[18]

The Arms of a Foot-Soldier consist of a firelock and bayonet, which, when fixed or joined together, become the most formidable weapon that we know of, being capable of vast execution either at a great or at small distance, and when thus united answer all the purposes of a missile or hand weapon; but however as an active use of any weapon will chiefly depend on the construction of it, it therefore follows, that arms in themselves will be more or less serviceable, and that soldiers will have the power of managing them in a better or worse manner in proportion to the degree of the make, whether that consists in length, weight, or convenience ; and for this reason I shall venture to point out some capital defects in the constructions of our firelock and bayonet, with a view of offering a remedy, and with the hopes it will merit some attention.

We have for the make of the Bayonet no other rule or gage than to fit it to a particular firelock to which it of course belongs; Now as the barrels of different firelocks vary in thickness, and as the Sights placed upon them at the muzzle by which the bayonets fix, vary no less in size and position, so the bore of the sockets of the bayonets, and the fixing grooves made in them, must vary accordingly in all or any of these particulars ; therefore it is that scarce any bayonet can be found that will fit any other firelock than that for which it was made; the disadvantage of which [19] is this, that as soldiers are obliged in camp, on guard, or on outposts, to keep their bayonets constantly by them while their firelocks are frequently laid promiscuously together in a bell-tent, or in some other appointed place; I say then, that should the men have an immediate occasion for their firelocks, they could not so circumstanced, have sufficient time to receive or take those respectively belonging to themselves, nor indeed would it be proper to wait, lest, before such a distribution could be effected, an opportunity might be lost, or the consequence prove fatal; therefore as each man must in prudence take the first that comes to hand, the odds will then be very great, that the firelock which he takes does not belong to himself, and of course that the bayonet which he has by him does not fit it, and should that be the case the misfortune arising may prove irreparable.

To remedy then so great a defect I would propose, that as there is an established caliber for firelocks in the service, and as no reason can be assigned why one firelock should be made thicker or thinner in the metal at the muzzle than another; I would therefore have all firelock made alike in that particular; And next, as every bayonet fixes by means of the sight upon the barrel, I would also have all those sights made of equal sizes, and placed at equal distances from their respective muzzles; by which means, as there would then be of course an established gage for the sockets and fixtures of all bayonets, every bayonet would consequently fit every firelock in the service, which would remedy the above defect, and prevent any ill consequence that my arise from it.

My next objection is to the great disadvantage arising from the unnecessary weight of the Bayonet and [20] Rammer; I mean only to show when the bayonet is fixed, the rammer in the stock, and the firelock presented, how the firelock then operates upon the strength of the arm, which is to support it, and the effect it has. This article may at first view, seem inconsiderable to those ho are not conversant in mechanics; but however that may be, we all know by experience that the lighter any weapon ca well be made at the extremity from us, the more manageable it becomes; and on the contrary, that the heavier it is there, the greater degree of strength it requires to use it.

Now in order to shew how the weight of the firelock in the above position operates on the strength of the arm which supports it, I shall endeavour to demonstrate by the property of the lever; and for which purpose I shall consider the firelock, at whose extremity the bayonet is fixed, as a lever, whose length, exclusive of the bayonet, is five feet two inches; and I shall consider the left hand that support it, when presented, as the fulcrum of the lever, placed at the distance of one foot ten inches from the but-end, or three feet four inches from the muzzle, and I shall suppose the weight of the bayonet to be seventeen ounces.

Then I say as one foot ten inches the distance from the left hand to the butt-end is to three feet four inches the distance from that hand to the muzzle, so is seventeen ounces the weight of the bayonet at the muzzle almost thirty-one ounces, the balancing or counter-acting weight at the but; now as the fulcrum of every lever, like the counterpoint part of the beam of a pair of scales, sustains as well the whole force of power, as the weight of that which counteracts it, therefore, the left hand being here the fulcrum, will [21] be burdened with twice thirty one ounces, making together sixty-two ounces; and if to which, be added the force of that part of the bayonet extending beyond the muzzle, then that likewise will be found to produce better than six ounces more, and then the whole burden resting upon the left hand and arm, which in general is the weakest, will be about sixty-eight ounces, occasioned only by the fixing of the bayonet.

And again, to account for the iron rammer, whose weight is better than ten ounces, but as the rammer is lodged in pipes, lying parallel to the barrel, and extending to the end of it; and as the rammer is made tapering, and not truly a cylinder, its power will be best and easiest determined experimentally; and as such it will occasion a counteracting weight of eleven ounces, which also being doubled, is twenty-two ounces more, and that being added to the above sixty-eight ounces, make together ninety ounces, which added again to the weight of the firelock, which is about ten pounds thirteen ounces, exclusive of the rammer and sling, will about make n all sixteen pounds seven ounces, the full weight of which the left hand is to support, when the firelock is presented.

Hence the cause of that great languor so evident, when soldiers come to recover their firelocks from the present, and of the violent pain they suffer in their left arms at the time of presenting, by being thus overburdened and unable to bear that weight, which must of course affect the steadiness requisite in taking proper aim, and consequently render the fire uncertain and ineffectual.

To remedy as much as possible so great a disadvantage as the above, I would propose to have, in the [22] Bayonets made much lighter, an of the same length and substance with those of the dragoons; and in the next, I would have wooden rammers s formerly, instead of the present heavy iron ones, which would cause in this last article alone, exclusive of the bayonet, a difference in pressure at the time of presenting, of at least nineteen ounces; in short, the best recommendation which I can offer for an alteration, is to desire any one to take a firelock in his hand, and make a trail himself, and I am persuaded he will be immediately convinced, how necessary it is to remove those inconveniences.

What I shall offer in the first place concerning the firelock, is relative to its weight ; in the adjusting of which, it ought to be an established rule, "that the weight of all be proportioned to the general strength of all those who are to make use of them, or rather made lighter ; "consequently, should that weight be too great, the arms will then become burdensome and unweildy [sic] and only serve to oppress the man, and overpower his strength in the discharge of his duty. Now, as our arms are confessedly under this disadvantage, I am therefore for diminishing such articles as may be judged superfluous in themselves, and those which I shall point out, are as follows:

First, I would have the barrel made on the outside, like that of the fusee, with two reinforced rings placed at proper distances from the breech, which improvement would occasion it to be much lighter by making the barrel so much the thinner [23] from those rings towards the muzzle, and yet equally serviceable, and still more useful, since it would then feel lighter at the muzzle, and consequently more manageable: Next, I would have that part of the mounting, which is not much exposed to violence, to be made considerably lighter than it is; such as the rammer-pipes, the guard, and the upper part of the cap of the butt; and likewise all the pins, with whatever else will admit of being reduced: And lastly, I would have the fusee lock introduced, instead of the present large heavy one. And besides these alterations, there is another improvement which I much wish for, and that is, to have at the breech a small sight-channel made, for the advantage and convenience of occasionally taking better aim.

The next article which I shall touch upon is the wretched temper given to some of the principal parts of the firelock. The vile practice of which is I nothing more notorious than in the two following instances. I have frequently observed, that our barrels are in general so shamefully soft, that by only the exercise of a few field days, they were so blown at the touch-hole, as to be totally unfit for service. And I have likewise found the faces of the hammers so superficially hardened, that in as short a space of time, the hardening was quite worn off, so as to cause little or no fire at the snap of the flint, and this in so great a great [sic] degree, that I have often seen better than half the firelocks of a company, in that terrible condition.