Indian Trade rifles that documents the rifle's use in the Military here in the 1680s. It does go into good detail concerning the use of the Baker Rifle adopted in 1800. The British sewed the patches to the balls with a few stitches for example
All these are well researched and have numerous quotes from the 18th century.
It is possible to download from Google books  "An Accurate and Interesting Account of the Hardships and Sufferings of That Band of Heroes, Who Traversed the Wilderness in the Campaign Against Quebec in 1775". Lancaster, Pa., 1812  by John Joseph Henry. it is first person.  Henry was a rifleman with Morgan to Quebec. I have yet to read it since I just downloaded it Sunday.

It is possible to shoot 2-3 quick shots with a rifle using a sharply tapered paper cartridge. I use one wrap of printer paper lapped just far enough to glue, no patch on the ball. While they foul badly at the breech they will shoot into the same group with patched balls to at least 60 yards as far as I have tested them on paper.  This with two different rifles a .67 and a .50.
Tear the small end of the paper and put in the muzzle ball up then ram, prime shoot.  Accuracy for the first two shots appears to be as good as a patched ball. If dipped in tallow or a slightly harder BP type lube the fouling may be reduced. That is the next test.
But I don't think this is documentable to be HC for re-enacting.
But a bullet board is OK for 1812 period. I personally think its older but its not documented.

Dan

[Sir Michael]

Check this document out.  It has some very interesting instructions for riflemen including the use of a mallet for loading.

http://books.google.com/books?id=0NcvAA ... &q&f=false