Weapons of the Revolutionary War

Weapons at Battle of Yorktown

Pictures of Weapons of the Revolutionary War
at the Battle of Yorktown

This article on  the Weapons of the Revolutionary War provides facts and information about these British soldiers and officers:

  • Who were the Weapons of the Revolutionary War?
  • Description and List of weapons used in the American Revolutionary War?
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Revolutionary Battles
Causes of the American Revolutionary War
American Colonies Index

History of the Battles, Conflicts and Soldiers of the American Revolution War

Weapons of the Revolutionary War: The American Revolution War, the soldiers and the famous battles of the conflict

Weapons of the Revolutionary War
This article contains fast facts and information about the Weapons of the Revolutionary War. What were the Weapons of the Revolutionary War? The
American Revolutionary Soldiers used a variety of different weapons including muskets, pistols, rifles, long rifles, knives, bayonets, tomahawks, axes, swords, sabres, pole arms and cannon. The soldiers also carried the equipment needed to fight, such as shot molds, tinder lighters and cartridge boxes.

Weapons of the Revolutionary War - Household Weapons
There was no standing army at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary war - each colony had relied upon the local militia who made up of part time citizen-soldiers, used for local defence. Their were no uniforms and there were limited supplies of weapons and gun powder. The range of weapons first used in the revolutionary war therefore included household and farming implements that could be put to lethal use.

Facts about Weapons of the Revolutionary War
The following Fact File contains fast information and facts about the Weapons of the Revolutionary War. Interesting facts and an overview and description of the weapons used by the rebels in the American War of Independence. Many Revolutionary Battles were decided in bloody hand-to-hand combat where bayonets, swords, tomahawks and axes were used.

Facts about Weapons of the Revolutionary War

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revolutionary Weapons Fact 1 Muskets: The most common Revolutionary weapon was the flintlock musket, commonly known as the Brown Bess, and was first used in 1768
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 2 Muskets: The Muskets were muzzle loaded with a single shot or grape shot (multiple balls), fired from the shoulder.
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 3 Muskets: The Musket had a short range and was not very accurate and used by infantry. The Revolutionary War muskets were commonly equipped with bayonets
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 4 Muskets: Only about 20% of the lead fired from one army to another hit the target
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 5 Rifles:  A shoulder fired weapon with a long barrel. The rifle was slower to load but more accurate than the musket. The rifle had a longer effective range. Sharpshooting riflemen were used as snipers against the British to great effect - see the Battle of Long Island
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 6 Rifles: The rifle had a longer effective range. Sharpshooting riflemen were used as snipers against the British to great effect - see the Battle of Long Island
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 7 Long Rifles: The Long Rifle was the one of the first completely American designs. It was made by the Germans who colonized Pennsylvania
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 8 Bayonets: The bayonet is a swordlike stabbing metal blade that may be fixed to the muzzle of a musket or rifle for use in hand-to-hand fighting, effectively turning the gun into a spear
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 9 Bayonets: The bayonet is referred to as an edged weapon mounted on the muzzle end of a firearm as a backup weapon used in close quarters combat.
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 10 Pistols: A pistol is a non-repeating handgun - designed to be held and operated by one hand
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 11 Pistols: The barrel of a pistol was approximately six inches long. Difficult use because of the extensive load times.
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 12 Pistols: Cavalrymen and American officers used pistols. Pistols were effective only at close range.
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 13 Swords: Swords were widely used during the Revolutionary war and included hanger swords (cutlass), sabres and hunting swords
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 14 Hanger Swords - Cutlass: A Hanger Sword or cutlass is a short, broad sabre or slashing sword, with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge and was used by Infantrymen
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 15 Sabres: A sabre is a heavy cavalry sword with a curved blade and a single cutting edge. Officers also carried small sabre swords which were light, straight, and slender - often used to direct troops
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 16 Hunting Swords: A Hunting sword is single-handed short sword
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 17 Tomahawks: A tomahawk is type of axe that is native to North America, resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft.
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 18 Tomahawks: The tomahawk was used as a hand-to-hand or a thrown weapon
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 19 Knives: A vast selection of knives were used during the Revolutionary war including throwing knives, daggers, scalpers and skinners
 
 
Revolutionary Weapons Fact 20 Pole arms:  A pole arm was a cutting or thrusting weapon mounted on a long handle or pole. Pikes, spears, halberds, partisans and spontoons were all pole-arms. A pole arm was used as a close combat weapon in which a blade is placed on the end of a long wooden shaft, extending the user's effective range.  

Facts about Revolutionaries

Weapons of the Revolutionary War - Cannons
Cannons were used extensively during the American Revolutionary War and was key to the American victory. A typical cannon used in the Revolutionary War was a large, heavy piece of artillery, typically mounted on wheels that used gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellants to launch a lethal projectile. It took as many as 14 American soldiers to operate a cannon but it could fire projectile for hundreds of yards and hit dozens of enemy soldiers in a single shot.

Cannon - Weapons of the Revolutionary War

Cannon - Weapons of the War of Independence

Weapons of the Revolutionary War

  • Facts and information about Weapons of the War of Independence

  • History of the Weapons of the War of Independence

  • Fast Facts and info about the Weapons of the War of Independence

  • Pictures of Weapons of the War of Independence and their uniforms - a great history resource for kids

  • Social Studies Homework help for kids on the Weapons of the War of Independence

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