Musket

Title:

Land Pattern "Brown Bess" Musket

Object Name:

Musket

Creator:

Tower of London Armory

Date:

1760-1830

Material:

Steel, Brass, Walnut

Dimensions:

H-4.75 L-21 Dia-7 inches
measurements include bayonet.

Barrel length: 39.500 inches
Length (without bayonet): 55.500 inches

Bayonet Length: 16.000 inches

Description:

Steel barrel musket and flintlock. Steel ramrod, (reproduction) brass trigger guard, butt plate, three ramrod thimbles, and escutcheon plate. On the lock the rifle is stamped with the royal crown and "GR" (Georgius Rex) and "Tower" (Tower of London) and Broad Arrow/3. There is a brass plate on the stock which lists the donor's name and reads "Given by Katherine Ainsworth Semmse / in loving memory of her father / Vice Admiral Walden Lee Ainsworth / US Navy (1865 - 1960)". Bayonet fits over lug on barrel - unmarked.

Provenance:

Belonged to the Walden family.
Letter dated Oct. 26, 1987 from Wonalancet Farm: "This musket was mounted in the living room of Wonalancet Farm in Wonalancet NH. The farmhouse and surrounding woodlot were inherited by my wife, Katherine Ainsworth Semmes, from her father, Vice Admiral Walden Lee Ainsworth, USN (ret.), at his death in 1960. Admiral Ainsworth had inherited the property from his uncle and aunt, Arthur Treadwell Walden and Katherine Sleeper Walden."

The Long Land Pattern musket and all its derivatives, now nicknamed "Brown Bess," were the standard long guns of the British Army from 1722 until 1838. A "pattern" rifle meant that a single copy of the weapon, stored in a "pattern room" within the barracks, was used by gunsmiths as a template to make sure that their muskets had the same dimensions as the original. The stock was walnut, the mounts usually brass, and the ramrod was originally wooden. There was a lug for the attachment of a bayonet on the top of the barrel. All variations of the Land Pattern musket were .75 caliber.

The origin of the unofficial term "Brown Bess" is often disputed. One origin of the name could come from the artificial oxidation or acid pickling process that colored the barrel brown. The term could also be derived from the German words "brawn buss" or "braun buss," meaning "strong gun" or "brown gun."

As with most other smooth-bore muskets, accuracy of the "Brown Bess" was fair. The effective range was quoted at 175 yards, but this weapon was often fired en masse at about 50 yards to inflict the greatest damage upon the enemy.

Although the barrel length of this "Brown Bess" indicates that it is an India Pattern variant (the third major variant), there are some anomalies in its construction. Many of the parts are from the first two variants of the "Brown Bess," leading us to believe that this musket has been assembled and/or repaired or refurbished at some point.

Subjects:

Weapons, Muskets, Bayonets, Armament, War, Warfare, American Revolution

People:

Semmes, Katherine Ainsworth, Ainsworth, Vice Admiral Walden Lee, Walden, Arthur Treadwell, Walden, Katherine Sleeper

Place of Origin:

London, England

Collection Name:

Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire

Item Number:

1990.012ab

Accession Number:

1990.012ab

Type of Material:

Objects

Copyright Statement:

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

Credit Line:

Gift of Katherine Ainsworth Semmes in Memory of her Father

Participating Organization:

American Independence Museum