the uniqueness of the ferguson rifle

Ferguson was part of a generation of active, intelligent, professional and ambitious British light infantry officers. Great War Militaria, Custom Metal and Wood Fabrication, Ordnance Restoration and Repair is a long-winded name for a couple of fellows who got together and decided to tackle the task of creating one of the more interesting small arms designs of the Revolutionary War, the Ferguson. 38, 1776, 217, books.google.co.uk/books?id=ft4RAAAAYAAJ&dq=%27Captain+Patrick+Ferguson%27+the+king&q=ferguson#v=snippet&q=rifle&f=false, accessed October28, 2018. A muzzle-loading rifle takes longer to load as the ball has to be forced down the rifled bore, mating it with the grooves, which becomes more difficult as the barrel fouls with black powder residue. Book five of the series, Bellerophons Champion: Pennywhistle at Trafalgar was published byPenmore Pressin May. Unfortunately corrosion prevented any legible numbers to survive. [27] It took a year for Ferguson to recuperate, requiring numerous painful surgeries removing bone fragments to save his arm from amputation. While the story cannot be proven with any degree of certainty it is definitely a colourful anecdote. Cornet Ferguson then spent two years at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, an institution that specialised in training artillery and engineer officers, an indication of the young mans intelligence. He then added powder and sealed the breech, letting any excess powder simply fall away. Could you provide more context on the Ferguson sword bayonets? Beautiful the idea reminds me of the 19th Century Sharps falling block. On Oct. 2, 1776, Ferguson gave a compelling demonstration of his rifle for King George at Woolwich. The screw was tapered and slotted: the diagonal threads allowed the breech to be fully opened with one downward counter clockwise turn of the handle. Ferguson Rifle History. [5] La Chaumette came to Britain as a Protestant refugee and patented some of his firearms designs in 1721. "The American Rifle: At the Battle of Kings Mountain", C. P. Russell, Supervisor of Interpretation, Washington. Strangely, it is usable by both the Colonists and . Should one in reasonablecondition appear on the antique market in the near future, it would likely fetch seven-figures. Beautiful work, I saw some additional photographs of this rifle posted by the owner. Its superior firepower was unappreciated at the time because it was too . This rifle was definitely fun to build!! The two greatest advantages of Fergusons design were the ease and speed with which it could be loaded, and its accuracy. [32] De Witt Bailey also notes that a February 1778 entry in the orderly book of the Guards brigade calls for an inventory of the rifles still in use with various battalions. While he recuperated, his Experimental Rifle Corps was subsequently disbanded. Fergusons Rifle Company is an elusive body of men to research and precious little appears to have been done along this line. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John Danielski is the author of the Tom Pennywhistle series of novels about a Royal Marine officer in the Napoleonic Wars. [35] He was subsequently made a brevet lieutenant colonel and appointed commanding officer of a Loyalist militia force, the Loyal American Volunteers, and later was made Inspector of Militia in the Carolinas. Most of the surviving military pattern rifles have wooden rather than steel ramrods. Thank you for the kind words. [24]Bailey, British Military Flintlock Rifles, 44. . The fit, finish, the stock stain, the aged metal. Ferguson Rifle - Museum of the American Revolution I recently acquired an original Ferguson sword bayonet in an auction in the north of England. As pretty as it is, it is still a rifle and a rifle has to shoot. The rifles were handmade and as a result none of their parts were interchangeable. The threaded breech pin is attached to the trigger guard which also serves as a crank. Josh works fast and I was relishing new photos every few days. The weapon was costly to manufacture and the British government was very concerned with frugality. He was then ready to fire. by NRA Staff; posted on October 5, 2009 . Scythmore Wedderburn papers: Scottish National Archives, This page was last edited on 11 June 2023, at 05:45. For the purposes of this article we will confine our discussion to the military-pattern Ferguson rifles, excluding later hunting pieces. As I recall, the British lost the Battle of Isandlwana partially because they were too cheap to provide the better, newer cartridges for their rifles. Near Chadds Ford the riflemen were engaged as skirmishers in a tough delaying action. An upward clockwise turn sealed the breech. Markings on the rifles vary with the manufacturer. At an early age he became an officer in the Royal North British Dragoons, and by the time the American colonists . During the 1860s & 70s Broadwell was employed as the European Sales Agent for the Gatling Gun Company. NPS Historical Handbook: Kings Mountain Wonder, JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 2018. He told Townsend in a letter that his rifle fires with twice the expedition, & five times the certainty, is five pounds lighter and only a fourth part of the powder of a common firelock.[8] [25] Ferguson realized that to grow his corps he would have to take men from other battalions, who were naturally averse to this. 11, Kindle. The long Ferguson blades made the rifle plus bayonet similar in length to the Bronze Bess plus bayonet. Ferguson himself was a proponent of light infantry, even suggesting that half the army in America should be light infantry, but I do not believe he intended his rifle to be issued to every soldier. SIG is giving its P320-AXG the Legion treatment and includes the company's unique Slide Integrated Expansion Chamber to reduce . Its superior firepower was unappreciated at the time because it was too expensive and took longer to produce the four gunsmiths making Ferguson's Ordnance Rifle could not make 100 in 6 months at four times the cost per arm of a musket. If Ferguson did not have enough rifles to equip his entire corps it seems likely that his men were armed with a mixture of rifles and standard issue muskets. [36] During 1779 and 1780, Ferguson led his Loyalist volunteer forces in the Carolinas. Detail from Xavier della Gattas 1782 painting of the Paoli Massacre showing what some believe are green-coated men from Fergusons corps. [29]Blackmoore, British Military Firearms, 85. The 100 Best American Revolution Books of All Time, collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-361.html, collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-15502.html, books.google.co.uk/books?id=ft4RAAAAYAAJ&dq=%27Captain+Patrick+Ferguson%27+the+king&q=ferguson#v=snippet&q=rifle&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=cL9NAAAAcAAJ&dq=he+fired+during+four+or+five+minute+at+a+target%2C+at+200+yards+distance%2C+at+the+rate+of+four+shots+each+minute.&q=ferguson#v=snippet&q=ferguson&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=JJI-AAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA148&lpg=RA1-PA148&dq=he+fired+during+four+or+five+minute+at+a+target,+at+200+yards+distance&source=bl&ots=KKUtd0ASaK&sig=Ea0az8UUxbhYUzPTzuXg25LPzWo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwio_NvlvObdAhVKDMAKHQl7CM4Q6AEwCnoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=he%20fired%20during%20four%20or%20five%20minute%20at%20a%20target%2C%20at%20200%20yards%20distance&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=DfgRAAAAYAAJ&dq=american+riflemen&q=riflemen#v=snippet&q=riflemen&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=bHfPAAAAMAAJ&dq=he+fired+during+four+or+five+minute+at+a+target%2C+at+200+yards+distance%2C+at+the+rate+of+four+shots+each+minute.&q=ferguson#v=snippet&q=riflemen&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=F14AAAAAYAAJ&dq=%27Captain+Patrick+Ferguson%27+the+king&q=ferguson#v=snippet&q=ferguson&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=NAQwAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA645&dq=Ferguson%27s+corps+of+riflemen&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj4vrSXv4zeAhUKLMAKHf6bA58Q6AEIPDAE#v=onepage&q=Fergusons%20corps%20of%20riflemen&f=false, www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/11931/page/2, books.google.co.uk/books?id=uV4AAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA425&dq=Ferguson+71+major&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjjrfbbwozeAhVNasAKHUS1BIUQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=Ferguson%2071%20major&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=wEc2AAAAMAAJ&dq=%27Captain+Patrick+Ferguson%27+the+king&q=ferguson#v=snippet&q=ferguson&f=false, books.google.co.uk/books?id=lOERAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA29&dq=scots+magazine+captain+patrick+ferguson++king&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiuutvo1ubdAhVkK8AKHZd_DUsQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=scots%20magazine%20captain%20patrick%20ferguson%20%20king&f=false, allthingsliberty.com/2016/11/revolutionary-war-south-re-evaluations-certain-british-british-american-actors/, allthingsliberty.com/2017/09/fresh-look-major-patrick-ferguson/, www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/revwar/image_gal/morrimg/fergusonmusket.html, americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/British-military-small-arms-in-North-America-1755-to-1783-B071_Bailey.pdf, books.google.co.uk/books?id=bHfPAAAAMAAJ&dq=he+fired+during+four+or+five+minute+at+a+target%2C+at+200+yards+distance%2C+at+the+rate+of+four+shots+each+minute.&q=brandy#v=snippet&q=brandywine&f=false, Academy Award Casting of the American Revolution, Major Andrs Captors Revisited: Separating Myth from Historical Reality, Charles Lees First Inklings of Fractious American Political Battles, Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution, The Contradictory Accounts of Greys Raid on New Bedford and Marthas Vineyard. Little is known about the production of the guns and the manufacturing techniques used but the screw plugs would have taken many hours of work using a treadle lathe and lapping techniques to fit them for each rifle.[18]. The rifles slender, lightweight stock was prone to cracking at the lock mortice where the wood was thinnest. His personal experiences as well as his lifelong devotion to historical research combined to give Mr. L'Amour the unique knowledge and understanding of people, events, and the challenge of the American frontier that became the . There are several in collections in Europe. which are entirely mine.[14] As such Fergusons subsequent patent, filed in December 1776 and granted the following March, is titled Improvements in Breech-loading Fire-arms.[15]. Made by William Newton. While clearly not unique, Ferguson made a number of improvements to La Chaumettes earlier work, principally by introducing a multi-start perpendicular screw breech plug with ten or eleven threads at one pitch. Ferguson Breechloading Flintlock Rifle repro - NRA Museum Every Insult and Indignity: The Life Genius and Legacy of Major Patrick Ferguson, Hand Forged Knives, Belt Axes and Camp Axes. The Board of Ordnance rifles had .65 calibre bores and used the same eight-groove rifling as the Jaeger-pattern 1776 muzzle-loading rifles, not the four-groove rifling that Ferguson patented, presumably for ease of manufacture. The loading procedure prescribed by Ferguson for his rifle is uncertain as no instructions have survived. Although it was not a repeater, it could be loaded and fired 6-10 times per minute. Required fields are marked *. Invented . The Ferguson sword bayonet was a socket bayonet with the flat blade slung UNDER the barrel instead of BESIDE it as in normal muskets. While commanding the Loyalist militia force Ferguson was killed during the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina, in October 1780.[39]. [4]Flintlock breech-loading rifle By John Hirst (about 1760), Royal Armouries,collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-361.html, accessed November 3, 2018. [4] Twelve years later, in 1774, Ferguson started working on his rifle, commissioning Durs Egg, a renowned Anglo-Swiss gunmaker, to produce a slightly improved version of Isaac de la Chaumettes screw plug breech loading action. [28]Bailey, British Military Flintlock Rifles, 54. Here's a really unique - Wrightsman Flintlocks and Forge - Facebook This meant the breech could be opened by completing just one full revolution of the trigger guard which was attached to the base of the plug, and acted as a lever. The flat of the blade was parallel with the ground, unlike the long sword bayonets occasionally used with Brown Besses whose flat blades were perpendicular to the ground when the gun was shouldered. 9393. 4thly, He poured a bottle of water into the pan and barrel of the piece when loaded, so as to wet every grain of the powder, and in less than half a minute fired her as well as ever, without extracting the ball. A veteran of fighting on the Continent, he had been impressed by the stubby jaeger rifles employed by allied German skirmishing units. I couldnt find if the rifle was ever found. This rifle was definitely fun to build!! The rifle is mentioned several times in Geoffrey Watson's book. One complete turn dropped the screw low enough to drop a round ball into the exposed breech followed by a slight overcharge of powder, which was then sheared to the proper charge by the screw as it closed the breech. Along the way one stabbed the other to death. Ferguson Rifle History | An Official Journal Of The NRA - American Rifleman I am still a total novice builder and had hoped my skill would be ready to tackle the Fergie after a few more builds. Very Interesting, as I havent read about sword bayonets prior to the Baker Rifles made famous by the 95th. Not all records are complete and much needs to be re-studied, but specifically-named Fergusons men were sent to the 4th, 17th, 38th, 43rd, 52nd, 57th Light Infantry companies. You have produced a very good and balanced piece; one of the best on this topic. I suspect those are convalesced Ferguson men. It cannot be proved with ANY degree of accuracy, and to swallow it one must believe that on the eve of the biggest battle of his life, Washington abandoned his own headquarters (where he was anxiously awaiting incoming messages from subordinates about the location of a huge detachment of Howes army). Several years later Michael Bidet built a sporting gun for King George II using La Chaumettes screw breech system. [22] There they would join Gen. William Howes imminent campaign to take Philadelphia.With time short, Ferguson scrambled to gather supplies and begin training his men in the use of his rifle. WASHINGTON Progress made on the new museum at Kings Mountain National Military Park, South Carolina, is worthy of record, and the fact that the Service possesses a Ferguson rifle to put into that museum constitutes special note within the record. [49]Bailey,British Military Flintlock Rifles, 219. At one point he allowed the rain to fill the opened breech and was able to clear the water and get the weapon firing again in just a few moments. 1 round per minute was an average for a rifle. Ferguson Rifle - The Armourers Bench Designed by Colonel Patrick Ferguson, a Scottish-born inventor, career military officer, and accomplished marksman, this rifle represented a military adaptation of early civilian breech-loading sporting arms. Hi William, very glad you enjoyed the article. The Ferguson was also far more accurate than the Short Land Pattern muskets. Ferguson was reputedly one of the armys finest marksmen and by the time he arrived in North America he was well versed in the light infantry tactics of the day, including skirmishing, scouting and irregular warfare. The lock castings were great and required only a little tweaking to make a great sparking lock. My analysis of the della Gatta paintings specifies the officer of the 2nd Light Infantry who was seconded to the temporary rifle company within the battalion; they took the lead in the Paoli attack with the 52nd LI company directly behind. [34]Bailey, British Military Flintlock Rifles, 54. Four years later, he was killed at the Battle of King's Mountain, North Carolina. [16]The Annual Register, or a View of the History, Politics and Literature for the Year 1776, 148, books.google.co.uk/books?id=JJI-AAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA148&lpg=RA1-PA148&dq=he+fired+during+four+or+five+minute+at+a+target,+at+200+yards+distance&source=bl&ots=KKUtd0ASaK&sig=Ea0az8UUxbhYUzPTzuXg25LPzWo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwio_NvlvObdAhVKDMAKHQl7CM4Q6AEwCnoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=he%20fired%20during%20four%20or%20five%20minute%20at%20a%20target%2C%20at%20200%20yards%20distance&f=false, accessed September 28, 2018. [26]Michael C. Harris, Brandywine: A Military History of the Battle that Lost Philadelphia but Saved America, September 11, 1777(El Dorado Hills: Savas Beatie, 2014), 223-238. At just over thirty-two inches long the barrels of Fergusons 1776 rifles were ten inches shorter than the Short Land Pattern musket (today commonly called the Brown Bess) then in service. [44]Ferguson Rifle, American Revolutionary War Morristown National Historical Park, www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/revwar/image_gal/morrimg/fergusonmusket.html,accessed October 12, 2018; and Ferguson Breech Loading Rifle, Milwaukee Public Museum,www.mpm.edu/node/27076, accessed October 12, 2018. A handful of original Ferguson rifles survive in private and public collections. (Explorepahistory.com), Xavier della Gattas 1784 painting of the Battle of Paoli shows what is believed to be some of Fergusons men, in their green jackets with their long sword bayonets fixed, over a week after Brandywine. In the summer of 1776, American Gen. Charles Lee wrote that the enemy entertain a most fortunate apprehension of American riflemen.[9] As a result, 1,000 German Jaeger-pattern rifles (described as the Pattern 1776 Infantry Rifle by firearms historian De Witt Bailey) were ordered in late 1775. The story of how the Ferguson rifle was pitted against the Kentucky rifle at Kings Mountain is significant in this day of rearmament. Holding it my hands I was floored. Thanks for clarification. The largest battle in which the rifles were used was the Battle of Brandywine, in which Ferguson was wounded. Scottish born Patrick Ferguson invented this advanced breech-loading rifle design in the year 1774 and patented it in 1776 for the British military during a time when the standard military service arm still used a smooth bore and loaded from the muzzle end with a ramming rod. The Ferguson Rifle (1973) is a novel set in early 19th-century America, written by Louis L'Amour . Born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1744, Ferguson was respected as much for his humanity as his initiative. His rifle, however, was not the British Armys first experimentation with a screw plug breech-loader. [6] One single turn rotation of the trigger gaurd opens the breech chamber. It was used briefly during the American War of Independence and was one of, if not the first breechloader to see service . When stolen it was believed the rifle never left the state. Your email address will not be published. For anyone interested in learning more on the history, use and care of these rifles. [19] With his small detachment Ferguson repeated some of his earlier feats of marksmanship, firing from his back and putting five rounds into the bullseye. report the surviving rifles were apparently put in storage in New York. While it might be expected that fouling from powder residue or from dust and dirt might quickly seize up the screw breech, Ferguson designed the screw to have a number of recesses and channels to provide a place for fouling to go during use, and while not noted in contemporary sources the plug itself could be lubricated. [38] It does not state whether any of these rifles were of his pattern or if they were all muzzleloaders. De Witt Bailey notes that five 100-pound barrels of this powder were ordered for Fergusons corps before they embarked for America, each barrel costing 7 and 10 shillings, roughly six times more expensive than regular issue powder.[46]. "Testing the Ferguson Rifle: Modern Marksman Attains High Precision With Arm of 1776*" Dr. Alfred F. Hopkins, formerly Field Curator, Museum Division, Washington. [7]Discussed in William Keith Neal, The Ferguson Rifle and its Origins, American Society of Arms Collectors, Bulletin #24 (Fall, 1971), and De Witt Bailey, British Military Flintlock Rifles 1740-1840(Lincoln: Andrew Mowbray, 2002), 35. Ferguson's 1776 patent covered improvements to a breech-loading rifle that had been patented in 1721 by Isaac de la Chaumette, a French . While speed was not Fergusons primary focus his impressive demonstrations showed that it could be fired far more rapidly than a muzzle-loading musket. During the build the communication flow never stopped as Josh kept me updated on progress. The only original example I am aware of is with the DePeyster Ferguson rifle in the Smithsonian, and which was Fergusons personal rifle given to DePeyster after the Brandywine battle. The Ferguson also had the distinct advantage of allowing the rifleman to rapidly load and fire in almost any position, or even while on the move, enabling him to make best use of covera tactic favored by the light infantry. NPS Publications: Popular Study Series History No. Josh had test fired and sent me his target, but I couldnt wait to wring it out. Years after my time the Ferguson Rifle was recovered in South Carolina and later put on display which was my good fortune to view many, many years later. Guncovered: The Ferguson & Collumbell Rifles - YouTube [51]The Gentlemans Magazine, Vol.47, 1777, books.google.co.uk/books?id=bHfPAAAAMAAJ&dq=he+fired+during+four+or+five+minute+at+a+target%2C+at+200+yards+distance%2C+at+the+rate+of+four+shots+each+minute.&q=brandy#v=snippet&q=brandywine&f=false, accessed October 21, 2018. [20] This was not unusual; during the previous French & Indian War some British light infantry units including Rogers Rangers and Gages 80th Regiment of Light-Armed Foot had worn proto-camouflage uniforms just as did some of Fergusons contemporaries like the Queens Rangers and Tarletons British Legion. I am still a newbie to Black Powder shooting (as well as building) and I was able to be quite accurate at 25 yards off hand during the first session. Frustratingly, the Rifle Company lost both their officers the day after Brandywine; Ferguson to wounds and Delancey to promotion within the Loyalist corps. Info Calendar Ferguson Rifle Patrick Ferguson, the British commander at Kings Mountain, is best known for his rifle. [40]Andrew OShaughnessy, The Men Who Lost America(London: Oneworld Publications 2013), 263. A period drawing depicts the typical dress and armament of an American frontiersman: linen "hunting" shirt, wool gaiters, wool hat, long rifle, tomahawk, and knife. In the video game Rise of Liberty, the Ferguson rifle appears as a select-able weapon. Ferguson Rifle - U.S. National Park Service I intended to build it myself and placed in the queue behind a few other projects I had in the shop. The lock mechanism and breech were larger than the stock could withstand with rough use. Additionally, according to Fergusons patent, the threads cut into the plug directed fouling away from the breech and were intended to spread powder gases evenly.

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