Capt. Jas. You no doubt, have been to reestored Williamsburg and the many documents that have been preserved there! I make this assumption on the fact that you certainly have greatr knowledge of American /world history and you list your location as Va. Not too long ago I had read one of the official muster rousters from that area , and as you say they listed individuals being issued weapons who were no doubt on the bottom of the econimic ladder of the time.I have read and even have some original town and military rosters from the area of Vermont , New York ,Mass. , Rhode island N.H. etc. Thease records would confirm the fact that all able bodied men of the colinies were issued weapons and munitions anytime the officials of thease political entities deemed it was possible that they were under threat or to satisfy the officials of the british Gov.
What i feel is that many folks , myself included forget that untill the 1780s we were British subjects and were bound by British laws and customs. One of them being that the majority of weapons and munitions were stored in an armory . and only put into the hands of the "average" subjects when deemed nessacarry by the British officials in charge
In part , this was what lit the fuse for the Rev. ie. Concord/Lexington.
Although tor the most part I think we agree, I have to take issue as to the nos. of arms gleaned from the various battles by the commoners. One prime example would be the numbers of weapons left on the field of battle when Gen. Braddock was severly defeated in his attempt to beat the French. at the forks of the Ohio. If I'm not totally incorrect there were some 2000 casualtys and Geoge Washing had to hustle his butt back to Va. The weapons were not recovered by the English but by the Indian allies of the French and many wound up in the hands of French commoners that stayed in the area and settled there .
This sitiuation was repeated many times on a lessor scale for the next half century.