Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Sunday, 4 April 2010
One Man's Idea Of Who/What a Longhunter Was.
WHO WERE THE LONG HUNTERS
The term “Long Hunter” is a product of Manifest Destiny historians,
and is used today to describe the woodsmen who hunted for extended periods of
time in the land once known as the “Middle Ground.” Today we refer to the
“Middle Ground” as the present states of Kentucky and Tennessee. Not
everyone who hunted was a Long Hunter. The true Long Hunter was a
professional, and made his living by market hunting. Many of these
professional hunters came from the western frontiers of Pennsylvania,
Virginia and the Carolinas. Over the years, legends and tales have grown to
surround and mystify the history of these remarkable characters. They were
an unusual breed, even extraordinary, for they routinely existed in the
wilderness for months, even years at a time. They roamed at will, feeding
themselves from the endless bounty of the forests. These men were perhaps the
most talented, and most enduring of their time. They had to be blacksmiths
enough to shoe horses; forge froes, frizzens, gunsprings, to repair guns and
traps. They could haft axes and tomahawks, and knap flints to fit the locks
of their rifle-guns. Such men were skilled in hunting, trapping, stalking,
hiding, reading sign, and building shelters. They were packhorse men, their
work demanding that they follow the game trails deep into the endless forests.
That they were able to survive in such an unforgiving wilderness for such
lengths of time, under such adverse conditions, is truly a testament to their
qualities of marksmanship, woodslore, self-reliance and cleverness.
Long Hunters were the first American frontiersmen to push beyond the
Blue Ridge. Contrary to the popular Hollywood image, they were not dashing
nimrods clad in fringed buckskins and coonskin caps. Nor did they trek
west to make free the land for God and country, hearth and home. Most Long
Hunters did not have use for Indians, considering them competition, and were
prone to shoot them on sight. The Long Hunter was often a plain man, a poor
man seeking land, relief from debt, and a way to feed hungry mouths. The
stark edge of life and death inured these tough, and stubborn frontier folk to
toil, hardship, heat, cold, rain, snow and ice. The Long Hunter broke treaties
and laws to trespass and poach on Indian land. He went west to make money
in deerskins, tallow and furs. He was perhaps the freest Anglo-American of
the colonial era.
The decade of the 1760’s is referred to as “the golden age” of the Long
Hunt.
Copyright Larry Fiorillo, 2001
"The long hunters principally resided in the upper country of Va., and North Carolina, on the New River and Holston River, and when they intended to make a long hunt, as they called it, they collected near the head of Holston, near where Abingdon now stands. Thence they proceeded a westerly direction passing through Powell's valley crossing the Cumberland mountain where the road now crosses leading to the Crab Orchard in Ky. Then crossing the Cumberland River where the said road now crosses Rockcastle, and leaving the Crab Orchard to the right and continuing nearly the said course, crossing the head of Green River, going on through the Barrens, crossing Big Barren River at the mouth of Drake's Creek; thence up Drake'c Creek to the head, crossing the ridge which divides the waters of the Ohio river from the waters of the Cumberland, and the hunters, after crossing the ridge, either went down Bledsoe's Creek, or Station Camp Creek to the river and then spread out in the Cumberland ready to make their hunt.
The first trip that the long hunters made was about l772 or l773. There were several very enterprising, smart, active members along. I will name a few: Col. Isaac Bledsoe, Col. John Montgomery, Col. Gasper Mansker, Henry Scaggs, Obediah Terrell, two Drakes (this would be Joseph and Ephraim), and a number of other could be named.
When the hunters crossed the dividing ridge first named, they fell on the head of Station Camp Creek, and went down it about three miles and from Cumberland river, came to a very large, plain, buffalo path, much traveled, crossing the creek at right angles north and south. The south side of the creek was a pretty high bluff and a beautiful flat ridge made down to the creek. The hunters pitched their camp on the bluff and on the buffalo path, and they made that their Station Camp from which the creek took its name.
Col. Bledsoe and Col. Mansker, the first night they pitched their camp, agreed that the buffalo path that ran by their camp must lead at each end to Sulphur Licks or springs, and they made an agreement that night for Col. Bledsoe, in the morning, to take the north end of the path, and Col. Mansker to take the south side of the path, and each to ride one half day along the path to see what discoveries they could make and give themselves time to return to camp that night and report what they had seen.
They were both successful in their expectations. One found Bledsoe's Lick at the end of thirteen miles, and the other found Mansker's Lick at about twelve miles. They both returned that night, with great joy, to their companions at the camp, and made known their discoveries of the two licks.
Col. Bledsoe told me when he came to Bledsoe's Creek, about two miles from the lick, he had some difficulty in riding along the path, the buffaloes were so crowded in the path, and on each side, that his horse could scarcely get through them, and when he got to the bend of the creek at the Lick, the whole flat surrounding the lick of about one hundred acres was principally covered with buffaloes in every direction. He said no only hundreds, but thousands.
The space containing the Sulphur springs was about two hundred yards each way across, and the buffalo had licked the dirt away several feet deep in that space, and within that space there issued out about a dozen Sulphur springs, at which the buffalo drank. Bledsoe said there was such a crowd of buffaloes in the Lick and around it, that he was afraid to get off his horse for fear of getting run over by the buffaloes, and as he sat on his horse he shot down two in the lick and the buffaloes tread them in the mud so that he could not skin them. The buffaloes did not mind the sight of him and his horse, but when the wind blew from him to them they got the scent of him, they would break and run in droves."
The Long Hunter by Emory L. Hamilton, p. 29, The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Spring l984.
The term “Long Hunter” is a product of Manifest Destiny historians,
and is used today to describe the woodsmen who hunted for extended periods of
time in the land once known as the “Middle Ground.” Today we refer to the
“Middle Ground” as the present states of Kentucky and Tennessee. Not
everyone who hunted was a Long Hunter. The true Long Hunter was a
professional, and made his living by market hunting. Many of these
professional hunters came from the western frontiers of Pennsylvania,
Virginia and the Carolinas. Over the years, legends and tales have grown to
surround and mystify the history of these remarkable characters. They were
an unusual breed, even extraordinary, for they routinely existed in the
wilderness for months, even years at a time. They roamed at will, feeding
themselves from the endless bounty of the forests. These men were perhaps the
most talented, and most enduring of their time. They had to be blacksmiths
enough to shoe horses; forge froes, frizzens, gunsprings, to repair guns and
traps. They could haft axes and tomahawks, and knap flints to fit the locks
of their rifle-guns. Such men were skilled in hunting, trapping, stalking,
hiding, reading sign, and building shelters. They were packhorse men, their
work demanding that they follow the game trails deep into the endless forests.
That they were able to survive in such an unforgiving wilderness for such
lengths of time, under such adverse conditions, is truly a testament to their
qualities of marksmanship, woodslore, self-reliance and cleverness.
Long Hunters were the first American frontiersmen to push beyond the
Blue Ridge. Contrary to the popular Hollywood image, they were not dashing
nimrods clad in fringed buckskins and coonskin caps. Nor did they trek
west to make free the land for God and country, hearth and home. Most Long
Hunters did not have use for Indians, considering them competition, and were
prone to shoot them on sight. The Long Hunter was often a plain man, a poor
man seeking land, relief from debt, and a way to feed hungry mouths. The
stark edge of life and death inured these tough, and stubborn frontier folk to
toil, hardship, heat, cold, rain, snow and ice. The Long Hunter broke treaties
and laws to trespass and poach on Indian land. He went west to make money
in deerskins, tallow and furs. He was perhaps the freest Anglo-American of
the colonial era.
The decade of the 1760’s is referred to as “the golden age” of the Long
Hunt.
Copyright Larry Fiorillo, 2001
The first trip that the long hunters made was about l772 or l773. There were several very enterprising, smart, active members along. I will name a few: Col. Isaac Bledsoe, Col. John Montgomery, Col. Gasper Mansker, Henry Scaggs, Obediah Terrell, two Drakes (this would be Joseph and Ephraim), and a number of other could be named.
When the hunters crossed the dividing ridge first named, they fell on the head of Station Camp Creek, and went down it about three miles and from Cumberland river, came to a very large, plain, buffalo path, much traveled, crossing the creek at right angles north and south. The south side of the creek was a pretty high bluff and a beautiful flat ridge made down to the creek. The hunters pitched their camp on the bluff and on the buffalo path, and they made that their Station Camp from which the creek took its name.
Col. Bledsoe and Col. Mansker, the first night they pitched their camp, agreed that the buffalo path that ran by their camp must lead at each end to Sulphur Licks or springs, and they made an agreement that night for Col. Bledsoe, in the morning, to take the north end of the path, and Col. Mansker to take the south side of the path, and each to ride one half day along the path to see what discoveries they could make and give themselves time to return to camp that night and report what they had seen.
They were both successful in their expectations. One found Bledsoe's Lick at the end of thirteen miles, and the other found Mansker's Lick at about twelve miles. They both returned that night, with great joy, to their companions at the camp, and made known their discoveries of the two licks.
Col. Bledsoe told me when he came to Bledsoe's Creek, about two miles from the lick, he had some difficulty in riding along the path, the buffaloes were so crowded in the path, and on each side, that his horse could scarcely get through them, and when he got to the bend of the creek at the Lick, the whole flat surrounding the lick of about one hundred acres was principally covered with buffaloes in every direction. He said no only hundreds, but thousands.
The space containing the Sulphur springs was about two hundred yards each way across, and the buffalo had licked the dirt away several feet deep in that space, and within that space there issued out about a dozen Sulphur springs, at which the buffalo drank. Bledsoe said there was such a crowd of buffaloes in the Lick and around it, that he was afraid to get off his horse for fear of getting run over by the buffaloes, and as he sat on his horse he shot down two in the lick and the buffaloes tread them in the mud so that he could not skin them. The buffaloes did not mind the sight of him and his horse, but when the wind blew from him to them they got the scent of him, they would break and run in droves."
The Long Hunter by Emory L. Hamilton, p. 29, The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Spring l984.
Saturday, 3 April 2010
For My Friend Grimbo, An English Woodsrunner. The Coureur De Bois.
The Couriur De Bois.
The French "Coureur de bois" entered the Illinois country to trade French manufactured goods to the Native Americans for fur skins. Common items included knives, tomahawks, vermillion, mirrors, beads, wool and linen cloth, gunpowder, lead, guns and numerous other items were traded for: Beaver, mink, muskrat and fox pelts, bear and racoon skins, and deer skins.
Jean Cadieux
Jean Cadieux, a “coureur des bois” founded a family with an Algonquian wife, named Marie Bourdon. He was born in Boucherville, March 12, 1671, with father Jean Cadieux and mother Marie Valade, where he was the youngest son. Hunter and trapper, he would trade with the natives and exchanged the furs for provisions and manufactured products, which permitted him to survive winter in his small cabin in the middle of the woods. On a beautiful day in May 1709, he went from Morisson Island to Montreal with a couple natives to sell some furs. During one of their stops at one of the seven falls at Grand Calumet Island, one of his companions, a young Algonquian, went out to do some scouting, and spotted a group of Iroquois warriors. They were setting up a trap for any unfortunate traveler so that they could steal their furs. In order to escape, they would have to go over impassable rapids and under a volley of arrows! In order to insure the safety of his men and family, Cadieux decided that he would, along with a young Algonquian, divert the Iroquois and attract them far from the rapids so that they could cross them in safety. All of them hid in the bottom of the canoes upriver, and waited on the appointed signal, which was a shot of the gun, in order to leave.
An hour later, Cadieux and his friend surprised the Iroquois and brought them away from the rapids. A shot was fired: it was the awaited signal that Cadieux’s companions were waiting for to affront the terrible rapids that awaited them. None of the Iroquois noticed them, for they were too busy trying to catch Cadieux and his companion. With an amazing dexterity, the Algonquian paddlers guided the frail bark canoes in the middle of the crashing waters, trying to stay away from the rocks, which would have ripped the fragile oak bark, and led the travelers to a certain death. For two days straight, they navigated the rough waters with a hellish pace and finally reached the Two Mountains Lake where they found refuge at the fort.
Not seeing him come back, three of his companions, after having put his family and the furs in security, left to try to find Cadieux. The Iroquois had left the island and the Algonquians found a small shelter made of branches near the seven falls portage. The Algonquian warriors left to find their companions, reading the tracks left by the aggressors and the fugitives like in a great book. The young Algonquian had been killed and, for three days, the Iroquois searched the island trying to find Cadieux who continued to wage war, as uncatchable as a ghost!
After two days of fruitless searches, having lost all hope of finding Cadieux, they discovered a wooden cross planted in the ground close to the shelter that they had found on their way up. And there, half dead, lay the body of Jean. He held in his hand a long piece of bark on which, before dying, he had written as if in complaint, his story.
He had managed to escape the Iroquois, but tired, and out of strength after three days of guerrilla and of deprivations, he had seen his companions arrive, but he couldn’t find the strength to call them. He prepared himself to die, digging his tomb, and sticking a cross in the ground after having written his complaint. Then, with his last bit of strength, he buried himself, waiting for death to come in a place called the Petit Rocher of the Haute Montagne.
… for the sum of 1,213 livres, 17 sols, 2 deniers to trade in Villemarie for merchandise to send him to the Ottawa country. 1697.
…it is almost 27 years that he has been acquainted with the said Dupuis (and affirms) that he is a man of great company, of menial condition and great expenses… passing entire weeks in reckless spending and he also affirmed that he knew that after the two last voyages that he made to the Ottawa country before this last one from which he has just returned, he had no sooner returned to this city that he pitched his camp in a cabaret and that he did not come out again until he had eaten (spent) all that he had brought with him, having no thought at all of going to his family nor providing them with any of the revenue from his voyage by which they could subsist, desiring more to spend it all in debauchery as he had always done before and since and finally that he is a bad provider, capable of spending above and beyond what he could afford…1706.
That he knew the said Dupuis well and that he was a drunkard who drinks and eats everything in sight without paying any attention to saving (his money) for his family and also knowing that six years ago coming back from the Ottawa country to this city he brought with him 1,800 livres in profits from his voyage and that he went to the home of the wife of Laporte, the inn-keeper of this city, and had come out only when he had spent all the 1,800 livres and that since his arrival lately from the Ottawa country no day has passed that he did not drink wine and finally that he is a man capable of spending above what he can earn and incapable of correcting himself and never wasting any time when he returned, loving (always) debauchery as much as always 1706.
they acquired something of the Indian's stoical fatalism, his superstitions, his secrecy, and savagery in battle. When the triumphant war-parties returned, dragging their helpless prisoners, they saw and heard the unbelievable extreme horrors of cruelty. A History of Canada, Donald Creighton, page 83.
The coureurs des bois and the voyageurs were often wet, whether that was a result of sweat, rain, or the times they had to get out of their canoes. As a result, they preferred clothing made of fabric rather than skins, since it dried better. The coureur des bois’ outfit included a cotton or linen shirt and knee-length canvas pants. On his head, he would wear a wool toque or a scarf to keep the sweat off his face. He also wore a brightly colored wool belt, from which he could hang a cup or a bag containing his pipe, tobacco, and tinderbox. On cold days, the coureur des bois would don a woolen capote or, occasionally, a coat made of moose or caribou hide. He would store his black powder in a well-sealed horn. He also carried a few knives and a gun.
The voyageurs and coureurs des bois also wore Amerindian clothing, which was well-suited to life in the forest. In the summer, the breechcloth occasionally replaced pants. Instead of socks, they used leggings that protected their legs from insects, thorns and brambles. Occasionally, the leggings would be made of deer skin. For their feet, the coureurs des bois opted for moccasins, which they lined with wool in the winter. In order to protect themselves against mosquitoes, the Whites copied the Amerindians, coating their skin with bear fat.
Every evening, the crew would set up camp. The fire would be lit and the meal prepared. For shelter, they would use an overturned canoe, which could be covered with a tarpaulin Some evenings, they slept under the open sky. One man would always keep watch over the fire and the merchandise, waking his companions well before dawn. During winter expeditions, the men would bundle up and sleep close to the fire. Occasionally they would dig a hole under the snow for protection against the wind, and cover the ground with pine branches. Like the Amerindian peoples, the voyageurs occasionally made caches to store supplies and merchandise.
Sources: GERMAIN, Georges-Hébert. Les coureurs des bois: la saga des indiens blancs. Outremont, Libre expression; [Ottawa], Musée canadien des civilisations, 2003, 158 pages.
POMERLEAU, Jeanne. Les coureurs de bois: la traite des fourrures avec les Amérindiens. Sainte-Foy, Éditions Dupont, 1994, 143 pages.
www.maisonsaint-gabriel.qc.ca/en/b/page_b_5a_...
The French "Coureur de bois" entered the Illinois country to trade French manufactured goods to the Native Americans for fur skins. Common items included knives, tomahawks, vermillion, mirrors, beads, wool and linen cloth, gunpowder, lead, guns and numerous other items were traded for: Beaver, mink, muskrat and fox pelts, bear and racoon skins, and deer skins.
Jean Cadieux, a “coureur des bois” founded a family with an Algonquian wife, named Marie Bourdon. He was born in Boucherville, March 12, 1671, with father Jean Cadieux and mother Marie Valade, where he was the youngest son. Hunter and trapper, he would trade with the natives and exchanged the furs for provisions and manufactured products, which permitted him to survive winter in his small cabin in the middle of the woods. On a beautiful day in May 1709, he went from Morisson Island to Montreal with a couple natives to sell some furs. During one of their stops at one of the seven falls at Grand Calumet Island, one of his companions, a young Algonquian, went out to do some scouting, and spotted a group of Iroquois warriors. They were setting up a trap for any unfortunate traveler so that they could steal their furs. In order to escape, they would have to go over impassable rapids and under a volley of arrows! In order to insure the safety of his men and family, Cadieux decided that he would, along with a young Algonquian, divert the Iroquois and attract them far from the rapids so that they could cross them in safety. All of them hid in the bottom of the canoes upriver, and waited on the appointed signal, which was a shot of the gun, in order to leave.
An hour later, Cadieux and his friend surprised the Iroquois and brought them away from the rapids. A shot was fired: it was the awaited signal that Cadieux’s companions were waiting for to affront the terrible rapids that awaited them. None of the Iroquois noticed them, for they were too busy trying to catch Cadieux and his companion. With an amazing dexterity, the Algonquian paddlers guided the frail bark canoes in the middle of the crashing waters, trying to stay away from the rocks, which would have ripped the fragile oak bark, and led the travelers to a certain death. For two days straight, they navigated the rough waters with a hellish pace and finally reached the Two Mountains Lake where they found refuge at the fort.
Not seeing him come back, three of his companions, after having put his family and the furs in security, left to try to find Cadieux. The Iroquois had left the island and the Algonquians found a small shelter made of branches near the seven falls portage. The Algonquian warriors left to find their companions, reading the tracks left by the aggressors and the fugitives like in a great book. The young Algonquian had been killed and, for three days, the Iroquois searched the island trying to find Cadieux who continued to wage war, as uncatchable as a ghost!
After two days of fruitless searches, having lost all hope of finding Cadieux, they discovered a wooden cross planted in the ground close to the shelter that they had found on their way up. And there, half dead, lay the body of Jean. He held in his hand a long piece of bark on which, before dying, he had written as if in complaint, his story.
He had managed to escape the Iroquois, but tired, and out of strength after three days of guerrilla and of deprivations, he had seen his companions arrive, but he couldn’t find the strength to call them. He prepared himself to die, digging his tomb, and sticking a cross in the ground after having written his complaint. Then, with his last bit of strength, he buried himself, waiting for death to come in a place called the Petit Rocher of the Haute Montagne.
… for the sum of 1,213 livres, 17 sols, 2 deniers to trade in Villemarie for merchandise to send him to the Ottawa country. 1697.
…it is almost 27 years that he has been acquainted with the said Dupuis (and affirms) that he is a man of great company, of menial condition and great expenses… passing entire weeks in reckless spending and he also affirmed that he knew that after the two last voyages that he made to the Ottawa country before this last one from which he has just returned, he had no sooner returned to this city that he pitched his camp in a cabaret and that he did not come out again until he had eaten (spent) all that he had brought with him, having no thought at all of going to his family nor providing them with any of the revenue from his voyage by which they could subsist, desiring more to spend it all in debauchery as he had always done before and since and finally that he is a bad provider, capable of spending above and beyond what he could afford…1706.
That he knew the said Dupuis well and that he was a drunkard who drinks and eats everything in sight without paying any attention to saving (his money) for his family and also knowing that six years ago coming back from the Ottawa country to this city he brought with him 1,800 livres in profits from his voyage and that he went to the home of the wife of Laporte, the inn-keeper of this city, and had come out only when he had spent all the 1,800 livres and that since his arrival lately from the Ottawa country no day has passed that he did not drink wine and finally that he is a man capable of spending above what he can earn and incapable of correcting himself and never wasting any time when he returned, loving (always) debauchery as much as always 1706.
they acquired something of the Indian's stoical fatalism, his superstitions, his secrecy, and savagery in battle. When the triumphant war-parties returned, dragging their helpless prisoners, they saw and heard the unbelievable extreme horrors of cruelty. A History of Canada, Donald Creighton, page 83.
The coureurs des bois and the voyageurs were often wet, whether that was a result of sweat, rain, or the times they had to get out of their canoes. As a result, they preferred clothing made of fabric rather than skins, since it dried better. The coureur des bois’ outfit included a cotton or linen shirt and knee-length canvas pants. On his head, he would wear a wool toque or a scarf to keep the sweat off his face. He also wore a brightly colored wool belt, from which he could hang a cup or a bag containing his pipe, tobacco, and tinderbox. On cold days, the coureur des bois would don a woolen capote or, occasionally, a coat made of moose or caribou hide. He would store his black powder in a well-sealed horn. He also carried a few knives and a gun.
The voyageurs and coureurs des bois also wore Amerindian clothing, which was well-suited to life in the forest. In the summer, the breechcloth occasionally replaced pants. Instead of socks, they used leggings that protected their legs from insects, thorns and brambles. Occasionally, the leggings would be made of deer skin. For their feet, the coureurs des bois opted for moccasins, which they lined with wool in the winter. In order to protect themselves against mosquitoes, the Whites copied the Amerindians, coating their skin with bear fat.
Every evening, the crew would set up camp. The fire would be lit and the meal prepared. For shelter, they would use an overturned canoe, which could be covered with a tarpaulin Some evenings, they slept under the open sky. One man would always keep watch over the fire and the merchandise, waking his companions well before dawn. During winter expeditions, the men would bundle up and sleep close to the fire. Occasionally they would dig a hole under the snow for protection against the wind, and cover the ground with pine branches. Like the Amerindian peoples, the voyageurs occasionally made caches to store supplies and merchandise.
Sources: GERMAIN, Georges-Hébert. Les coureurs des bois: la saga des indiens blancs. Outremont, Libre expression; [Ottawa], Musée canadien des civilisations, 2003, 158 pages.
POMERLEAU, Jeanne. Les coureurs de bois: la traite des fourrures avec les Amérindiens. Sainte-Foy, Éditions Dupont, 1994, 143 pages.
www.maisonsaint-gabriel.qc.ca/en/b/page_b_5a_...
The Colonial Militia.
Militia.
"every soldyer Shall be well provided w'th a well fixed gun or fuse, Sword or hatchet, Snapsack, Catouch box,horne charger and flints"New Hampshire Militia Laws, Oct. 7, 1692.
"one good Musket, Fuzee or other Firelock, well fixed, a Cutlass, Bayonet or Tomahawk, a Cartouche Box filled with 12 or more Cartridges of Powder, 12 or more sizeable Bullets and 3 Good Flints." 1757.
"Every listed souldier ... shall be alwayes provided with a well fixt firelock musket, of musket or bastard musket bore, the barrel not less then three foot and a half long, or other good firearms to the satisfaction of the commission officers of the company, a snapsack, a coller with twelve bandeleers or cartouch-box, one pound of good powder, twenty bullets fit for his gun, and twelve flints, a good sword or cutlace, a worm and priming wire fit for his gun." - Mass. Militia Laws, Nov. 22, 1693.
"every soldyer Shall be well provided w'th a well fixed gun or fuse, Sword or hatchet, Snapsack, Catouch box, horne Charger & flints" - New Hampshire Militia Laws, Oct. 7, 1692."
"...That upon an Alarm made at any of the Frontiers, Forts or Garrisons, with the Province, on Advice or Discovery of the Indian Enemy coming upon or Appearing near the same, the said Officers and Snow-shoe Men, or so many of them as can be drawn together as the Circumstances of the Case may require, shall, pursuant to the Orders given them by the Commander in Chief, for the Time being, March out forthwith after the Enemy, well fitted with Arms, Ammunition, Provision, and each of them a Blanket, to Pursue, Encounter, Repell and Destroy the Enemy: and the said Officers & Soldiers so taking to Arms, besides the Wages and Subsistence allowed to the Marching forces in the Service and pay of the Government, shall be Entitled to such other Rewards in Case they obtain any Plunder, Scalp of the Enemy or Captives, as is by Law provided as a Premium or Bounty for those who go forth as Voluntiers, without pay " Order creating Snowshoe Companies, May 24, 1724.
that every person who can bear arms from 16 to 60 years of age be always provided with a convenient proportion of powder and bullet for service for their Mutual Defence, upon a penalty for their neglect . . . . That the quantity of powder and shot . . . be at least one pound of powder and 2 pounds of bullet. And if the Inhabitants . . . shall not be found sufficiently provided with arms, His Royal Highness the Governor is willing to furnish them.
. "Each soldier to provide himself with a good fire arm, a steel or iron ram rod and a spring for same, a worm, a priming wire and brush, a bayonet fitted to his gun, a scabbard and belt thereof, a cutting sword or tomahawk or hatchet, a . . .cartridge box holding fifteen rounds . . . at least, a hundred buckshot, six flints, one pound of powder, forty leaden balls fitted to the gun, a knapsack and blanket, a canteen or wooden bottle to hold one quart " Journal of Arthur Harris of the Bridgewater Coy of Militia.
It is but too well known by the late numerous murders barbarously committed on our borders, that the county…is become the only frontier part of the province left unguarded and exposed to the cruel incursions of the Indian enemy. And the inhabitants of these parts have been obliged to perform very hard military duty for these two years past, in ranging the woods and guarding the frontiers.
—Colonel Thomas Ellison, 1757
"The frontiers were well guarded; one half of the militia did duty at the garrisons and were ready to march at a minute's warning; a scout of forty men kept ranging on the heads of the towns; and the like care was taken by sea, spy-boats being employed in coasting from Cape Neddock to the Great Boar's Head." Dr Belknap, 1712.
The militia "marched out of Capt. Tilton's company under the command of Daniel Weare, for a three days' march, above the frontiers, finding themselves provisions." 1724.
All households to “ provide their own clothes, shot bags, powder horns, and muskets, a blanket and knapsack being supplied by the colony”.
“If he brought a gun he had an extra bounty of two dollars; a powder horn, bullet pouch, blanket, knapsack, wooden bottle or canteen were supplied by the province” (1756).
“I gave orders to them to go home and fetch their arms whether guns, swords, pitchforks, axes or whatsoever might be of use against the enemy and for three days provision in their knapsacks”(early 18th century).
Militia rations: “2 pounds of bread, 2 pounds of beef and jill of rum”.
“…equipped with muskets, cartouche boxes, bayonets or tomahawks and scalping knives” (mid 18th century).
"every soldyer Shall be well provided w'th a well fixed gun or fuse, Sword or hatchet, Snapsack, Catouch box,horne charger and flints"New Hampshire Militia Laws, Oct. 7, 1692.
"one good Musket, Fuzee or other Firelock, well fixed, a Cutlass, Bayonet or Tomahawk, a Cartouche Box filled with 12 or more Cartridges of Powder, 12 or more sizeable Bullets and 3 Good Flints." 1757.
"Every listed souldier ... shall be alwayes provided with a well fixt firelock musket, of musket or bastard musket bore, the barrel not less then three foot and a half long, or other good firearms to the satisfaction of the commission officers of the company, a snapsack, a coller with twelve bandeleers or cartouch-box, one pound of good powder, twenty bullets fit for his gun, and twelve flints, a good sword or cutlace, a worm and priming wire fit for his gun." - Mass. Militia Laws, Nov. 22, 1693.
"every soldyer Shall be well provided w'th a well fixed gun or fuse, Sword or hatchet, Snapsack, Catouch box, horne Charger & flints" - New Hampshire Militia Laws, Oct. 7, 1692."
"...That upon an Alarm made at any of the Frontiers, Forts or Garrisons, with the Province, on Advice or Discovery of the Indian Enemy coming upon or Appearing near the same, the said Officers and Snow-shoe Men, or so many of them as can be drawn together as the Circumstances of the Case may require, shall, pursuant to the Orders given them by the Commander in Chief, for the Time being, March out forthwith after the Enemy, well fitted with Arms, Ammunition, Provision, and each of them a Blanket, to Pursue, Encounter, Repell and Destroy the Enemy: and the said Officers & Soldiers so taking to Arms, besides the Wages and Subsistence allowed to the Marching forces in the Service and pay of the Government, shall be Entitled to such other Rewards in Case they obtain any Plunder, Scalp of the Enemy or Captives, as is by Law provided as a Premium or Bounty for those who go forth as Voluntiers, without pay " Order creating Snowshoe Companies, May 24, 1724.
that every person who can bear arms from 16 to 60 years of age be always provided with a convenient proportion of powder and bullet for service for their Mutual Defence, upon a penalty for their neglect . . . . That the quantity of powder and shot . . . be at least one pound of powder and 2 pounds of bullet. And if the Inhabitants . . . shall not be found sufficiently provided with arms, His Royal Highness the Governor is willing to furnish them.
. "Each soldier to provide himself with a good fire arm, a steel or iron ram rod and a spring for same, a worm, a priming wire and brush, a bayonet fitted to his gun, a scabbard and belt thereof, a cutting sword or tomahawk or hatchet, a . . .cartridge box holding fifteen rounds . . . at least, a hundred buckshot, six flints, one pound of powder, forty leaden balls fitted to the gun, a knapsack and blanket, a canteen or wooden bottle to hold one quart " Journal of Arthur Harris of the Bridgewater Coy of Militia.
It is but too well known by the late numerous murders barbarously committed on our borders, that the county…is become the only frontier part of the province left unguarded and exposed to the cruel incursions of the Indian enemy. And the inhabitants of these parts have been obliged to perform very hard military duty for these two years past, in ranging the woods and guarding the frontiers.
—Colonel Thomas Ellison, 1757
"The frontiers were well guarded; one half of the militia did duty at the garrisons and were ready to march at a minute's warning; a scout of forty men kept ranging on the heads of the towns; and the like care was taken by sea, spy-boats being employed in coasting from Cape Neddock to the Great Boar's Head." Dr Belknap, 1712.
All households to “ provide their own clothes, shot bags, powder horns, and muskets, a blanket and knapsack being supplied by the colony”.
“If he brought a gun he had an extra bounty of two dollars; a powder horn, bullet pouch, blanket, knapsack, wooden bottle or canteen were supplied by the province” (1756).
“I gave orders to them to go home and fetch their arms whether guns, swords, pitchforks, axes or whatsoever might be of use against the enemy and for three days provision in their knapsacks”(early 18th century).
Militia rations: “2 pounds of bread, 2 pounds of beef and jill of rum”.
“…equipped with muskets, cartouche boxes, bayonets or tomahawks and scalping knives” (mid 18th century).
Friday, 2 April 2010
Thursday, 1 April 2010
In The Militia. The Cartouch box or Belly box.
I have read many accounts of militia equipment, and most of them vary in what is compulsory. Occasionally I am asked to scout for the local militia, and the captain preferes me to use a belly box and cartridges. So I made this one with the bits and pieces I had available.
Round ball cartridge.
A copper nail secures the outer flap.
The back.
Inner flap to help keep the paper cartridges dry in wet weather.
I managed to bore 10 holes for cartridges in this block.
Swan shot and round ball (Buck & Ball) cartridge on the right, load of swan shot on the left.
Round ball cartridge.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)