Model 1763 Infantry Musket and Bayonet

Dateca.1763-1766

Maker Royal Manufactory at Maubeuge

MediumIron, steel and walnut

DimensionsOL: 61" musket; 18" bayonet

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund

Object number2008-124,A&B

DescriptionA) Musket and B) Bayonet.
Label TextUnlike the British, who made trifling improvements to their martial firearms, France constantly revamped theirs in order to make them lighter and more functional. By the time of the Revolution, the latest firearms series of 1777 had made the previous series' of 1763, 1766, and 1773-1774 obsolete. Those slightly outdated arms, many of which had received upgrades, were sent over in quantities surpassing 100,000, becoming the principal firearms of the Continental Army. These French designs were so popular that an American version was the first arm made in 1794 at the newly established national arsenal at Springfield, Massachusetts.

This example bears a deeply struck "US" on the lockplate, denoting ownership by the Continental Army

Markings"US" surcharge on lock denotes Continental Army ownership during the Revolution.

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