Colonial and American Revolution Forum

von **Ike Godsey** » Sa 2. Mär 2013, 14:52

France’s Aid to the American Revolution (1777-1783)

Following the momentous loss of New France to Britain in the French and Indian War, a new musket design, the Model 1763, eliminated the familiar Roman-nose profile and established a basic form that would endure through the Napoleonic years.
To provide the embattled American rebels with aid before openly declaring war on Great Britain, the French first set up a dummy trading company, Rodrique Hortalez & Cie, operated by Caron de Beaumarchais. Working with American agents, primarily Franklin, Deane and Lee, they then condemned most of the muskets in their arsenals that had been produced prior to the new Model 1777 to make them available for shipment. The first of many Beaumarchais deliveries began in the spring of 1777 when three of his ships arrived in Portsmouth, N.H., carrying 37,000 stands of arms. At the same time, another vessel was sent to Philadelphia bearing 11,000 arms and parts. The New Hampshire shipments equipped much of the Patriot army at Saratoga in October 1777, and, by 1778, the majority of Washington’s regiments had replaced their earlier disparate mix of arms with French ones.
After France officially entered the war early in 1778, it continued to send vast amounts of war materials. In addition to the early patterns already described, four models developed after the French and Indian War comprised most of the French arms supplied for use in American during the Revolution—the Model 1763, Model 1766, Model 1774 and Model 1777.
The Model 1763 retained the three-band design and eliminated the traditional Roman-nose buttstock for a straight lower profile. The barrel was shortened to 44 3/4"; but it still kept a .69-cal. bore. The old octagonal breech was replaced with a round form with flat sides. A flat/beveled lock remained, but a new ring-supported cock was added. Moreover, an unusual, tunnel-like ramrod spring covered the channel between the two upper barrel bands. Its iron furniture, in turn, adopted a simple lobed butt tang (with a top screw), as well as bell-shaped sling swivels underneath the stock. Total production reached 88,000.
The army quickly found the Model 1763 too heavy, which led to the lighter Model 1766 pattern. The 1766 reduced weight by shortening the lock, replacing the long, iron rammer cover with a spring under the breech and thinning the barrel walls. The steel ramrod also changed from a trumpet shape to a buttonhead. Today’s collectors commonly refer to these 1760s-period muskets as “Charlevilles,” although they were produced at all three royal manufacturers. Production reached 140,000 muskets.
From 1768 to 1773, numerous earlier models were renovated in France. This included adding a third retaining spring behind the lowest barrel band on the Model 1766. Beginning in 1770, a rounded lock was introduced, as well as a lower, less-defined stock comb. The Model 1774 then shortened the trigger guard’s forward end and added a clip projecting out under the muzzle to snap over the bayonet’s new rear socket ring. The 1774 was the latest model supplied to the American rebels, and 70,000 were produced.
The innovative Model 1777 became the standard issue for the French army through the Napoleonic Wars, and it was not included in shipments to the rebels. The model did, however, equip General Rochambeau’s regiments landing in Newport, R.I., in 1780 and others among the 16,000 French troops that served on American soil during the war. The new musket retained the three barrel bands and a 44 3/4" barrel, yet introduced a new sloping brass flashpan, cut a cheek rest out of the stock’s comb, installed two finger ridges on a shortened trigger guard and adopted a new, center-ring bayonet. Few of the early versions of this Model 1777 used here in America survived. They had a unique visible retaining screw on the outboard side of the top barrel band and lacked a rear spring for the center band.
The avalanche of arms and their components, ammunition, accouterments, naval vessels, clothing, loans, technical advisors, volunteer officers and regular army regiments that France poured into America from 1777 until 1783 played a key role in the success of the Revolution. Our incredible victory resulted from the dreams, courage and brutal suffering of the colonists and their leaders; but without the aid from France, supplemented by efforts of Spain and the Low Countries, they could not have prevailed.

by G.C. Neumann