The Men & Guns Of Lexington Green
BY Herschel Smith
3 hours, 35 minutes ago
This American Rifleman article goes into some depth on the progression of the fight, more so than any history I have seen. I found this rundown on the use of fowling pieces interesting.
In 1770s New England, the dominant civilian arm used for hunting and militia service was the fowler, so named because such arms could be loaded with shot and used for hunting fowl or other small game. Additionally, fowlers could also be loaded and fired with larger round balls when hunting medium-size game or being used for militia service. To facilitate the use of both shot and ball, fowlers had smooth bores instead of rifled bores, a configuration that not only allowed for various kinds of ammunition but was also significantly easier, and therefore less expensive, to produce. Civilian fowling pieces, due to their commercial and personal nature, varied widely in terms of their configuration, barrel length and bore size. Guns being used for militia service were required to have a certain barrel length (noted in some records as being at least 36”) to account for the fact that soldiers firing in a rear rank would require a gun long enough to reach past the men in the front rank without endangering them. Many New England fowlers of the period had extraordinarily long barrels, too, with some of them reaching 55” or more in length. Bore sizes varied, too, with guns ranging from below .50 caliber and exceeding .80 caliber, in some cases. Generally speaking, most New England fowlers had bore sizes around .62 caliber, and many recovered musket balls fired on April 19 are of a size that suggest they were fired from .62-cal. muzzleloaders.
Shotguns have always been a part of warfare ever since the invention of fowlers.
On April 21, 2025 at 1:18 am, The Wretched Dog said:
David Hackett Fischer’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” is the go-to detailed, but exceptionally readable, history of Lexington-Concord. Real insight into the comprehensive Massachusetts’s / New England militia system. Iirc, men from 26 companies, out of 8 regiments, fought that day.
TWD