Welcome ladies and gentlemen,
to a presentation that will
blow you away!
Ready?
3…
2…
1…
ColonialLife:
Life:
Colonial
Militias & More!
By Rachel Kulik 7A4-ID2
Hear ye,
hear ye! A
presentation
on colonial
military and
defense is
now being
shown!
Glossary
•
Militia - military force, often made up of local volunteers
- The French and Indian War by Andrew Santella
•
Minuteman - a member of a group of American militiamen just before and during the Revolutionary
War who held themselves in readiness for instant military service.
- http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/minuteman
•
Rifle - a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, which fires a single projectile (bullet) through a
barrel which contains spiral grooves in its bore. (The bore is the hole through the middle of the barrel.)
Along with shotguns, these are often called "long guns."
- http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/g/rifle.htm
•
Saltpeter - the form of potassium nitrate, KNO 3 , that occurs naturally, used in the manufacture of
fireworks, fluxes, gunpowder, etc.; niter.
- http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/saltpeter
First of AllDefense in Homes
The safety of individual families at home
was very important, so the government
reinforced laws to warranted homes to have
at least one firearm.
Separate farms and abodes were not
recommended, as they made easy targets for
Indian raids.
Villages centered around a meetinghouse were
favored. They usually had outposts, small
watchtowers, and at least one station for
troops.
Let’s start at the beginning!
Well, when one country has control over
another territory, that country impacts the
culture and way of life of the people living
there. In this case, a certain country’s militia
was a great influence.
Keep
this
in
mind!
Hint
Now, I wonder what that country was!
Hmmm…
Keep
this in
mind!
Hint
English Inheritances-Militias
Immigrants and contact with the British Army kept
the colonists informed about the latest
technological developments.
Many English military institutions were inherited
in the American colonies. The militia was one of
these important things; it dated back to AngloSaxon times.
As settlements were enlarged, there was more
brutality between the colonists and neighboring
Indians. Colonies needed a way to defend their land,
so they interpreted the ways of English militias and
made their own variations.
A Few Things on Training:
From
To
• Many colonists hunted, but few had ever
fought in a formal line of battle.
• Militia training stressed individual
marksmanship instead of massed firing at
an area, which had been usual in the Old
World.
• British colonials in 17th century New
England trained in the aspects of quick
response and strict obedience to an
officer’s commands. These things were
helpful when battling from an assigned
defensive position in town.
A Continuation of the Previous Page:
• Militiamen were armed with various
weapons that ranged from rifles to fowling
pieces (aka shotguns). Because of great
differences in the weapons used, they could
not load and shoot at once.
• Obedience was a necessary factor in
militias. The community’s defense was
considered more important than any
longing of one member, and militiamen
could be fined and jailed if they were
irresponsible.
I can’t go to jail!
I’m
claustrophobic!
Things to Keep in Mind…
In case you have no common sense, in
colonial times, there were no:
Camouflage clothes
& protective wear
Advanced guns
Tanks
But…
What Minutemen did have:
The choice of weapons was also the effect of European
heritage.
Cannons-Cannon calibers were made based on the weight of
the balls used. The smallest of the standard cannons was
called a two-pounder, and the largest was the fiftypounder.
Flintlock muskets-The wilderness gave an emphasis
to it’s great advantages. By 1675, almost every
colony required its minutemen to carry flintlocks
instead of matchlocks. The British “Brown Bess” was
an acclaimed example of a flintlock musket.
Ship and garrison carriages-These carriages were
adequate for lighter guns. They were made up of wooden
frames, which rested on four trucks, or small wheels. The
cannon or gun would lie between the sides of the frame
on cross-members called "transoms."
Gunpowder-Obviously, you couldn’t have guns without
it! Did you know: Gunpowder is chemically considered a
mixture. The ingredients are just physically combined.
Gunpowder is made up of saltpeter, sulphur, and
charcoal (in the same amount by weight). If you
increased saltpeter, powder for muskets would be made,
and an even greater increase would result in pistol
powder.
Horses- These creatures were used for transport,
height, and speed. Horses also pulled things and
came in handy when traveling on uneven land.
See diagrams
This is a
Cannon:
This is a flintlock
musket/rifle:
This is a
Carriage holding
cannon:
1. Breech bolt
2. Aft sight
3. Vent hole
4. Front sight
5. First reinforcing ring
6. Barrel
7. Muzzle
8. Second reinforcing ring
9. Horizontal rotation axis
10. Chock
11. Vertical rotation axis
12. Wheel
13. Mobile pedestal
14. Carriage
15. Pommel
16. Elevation thread
Remember?
a
Fun Fact Time!
Soldiers who were able to solve the
geometric calculations that were
necessary to place a cannonball on
target were considered wizards.
The "Brown Bess" was manufactured for
more than a century. It was used in
both the American Revolutionary War
and the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). It
weighed fifteen pounds with its
bayonet and could fire a ball that was
three quarters of an inch in diameter!
The Charleville Musket was made in
France in 1717. Though it is improbable
that it, along with other versions, were
used in battles of North America, at
least one of them was discovered with a
brand of "US" on the lock.
Huzzah!
I’m a
wizard!
Bibliography:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The French and Indian War by Andrew Santella
http://www.colonialwarsct.org/colonial_military_experience.htm
Colonial Militia in the 17th Century | Suite101.com
http://nicholas-efstathiou.suite101.com/colonial-militia-in-the-17thcentury-a223820#ixzz1dLsfWY1A
http://www.history.org/foundation/journal/winter08/tactics.cfm
http://www.americanrevolution.org/artillery.html
http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=marksmanship
http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/g/rifle.htm
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/minuteman
http://replicaweaponry.com/britbrowrif.html
•
•
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/saltpeter
http://www.2ndsc.org/charleville.html
Image URLs:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
http://l.thumbs.canstockphoto.com/canstock2778025.jpg
http://www.clipartpal.com/_thumbs/pd/education/large_gold_star.png
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ESn7Cn4W94/TclgAtW7bWI/AAAAAAAAAE8/miN_pY000to/s1600/blackboard.jpg
http://www.bronzecannons.net/cannon_partsx1000.jpg
http://www.hunter-ed.com/images/graphics/gun_parts_muzzleloading_rifle.gif
http://www.clipartpal.com/_thumbs/pd/education/look_it_up_T.png
http://www.flubber.net/Clipart/content/bin/images/large/Book2.jpg
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1960017/posts
http://asjewelers.com/FRstuff/17/LexingtonM4minutemenLG.jpg
http://www.travelamerica2learn.com/images/colonial_soldiers_marching_md_wht.gif
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/45200/45207/45207_brit_cannon_lg.gif
http://www.clker.com/clipart-cannon-balls.html
http://media.onsugar.com/files/2011/04/16/5/1593/15933885/f1/theatre_curtain_2_.jpg
http://www.clker.com/clipart-6814.html
http://www.sun-windsolutions.com/wind_pic1.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q6qph8tLqX8/SjvuD3ugDYI/AAAAAAAAAoU/AcV8k7o7i_8/s400/M
ilitia_at_Guilford.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RWmA77zbc7s/TgKVLYSlwI/AAAAAAAAEDc/KR_Cx5nNIEg/s1600/colonial-minutemen-5.jpg
http://www.concordma.com/magazine/spring05/bhday002.thb.jpg
http://www.clker.com/clipart-14876.html
http://cdn7.fotosearch.com/bthumb/corbis/DGT067/CB005367.jpg
The End!
Random
Clapping
Random
Clapping
Thanks for
watching!
(You have permission to clap,too).