Musket

Title:

"Charleville" Musket

Object Name:

Musket

Creator:

St. Etienne Armory

Date:

1770-1776

Material:

Walnut, iron, brass, flint, leather

Dimensions:

H-4.75 L-21 Dia-7 inches
Barrel: 44.625"
Lock Plate: 6.25" x 1.25"
Trigger Guard: 11.000"
Butt Tang: 2.500"
Side plate 3.875"
Eagle on escutcheon: 0.875"

Description:

Flintlock musket, French in origin. Walnut stock with iron furniture and steel ramrod. The forward barrel band has a brass sight on the top. There are two flat-shaped swivels on the bottom side of the musket; one on the trigger guard, and the other attached to the middle barrel band. Rounded lock plate is marked "TIENNE". Lock inscription indicates this musket was made at Royal Manufactory at St. Etienne. Cock is rounded with a heart-shaped opening. The top jaw is wrap around. The jaw screw has a hole in the top but is damaged. The escutcheon bears the image of an eagle. Flint is retained with leather pad. The frizzen shows lots of wear, which may indicate substantial use.

Provenance:

The first official regulation French musket was the so-called model of 1717; before that, muskets had varied wildly. A regulation of January 4, 1717 contained the specifications for a new infantry musket that was to be made at the Royal Manufactories at St. Etienne, Maubeuge, and Nozon near Charleville. The model 1717 went through as many as fifteen different variations by 1777. Although Charleville was only one of the armories that assembled the weapon, it became popularly known as the "Charleville musket".

All Charleville muskets were smooth-barrelled, and were .69 caliber. Although the rounds were smaller than the British Brown Bess (.75 caliber), they would have been just as effective in battle.

Charleville's, mainly the Model 1766, were among the 37,000 long arms that arrived from France during the spring of 1777 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. New Hampshire appropriated some of these weapons for its own regiments and identified them on the breech. Many of these Portsmouth shipments were important in arming the American forces at Saratoga in October 1777. For the remainder of the war, many American soldiers were equipped with different variants of the Charleville.

This musket, judging by its dimensions and furniture, is a model dating from the early 1770's (most likely the Model 1772). By the early 1770's the French lock had become rounded, a bit shorter, and had replaced the faceted flashpan with a circular one. The trigger guard's forward end had also been shortened.

This weapon MAY have been one of those that arrived in Portsmouth in 1777, and could have been used by American soldiers during the Revolution.

.Dr. L. Forbes Getchell bought the musket at a yard sale years ago for $7.50.

Subjects:

Muskets, Firearms, Weapons, Charleville

People:

Getchell, L. Forbes

Place of Origin:

France

Collection Name:

Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire

Item Number:

2003.001

Accession Number:

2003.001

Type of Material:

Objects

Copyright Statement:

For information regarding copyright, permissions, and reproductions contact the American Independence Museum

Credit Line:

Gift of L. Forbes Getchell, July 2003

Participating Organization:

American Independence Museum