Category Archives: 4th of July

Questions for a Black Powder Marksman

05 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in 1777 Charleville, 4th of July, Black Powder Firearms, Musket, Weapons of the Revolution

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Since purchasing a 1777 Charleville in November of last year, I’ve scoured the intertubes for any and all information on the function and maintenance of my firearm. YouTube has turned out to be a reliable source for both knowledge and inspiration. One channel I continually return to is Matthew Murphey over at Murphey’s Muskets. The self proclaimed “King of Black Powder” makes a pretty serious case for royal lineage with a whole catalog of excellent videos.

Matt’s enthusiasm is contagious and his knowledge is extensive. On top of this, the King is a dang good shot. A really good shot.

Muskets not accurate you say? Watch some of his videos:


80 yards? You kiddin’ me? I’m still struggling at 25 ugh.

Matt generously taken the time to answer a few questions for Twistification

What got you into black powder rifles and muskets?

I can’t remember the first time I saw a musket, but I can tell you it had an effect on me. When I was barely 8 years old I would spray WD-40 down the barrel of my Red Rider BB-gun so I could pretend that it would smoke like a musket. So, I’ve been hooked for a long time.

What are the most common misconceptions about muskets?

That they are inaccurate. Are they capable of 1 MOA at 100 yards? No. However, hitting a man at 80-100 yards with a smoothbore is no problem if you are using a period cartridge and use proper trigger pull and resist the impulse to twitch. Rifled muskets have an effective accuracy of up to 300 yards.

What are some basic guidelines you have for people interested in taking up black powder firearms as a hobby?

Don’t go cheap. If you do you will just pay for it later down the line. Any flintlock worth having is going to be expensive; accept it and save and get a quality piece. You will be much happier. Period BP guns and accoutrements are expensive, but after you have acquired those items it’s cheap shooting and a lot of fun! Oh, and huge gun/ammo scares do not affect your supply. 🙂

In your opinion what was the most effective 18th/early 19th century musket/rifle?

During the 18th Century the Brown Bess* was undisputedly the most effective musket the world over. Its quality and effectiveness were put to the test in different climates and battlefield conditions world-wide, creating the British Empire. Even if you don’t like the Brown Bess its effectiveness cannot be denied.

What was the finest made 18th/ early 19th century black powder firearm?

Here again the Brown Bess was the finest musket available from 1730 to about 1800. By that point U.S. weapons started catching up with the Tower of London in quality of arms. By the time the M1812 came around, British and US muskets were neck and neck.

What is the most frustrating rifle/musket you’ve ever shot?

Reproduction muskets from India are by far and away the most frustrating pieces available to the black powder community today.

What is the finest rifle/musket you’ve ever shot?

I would say that it’s an even tie between the Brown Bess* and the M1812

What is the most shocking thing you have discovered about weapons of this era?

How effective they can be when married together with 18th century tactics!

What is the hardest thing about black powder weapons?

Cleaning them when you get home.

In your opinion, is there a notable historical event that proved the effectiveness of black powder weapons or were examples of effective deployments of this type of weaponry?

I would say that both the American Revolution and the Civil War are testaments to these weapons and how effective they can be employed. The Civil War especially shows us how devastating these arms can be. At Gettysburg, Union ordnance workers reported that 4.5 million rounds of rifle musket and smoothbore ammunition were issued and not returned. Chamberlain’s official count for the 20th Maine at Gettysburg was 16,000 rounds.

What is the strangest question you ever got about black powder?

I don’t know that I’ve ever gotten a really strange question. Most people ask pretty legitimate questions.

Do you have a ‘prized possession’?

I’d say my wife, but she’s not a possession.

What is your proudest accomplishment as a marksmen?

I can’t say I have a proudest moment! Ringing a 12″X12″ steel plate at 1,000 meters with a rifle is a real rush! However, ringing a 12″X12″  steel plate  at 100 yards standing up with a smoothbore musket is quite a rush as well!

Matt would of been a good sniper choice for Daniel Morgan at Saratoga

Matt would of been a good sniper choice for Daniel Morgan at Saratoga. I wonder how adept he is at tree climbing…and time travel.

In hindsight, what is the dumbest thing you tried to do with a black powder firearm? (come on, we’ve all done something!)

I don’t know about “tried” since I did it successfully, but the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done is tap-loading. Don’t try that one at home.

*Note From Matt: Just as an FYI, I would like people to know that the Brown Bess is just a nickname for the King’s Pattern Musket. At the time they were used, they would have been referred to as “[year] pattern musket” or “pattern [year] long land/short land.”

Twistification thanks Matt Murphey!

Be sure to check out Matt’s Videos here or find him on Facebook by searching Murphey’s Muskets.

July 4th, 1776

05 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in 4th of July, Founding Fathers, George Washington, Uncategorized

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Franklin and Adams look over first draft. Have suggestions.

Franklin and Adams look over first draft. Have suggestions. Maybe blaming King George for slavery isn’t appropriate at this juncture…

On July 4th, 1776 the Second Continental Congress voted to approve the Declaration of Independence. On this historic day, the Founders officially signed off on a document that would either signify the beginning of a new nation or become a convenient roll call for the hangman’s noose.

While this date is synonymous with American Independence, Twistification would like to offer five dates that rival the significance of July 4th, 1776. Without these events, July 4th would only stand out in history as a controversial day in which a pesky British colony launched a failed revolt against the mighty British Empire.

June 17th, 1775. The Battle of Bunker Hill

Bunker Hill (more accurately Breed's Hill)

Bunker Hill (more accurately Breed’s Hill)

This battle was significant in two ways. First, the battle proved that Americans were capable of fighting British regulars and inflicting heavy casualties. Secondly, the impact of this battle dealt a powerful blow to British military psyche. General Clinton remarked in his diary that “A few more such victories would have shortly put an end to British dominion in America.” The battle planted a seed of doubt that influenced decision making. No British general wanted to suffer casualties like Bunker Hill again. Caution prevailed, and this caution allowed Washington to survive and regroup from a string of disastrous defeats early in the war.

October 7th, 1777, Burgoyne Defeated at Saratoga

The Battle of Saratoga

British Surrender at Saratoga

This critical American victory (thanks in large part to the traitor Benedict Arnold) brought France officially into the war on the side of the Americans. This critical alliance expanded the war from a regional conflict to a global one and diluted essential British naval power. French supplies stabilized the American war effort and French naval power eventually allowed Washington to trap Cornwallis at Yorktown.

No French alliance, no American Independence. Probably helpful to remember when someone smugly reminds a Frenchman of American assistance during WWI and WWII.

October 19th 1781, The Siege of Yorktown

British surrender at Yorktown. French play 'yankee doodle dandy' to rub it in.

British surrender at Yorktown. French play ‘yankee doodle dandy’ to rub it in.

After eight long years of war, the fate of the American colonies was still in question. The arrival of Rochambeau’s French fleet and the positioning of Cornwallis at Yorktown provided a brief opportunity for Washington to break the stalemate.

On October 19th, 1781 a joint expeditionary force of Continental and French soldiers converged at Yorktown to begin the siege. This was made possible by a critical French victory at sea that blocked British naval reinforcement. Adding to misfortune for Cornwallis,  General Clinton sat on his hands and failed to reinforce him in time. These two events essentially sealed Cornwallis’s fate. This victory officially broke British political will and ended the war.

March 15th 1783, Washington Estinguishes a Military Coup d’état

Veterans of the Revolution were not receiving pay and justifiably felt abandoned by an ungrateful nation. Agitated to the point of military uprising, Continental officers called a meeting to discuss steps to take action against Congress.

As Horatio Gates called the meeting to order, an unexpected guest entered the room. To the surprise of all, General Washington asks to speak to the men. A hushed silence falls across the assembly as Washington takes the podium and delivers a passionate call for restraint now known as the Newburgh Address. At the conclusion of his speech, the retired General pauses to read a message from Congress. As he begins, Washington clumsily pulls out his reading glasses. “Gentlemen,” the legendary General declared “you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country.”

Washington’s speech quelled the potential uprising and saved a fledgling Nation from a military coup.

September 17, 1787, The Constitution is Adopted

Signing of the Constitution

Signing of the Constitution

Endless commentary has been written about the Constitution, but it is just as important to understand the significance of the adoption of the Constitution during the early uncertain days of the Republic. The Constitution became the glue that bonded the States together and created a functional government that the Articles of Confederation had failed to do.

And it barely came into being.

The nation was close to falling into a loose assemblage of independent states when men like Madison and Hamilton essentially drug the Constitution to fruition by taking advantage of hastily gathered state conventions. The Constitution was made a realty by a series of essential compromises (including slavery) as well as support from respected Founding Fathers like Washington and Franklin. With the Constitution passed, America narrowly escaped a deadly biproduct of revolution–degeneration by infighting internal strife.

Other Dates of Importance

Christmas night 1776 Washington crosses the Delaware

Washington resigns his commission at Annapolis, MD on December 23, 1783

Happy 4th!

03 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by in 4th of July, Revolutionary War

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Everybody has a first draft

As it it Twistification’s first Independence Day post, I thought I would start out dispelling a few of the more common myths and misunderstandings of the Revolutionary War.

  1. Despite what the header image of this site portrays, the founders were never in a single location while signing the Declaration of Independence. They were wanted men on the run. So it took even more courage to sign the document that basically guaranteed their ruin if the British won the war.
  2. George Washington crossed the Delaware river, defeated the Hessians, and was all downhill from there. George Washington’s victory over the Hessians in Trenton was a moral victory only–but a critical moral victory. The revolution was on the edge of collapse and another defeat would of sapped the revolutionary spirit and ended the war before it really began. The war slogged on for 8 years afterward, and the real tipping point was the victory at Saratoga and the subsequential French alliance.
  3. The war was mostly fought in the North. The British mounted a long southern campaign in that eventually wore them down and led to their defeat at Yorktown.
  4. The Star Spangled Banner was written during the Revolutionary War. Nope. The war of 1812. Come on, the British didn’t have rockets in 1776! Silly….
  5. The American’s won the war by using guerrilla tactics and taking cover while the British stood in the open. Certainly, skirmishing tactics were used in the war, particularly at Lexinton & Concord, but all the essential battles were fought using traditional 18th century tactics. Inaccuracy of the common musket forced soldiers to cluster together to effectively concentrate their fire. For more on this click here.

Now for some little known facts…

  1. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both passed away on the same day, July 4th, 1826. Exactly 50 years after the ratification of the Declaration of Independence.
  2. Admiral Howe, commander of the British navy at the beginning of the war, made an effort to effect peace. Howe offered pardons to all but a particular list including John Adams (he and his cousin Samuel were to be hanged).
  3. Benedict Arnold’s leadership during the battle of Saratoga was essential for the Patriot victory. Without Benedict arnold, a French alliance may never of occurred.
  4. Without Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense, it is very likely that the Patriots would never of been able to gain enough support to win the war. It is hard to understate the impact of this document. Up until this publication many American’s were riding the fence, unable to put together enough reasons to risk their lives for the Patriot cause.

Victory in the Revolutionary War was a far from certain thing. It took many acts of fortune and luck for things to fall the way they did. Our founders were risking their lives, along with the soldiers on the lines. Even more remarkable was the creation of a new republic founded on the Constitution, but I’ll save that for another post.

Everyone have a happy 4th and remember our Veterans and active servicemen.