The Men & Guns Of Lexington Green
BY Herschel Smith
1 week, 2 days 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
On April 21, 2025 at 6:16 am, Michael Gladius said:
I’ve always loved the shotgun, although it’s a pity the 16-gauge fell by the wayside in the 20th century.
I’ve also been curious if anybody’s ever tried polygonal rifling in a shotgun- the polygonal rifling could be rounded to act as grooves for shot, and the ball/wad could easily be hexagon-shaped.
On April 24, 2025 at 7:10 am, James Sullivan said:
A comprehensive book covering the organization of the colonial militia in Massachusetts and the Lexington/Concord battles;
“The Minute Men” by Gen. John R. Galvin, U.S. Army, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Published in 1989 by Pergamon-Brassey’s
As a companion to Hackett’s book, it provides the background and detailed description of the battles. Galvin also defines what a ‘minuteman’ was as compared to the militia at large.
A brief online search shows the book is still available and was well-received.