Drawing on the designs of French gunsmith Isaac de Chaumette and English inventor John Warsop, Ferguson envisioned a breech-loading weapon that needed no ramrod, could be reloaded at the walk, and had more than twice the range of a common musket. Josh had test fired and sent me his target, but I couldnt wait to wring it out. Our work has been featured by the New York Times, TIME magazine, History Channel, Discovery Channel, Smithsonian, Mental Floss, NPR, and more. All surviving military Fergusons feature a horseshoe-shaped iron repair under the lock to hold the stock together where it repeatedly broke around the weak, over-drilled out mortise. A standard 100-man large company ought to have had a captain and three lieutenants. Overall I couldnt be more pleased with the entire experience with Josh and of course the rifle is my prized possession. [36] During 1779 and 1780, Ferguson led his Loyalist volunteer forces in the Carolinas. [14]Quoted in Bryan Brown and Ricky Roberts, Every Insult and Indignity: The Life Genius and Legacy of Major Patrick Ferguson, (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 2011), Chap. He then primed his pan from either his flask, the remains of the cartridge, or by pushing excess powder from the top of the breech across into the pan. The ramrod could be used to muzzle-load the rifle if the screw plug became jammed or so fouled it could not be opened. It seems highly implausible and I would have preferred to not mention it at all but better to discount it than perpetuate it! During the 1860s & 70s Broadwell was employed as the European Sales Agent for the Gatling Gun Company. Thank you. See Object Online Collection Musket Marked "U.STATES" [35]The London Gazette, November 28, 1778, Issue: 11931, 2,www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/11931/page/2, accessed November 2, 2018. Finally got some range time and the performance was stunning. I agree much needs to be readdressed and reexamined! Any analysis of the value and impact of the Ferguson Rifle is incomplete until an evaluation of the troops using it is completed. report the surviving rifles were apparently put in storage in New York. [4]Flintlock breech-loading rifle By John Hirst (about 1760), Royal Armouries,collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-361.html, accessed November 3, 2018. While not as robust as a standard issue musket, it is important to remember that the first batch of Ferguson rifles were still prototypes and the design could have been improved. [44]Ferguson Rifle, American Revolutionary War Morristown National Historical Park, www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/revwar/image_gal/morrimg/fergusonmusket.html,accessed October 12, 2018; and Ferguson Breech Loading Rifle, Milwaukee Public Museum,www.mpm.edu/node/27076, accessed October 12, 2018. (Explorepahistory.com), Xavier della Gattas 1784 painting of the Battle of Paoli shows what is believed to be some of Fergusons men, in their green jackets with their long sword bayonets fixed, over a week after Brandywine. Coupling a screw breech plug with rifling, Ferguson's rifle was said to be capable of an impressive seven rounds per minute. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any material on this site without expressand written permission from the author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. If Ferguson did not have enough rifles to equip his entire corps it seems likely that his men were armed with a mixture of rifles and standard issue muskets. The style of trigger guard varies with most being made from iron, but all appear to be held in the closed position by a similar detent projecting from the rifles wrist. Chantry's wife and son are dead, burned to death in the fire that consumed his home, for which he is blamed. [25] Ferguson realized that to grow his corps he would have to take men from other battalions, who were naturally averse to this. Great War Militaria, Custom Metal and Wood Fabrication, Ordnance Restoration and Repair is a long-winded name for a couple of fellows who got together and decided to tackle the task of creating one of the more interesting small arms designs of the Revolutionary War, the Ferguson. As a result an iron horseshoe-shaped repair beneath the lock surrounding the breech screw was added to the rifle held at the Morristown National Historic Park, but it is unclear when this reinforcement was added. [7]Discussed in William Keith Neal, The Ferguson Rifle and its Origins, American Society of Arms Collectors, Bulletin #24 (Fall, 1971), and De Witt Bailey, British Military Flintlock Rifles 1740-1840(Lincoln: Andrew Mowbray, 2002), 35. Your email address will not be published. [1]Marianne M. Gilchrist, Patrick Ferguson A Man of Some Genius(Edinburgh: NMS Enterprises Limited, 2003), 5. While he recuperated, his Experimental Rifle Corps was subsequently disbanded. Do you happen to know whether any La Chaumette rifles are in existence? While some erroneously believe the rifle was destined to replace the Short Land Pattern musket in general service, this is not the case. The lock mechanism and breech were larger than the stock could withstand with rough use. Frustratingly, the Rifle Company lost both their officers the day after Brandywine; Ferguson to wounds and Delancey to promotion within the Loyalist corps. [10] In April 1776, Fergusons attempts to interest to British Armys senior officers in his breechloading rifle began to bear fruit. One complete turn dropped the screw low enough to drop a round ball into the exposed breech followed by a slight overcharge of powder, which was then sheared to the proper charge by the screw as it closed the breech. 3 Kindle. It began with gold that had once belonged to Montezuma. The lock castings were great and required only a little tweaking to make a great sparking lock. Outstanding article on a subject about which Ive been long curious! He told Townsend in a letter that his rifle fires with twice the expedition, & five times the certainty, is five pounds lighter and only a fourth part of the powder of a common firelock.[8] Your observation that Fergusons company simultaneously had both rifles and muskets in action seems to be borne out by these entries. Made by William Newton. Ferguson was part of a generation of active, intelligent, professional and ambitious British light infantry officers. Your email address will not be published. [2]Matthew H. Spring, With Zeal and With Bayonets Only: The British Army on Campaign in North America, 1775-1783(Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2010 ), 246-8. It fired a standard British carbine ball of .615" calibre and was used by the British Army in the American Revolutionary War at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777, and possibly at the Siege of Charleston in 1780. It was substantially lighter, weighing around 7.5 pounds to the muskets 10.5 pounds. Captain Ferguson was formally seconded from the 70th Foot and officially given his command on March 6, 1777, his corps authorized for one campaign season after which Ferguson and his men would have to return to their units unless the experimental corps was seen as worthy of maintaining. Maj. Patrick Fergusons rifle is one of the most interesting and significant Washington never met with Andre Washington made it clear in a letter to Colonel James dated September 25, 1780 that because Andre assumed a false identity and was captured out, Fascinating and illuminating article, Gene. [6] While clearly not unique, Ferguson made a number of improvements to La Chaumettes earlier work, principally by introducing a multi-start perpendicular screw breech plug with ten or eleven threads at one pitch. It was put into service in 1776 by the British army. La Chaumette had originally developed his screw breech rifle in the early 1700s, with his Fusil qui se charge par la culasse or roughly translated rifle which is loaded by the breech first appearing in 1704. Riflemen likely carried both paper cartridges and a powder flask and ball bag. Journal of the American Revolution is the leading source of knowledge about the American Revolution and Founding Era. However, despite Fergusons own account of the encounter he could not confirm it was Washington and much myth surrounds the story. Ferguson and his men found themselves in some hot fighting at the head of Knyphausens column with the light infantry vanguard which screened the advance. Unlike most contemporary rifles pressed into service Ferguson rifle could mount a bayonet and also had an adjustable rear sightthe first of its kind to see service. Yet someone had to be keeping track of company pay, discipline, daily orders, etc. The rifle used the British Armys standard .615 calibre carbine ball, rather than a full sized .71 musket ball. [29]Blackmoore, British Military Firearms, 85. It is unclear if these reached Ferguson and his men by the time they embarked for the Philadelphia campaign.[24]. The men found themselves reassigned to regular units and most of their weapons were lost to history. Typically, the surviving rifles have a number of common features including the multi-start breech plug, trigger guard lever, the presence of one of two unusual patterns of rear sight and a bayonet lug beneath the barrel. [29] In reality Fergusons losses were comparatively minor. Amazon.com: The Ferguson Rifle: A Novel (Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures): 9780553253030: L'Amour, Louis: Books . Book five of the series, Bellerophons Champion: Pennywhistle at Trafalgar was published byPenmore Pressin May. Again, great article! . As a reward for the Kings pleasure, Ferguson was allowed to form an experimental rifle corps of 100 men. One single turn rotation of the trigger gaurd opens the breech chamber. In 1768, seeking advancement, Ferguson sold his cornetcy and transferred to the 70th Regiment of Foot, buying a commission as a captain and serving in the Caribbean for several years. [17] Each contractor was paid 100 for twenty-five guns, each rifle costing 4. However, through the research efforts of DeWitt Bailey and others, the properly made reproduction Ferguson rifle, made according to Patrick Ferguson's specifications of the 1770s, can fire beyond sixty shots. Some of the improvements that Ferguson made to La Chaumettes earlier system are discussed above. The 100 Best American Revolution Books of All Time, collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-361.html, collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-15502.html, books.google.co.uk/books?id=ft4RAAAAYAAJ&dq=%27Captain+Patrick+Ferguson%27+the+king&q=ferguson#v=snippet&q=rifle&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=cL9NAAAAcAAJ&dq=he+fired+during+four+or+five+minute+at+a+target%2C+at+200+yards+distance%2C+at+the+rate+of+four+shots+each+minute.&q=ferguson#v=snippet&q=ferguson&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=JJI-AAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA148&lpg=RA1-PA148&dq=he+fired+during+four+or+five+minute+at+a+target,+at+200+yards+distance&source=bl&ots=KKUtd0ASaK&sig=Ea0az8UUxbhYUzPTzuXg25LPzWo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwio_NvlvObdAhVKDMAKHQl7CM4Q6AEwCnoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=he%20fired%20during%20four%20or%20five%20minute%20at%20a%20target%2C%20at%20200%20yards%20distance&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=DfgRAAAAYAAJ&dq=american+riflemen&q=riflemen#v=snippet&q=riflemen&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=bHfPAAAAMAAJ&dq=he+fired+during+four+or+five+minute+at+a+target%2C+at+200+yards+distance%2C+at+the+rate+of+four+shots+each+minute.&q=ferguson#v=snippet&q=riflemen&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=F14AAAAAYAAJ&dq=%27Captain+Patrick+Ferguson%27+the+king&q=ferguson#v=snippet&q=ferguson&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=NAQwAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA645&dq=Ferguson%27s+corps+of+riflemen&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj4vrSXv4zeAhUKLMAKHf6bA58Q6AEIPDAE#v=onepage&q=Fergusons%20corps%20of%20riflemen&f=false, www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/11931/page/2, books.google.co.uk/books?id=uV4AAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA425&dq=Ferguson+71+major&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjjrfbbwozeAhVNasAKHUS1BIUQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=Ferguson%2071%20major&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=wEc2AAAAMAAJ&dq=%27Captain+Patrick+Ferguson%27+the+king&q=ferguson#v=snippet&q=ferguson&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=lOERAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA29&dq=scots+magazine+captain+patrick+ferguson++king&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiuutvo1ubdAhVkK8AKHZd_DUsQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=scots%20magazine%20captain%20patrick%20ferguson%20%20king&f=false, allthingsliberty.com/2016/11/revolutionary-war-south-re-evaluations-certain-british-british-american-actors/, allthingsliberty.com/2017/09/fresh-look-major-patrick-ferguson/, www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/revwar/image_gal/morrimg/fergusonmusket.html, americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/British-military-small-arms-in-North-America-1755-to-1783-B071_Bailey.pdf, books.google.co.uk/books?id=bHfPAAAAMAAJ&dq=he+fired+during+four+or+five+minute+at+a+target%2C+at+200+yards+distance%2C+at+the+rate+of+four+shots+each+minute.&q=brandy#v=snippet&q=brandywine&f=false, Academy Award Casting of the American Revolution, Major Andrs Captors Revisited: Separating Myth from Historical Reality, Charles Lees First Inklings of Fractious American Political Battles, Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution, The Contradictory Accounts of Greys Raid on New Bedford and Marthas Vineyard. It operated flawlessly. I am glad you left the Ferguson-could-have-shot Washington story alone. Towards the end, we discussed embellishments. Alongside the Loyalist light infantry battalion, the Queens Rangers led by Maj. James Wemyss, Fergusons riflemen pushed back American light infantry under Brig. While it might be expected that fouling from powder residue or from dust and dirt might quickly seize up the screw breech, Ferguson designed the screw to have a number of recesses and channels to provide a place for fouling to go during use, and while not noted in contemporary sources the plug itself could be lubricated. The Ferguson breech loading flintlock is a truly unique type of black powder rifle. Years after my time the Ferguson Rifle was recovered in South Carolina and later put on display which was my good fortune to view many, many years later. The screw was tapered and slotted: the diagonal threads allowed the breech to be fully opened with one downward counter clockwise turn of the handle. Back in the 1980s while searching a trash pit in a British camp in the New York city area I recovered a severely corroded iron trigger guard to a Ferguson Rifle. About 100 of them were made in 1777 to equip the company of riflemen raised by. In an age when three or four rounds a minute from a trained infantryman was regarded as an impressive standard, six, or even seven, accurate shots a minute had the potential to be tactically ground breaking. The chamber and ball had a larger diameter than the barrel to ensure the ball remained seated until fired and to make sure it engaged the barrels rifling. I highly recommend the bookEvery Insult and Indignity: The Life Genius and Legacy of Major Patrick Ferguson. He held a number of firearms and ordnance related patents, granted between 1861 and 1876. Fascinating read! Its dimensions approximated those of the Baker Rifle, which won fame in the Napoleonic Wars. Very cool to see this in a flinter. Should one in reasonablecondition appear on the antique market in the near future, it would likely fetch seven-figures. For more, visit:www.tompennywhistle.comorcheck him out on Amazon. Ferguson himself was a proponent of light infantry, even suggesting that half the army in America should be light infantry, but I do not believe he intended his rifle to be issued to every soldier. I was aware of Lees relatively radical politics, but quite unaware he was later used as a propaganda paladin by the Jeffersonian Republican press. . My analysis of the della Gatta paintings specifies the officer of the 2nd Light Infantry who was seconded to the temporary rifle company within the battalion; they took the lead in the Paoli attack with the 52nd LI company directly behind. Ferguson's men went back to the light infantry units they had originally come from, and his rifles were eventually replaced with the standard Long Land Pattern musket. The guns made for the Board of Ordnance have markers stamps on the barrel, various proof markings and a serial number at the tang while the locks were marked with Tower and GR. The non-Board of Ordnance guns have commercial gunmakers marks on both lock and barrel. [21] This plan was temporarily cancelled in late 1776, but early the next year Ferguson was directed to begin forming and training a company of men at Chatham. Maj. Patrick Fergusons rifle is one of the most interesting and significant early attempts at a breech-loading service rifle. Finally the day arrived that the Fergie came in the mail. The Ferguson was also far more accurate than the Short Land Pattern muskets. The breech of the weapon is closed by 11 starting threads on a tapered screw, and the trigger guard serves as the crank to rotate it. 1139 December 2, 1776, UK National Archives. Opinions of Ferguson from historians is somewhat divided. Ferguson had no idea who the enemy officer was since the mans back was turned, but he was impressed by his enemys height and bearing. Little is known about the production of the guns and the manufacturing techniques used but the screw plugs would have taken many hours of work using a treadle lathe and lapping techniques to fit them for each rifle.[18]. . Fergusons Rifle Company is an elusive body of men to research and precious little appears to have been done along this line. Ferguson was allowed to demonstrate his gun before senior officers on the April 27, 1776. It was 49 3/8 inches in length and had a 34 1/8 barrel. The July 30, 1970 Index-Journal Newspaper from Greenwood, SC tells of an original Ferguson rifle stolen from the Kings Moutain National Park. [1]He first saw action during the Seven Years War in Europe. Along the way one stabbed the other to death. To load the Ferguson is a breeze. Ive read the hyperlinked article The First Fight of Fergusons Rifle which stated that the bayonet was 25 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide and being of fine temper and razor edge was called a sword bayonet. Im wondering if this would have been a true sword bayonet like that of the Baker Rifle. [13]Bailey, British Military Flintlock Rifles, 37. Since the weapon was loaded from the breech, rather than from the muzzle, it had an amazingly high rate of fire for its day, and in capable hands, it fired six to ten rounds per minute. [17]David Williams, The Birmingham Gun Trade(Stroud: The History Press, 2009), 37. The rifles slender, lightweight stock was prone to cracking at the lock mortice where the wood was thinnest. Ferguson Rifle History. In short, Fergusons company started to shrink the moment its officer corps dwindled. All in all Im just wondering how the Ferguson sword bayonet would have looked like, and if theres any other historical depictions (or even surviving examples) of any. NPS Publications: Popular Study Series History No. The Ferguson shares a stock design very similar to the P1776 muzzleloader, and the Brown Bess parentage of both becomes patently obvious side-by-side . IT WAS THE rifle that could have won the American Revolution for the British. This meant the breech could be opened by completing just one full revolution of the trigger guard which was attached to the base of the plug, and acted as a lever. Most importantly it has the distinction of being the first breech-loading rifle adopted for service and used in action by the British Army. Now Ronan Chantry, a handful of trappers, and an Irish girl . In 1762, John Hirst had provided the Board of Ordnance with five breech loaders; twenty more were reportedly ordered but they never saw service. Yes there are some still in existence. Unlike conventional smooth-bore muskets carried by ordinary soldiers, muzzle-loading rifles required wooden mallets to pound the ball down into the rifling grooves. Sadly, with so few made and with the wounding and later death of its inventor, the rifle did not have the opportunity to fully prove itself. At one point he allowed the rain to fill the opened breech and was able to clear the water and get the weapon firing again in just a few moments. The first weakness stemmed from its construction. Lulu: 2014. At just over thirty-two inches long the barrels of Fergusons 1776 rifles were ten inches shorter than the Short Land Pattern musket (today commonly called the Brown Bess) then in service. On page 54 of Dr Baileys British Military Flintlock Rifles, a picture illustrates the find in comparison to the Morristown example. Info Calendar Ferguson Rifle Patrick Ferguson, the British commander at Kings Mountain, is best known for his rifle. [23]Roberts & Brown, Every Insult and Indignity, Chap. Army orders show large numbers of Gentlemen Volunteers were promoted to Ensigncies immediately after Brandywine, and some of these could have been previously useful to Ferguson. The Ferguson rifle was one of the first breech-loading rifles to be put into service by the British military. Major Patrick Ferguson demonstrated the weapon at Woolwich in June 1776. Ferguson improved on an earlier design to produce a breech-loading rifle. The breech pin cuts out any excess powder from the chamber. The flat of the blade was parallel with the ground, unlike the long sword bayonets occasionally used with Brown Besses whose flat blades were perpendicular to the ground when the gun was shouldered. The cost of producing one Ferguson Rifle during the first production run of one hundred was in 4, double the cost of the Short Land Pattern musket, although economies of scale may have made the rifle cheaper had it gone into large-scale production. Compared to muskets, which could be fired four times per minute, Ferguson rifles could be fired up to six times per minute with better accuracy. A muzzle-loading rifle takes longer to load as the ball has to be forced down the rifled bore, mating it with the grooves, which becomes more difficult as the barrel fouls with black powder residue. The only association the Ferguson rifle has with the Battle of Kings Mountain is that Patrick Ferguson was there. [19] With his small detachment Ferguson repeated some of his earlier feats of marksmanship, firing from his back and putting five rounds into the bullseye. I am still a total novice builder and had hoped my skill would be ready to tackle the Fergie after a few more builds. During the build the communication flow never stopped as Josh kept me updated on progress. Also, aficionados in the Mid-Atlantic region may be interested to know that what is identified as a Durs Egg officers Ferguson is on display at the Washington Crossing museum on the New Jersey side. I presume the authors trained infantryman refers to a musket bearer, and the accurate shots refers to a rifleman. I had yearned for a Ferguson Rifle for a while and was pleased to find the kits in stock when I called The Rifle Shoppe. [6]Flintlock breech-loading gun (1727),Royal Armouries,collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-15502.html, accessed November 3, 2018. [13], Ferguson never claimed to have invented the breech system himself, writing that altho the invention is not entirely my own, yet its application to the only Arm where it can be of use is mine, and moreover there are several original improvements . The guns broke down easily in combat, especially in the wood of the stock around the lock mortise. Maj. Patrick Ferguson was born in 1744, the son of a Scottish jurist, James Ferguson of Pitfour. A period drawing depicts the typical dress and armament of an American frontiersman: linen "hunting" shirt, wool gaiters, wool hat, long rifle, tomahawk, and knife. Adding a mixture of tallow and beeswax to the threads further improved the efficiency of the seal. In addition to La Chaumettes system, numerous British gunmakers produced screw breech guns including John Warsop, Joseph Griffin, John Hirst, Joseph Clarkson and George Payne.[7]. II(Ithaca: Cornell University Library, 2009), 501-502. During his meeting with the King, Ferguson also confidently proposed a new practical uniform for light troops. Every Insult and Indignity: The Life Genius and Legacy of Major Patrick Ferguson, Hand Forged Knives, Belt Axes and Camp Axes. Its superior firepower was unappreciated at the time because it was too expensive and took longer to produce the four gunsmiths making Ferguson's Ordnance Rifle could not make 100 in 6 months at four times the cost per arm of a musket. Ferguson and his men arrived in New York in late May. Soldiers carrying newly-developed breechloading Ferguson rifles, like this one, fought alongside the British light infantry at Paoli. [36]The Scots Magazine, Vol.42, 1780, 425, books.google.co.uk/books?id=uV4AAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA425&dq=Ferguson+71+major&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjjrfbbwozeAhVNasAKHUS1BIUQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=Ferguson%2071%20major&f=false, accessed November 6, 2018. The Board of Ordnance rifles had .65 calibre bores and used the same eight-groove rifling as the Jaeger-pattern 1776 muzzle-loading rifles, not the four-groove rifling that Ferguson patented, presumably for ease of manufacture. Copies were made for Rifle Shoppe Ferguson kits, and by Ernie Cowan, who made the best bench copies of the ordnance Fergusons. Some historians[who?] It fired a standard British carbine ball of .615" calibre and was used by the British Army in the American Revolutionary War at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777, and possibly at the Siege of Charleston in 1780. It says the rifle was stolen in April of 1969. GUN OF THE DAY - The Ferguson Rifle The Ferguson rifle was the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by the military. The two main reasons that Ferguson rifles were not used by the rest of the army: However, despite an unsubstantiated claim that one of the actions was found at the battle site of Kings Mountain, South Carolina, where Ferguson was killed in action, the only piece of a Ferguson ever found in America from a gun used in action is a trigger guard found in excavations of a British army camp in New York City. [50] In these criticisms I believe Bailey is too harsh. To conclude the demonstration, he picked up the pace and managed six rounds in a minute. When the breech was closed, those same threads gave a good gas seal because matching threading was built into the barrel. The Ferguson breech loading flintlock is a truly unique type of black powder rifle. [32]S.R. Not all records are complete and much needs to be re-studied, but specifically-named Fergusons men were sent to the 4th, 17th, 38th, 43rd, 52nd, 57th Light Infantry companies.
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