A Short History of Blackpowder Firearms

The matchlock was the weapon and tool carried by the early
settlers in America after their 1492 arrival. Matchlocks required an actual fire to burn(a lit match
or cord) a priming powder which in turn would cause " a flash in the pan" firing the main charge
in the barrel.The lineage continued on through wheellocks and a variety of breech-loading arms
including flintlock rifles and pistols which relied on sharpened flint striking a hardened steel
frizzen, throwing sparks into the pan where the priming charge of powder would ignite; on into
the developement of percussion rifles and shotguns and in-line and outer-line actions.
 

It is from the early 1700's that a flintlock was produced in the colonies  which yielded the
Kentucky Longrifle, which, directly, or in the form of one of its offspring, was the choice of the
colonial militiamen in routing the British during the Revolutionary War. It was carried most
notably by Daniel Boone as well as other frontiersmen as they explored and helped settle the
wild country of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Alleghenies. This was the firearm that provided
food in the wilderness and defense against those who would intrude upon any camp,outpost,or
settlement with evil intent.

Although, later explorers and trappers of the  early 1800's carried a
Hawken Rifle. The Hawken introduced the more dependable " caplock", using a percussion cap
in place of the loose powder priming charge to ignite the main charge. Unlike the flintlock, the
Hawken and percussion style tended to be more reliable in wet weather.
 

                The muzzleloader also held its own along the fortifications of the Alamo, especially in the
hands of one Davy Crockett . Most of the Civil War was fought with the muzzleloader, with the
North utilizing the percussion gun for the most part and pre-rolled paper cartridges for faster
loading, while they who fought for the Confederacy, by and large,often fired a flintlock.
 

Whichever type of firearm was applied in the arena of battle,the impact of the Minnie
Ball that did not kill on contact or from the physical devastation of its resultant untreatable injury
left  many crucially maimed. Battlefield amputations due to the musketball's destructive pattern
of blunt impact rather than high velocity penetration, are well documented.
 

 Another Wynne's Falls Riflemen member, Dave Clark, a long time blackpowder
enthusiast and part time living history performer/ teacher at Explore Park,and quite the history
buff, points out, particularly during the Revolutionary War, more damage and battle related death
came about through the use of the bayonette and not from the marksmanship of militiamen who
carried smooth bore muskets. "Their ammo would have a tendency to take a slightly meandering
path towards a target."