France supplied American forces with many tens of thousands of flintlock muskets to fight its old nemesis, Great Britain. This one was converted to percussion at some point to extend is useful life, probably about 1830, by the “drum and bolster” or “side-lug” method, which involved removing the flashpan and external flintlock parts, and screwing a bolster into the old touch-hole, which could then be fitted with a nipple for percussion caps. The hammer was changed to a common civilian form of the period and shows some cursory floral engraving. The lockplate, however, still retains a very clear “Charleville” engraving and inspector or lockmaker’s initials. The sideplate shows some partial initials, perhaps from American inspector. The barrel at left breech shows some partial deep stamps that are like the remnants of a French barrel date.  The barrel shows some vise marks at the left breech as well, certainly from the conversion process.

The metal is brown overall and shows some crustiness, and a little corrosion around the nipple from firing, but only the buttplate shows deep pitting, from resting on the ground or a stone floor. The musket generally conforms to the 1774 pattern, with rear of the lockplate convex, the middle band with a lip and the lower band drilled for a spring, but the top band with a screw has been taken from a Model 1777. This mixing of parts is not at all unusual on Charleville muskets used over here and repaired with parts that were available. There is no ramrod or bayonet stud. The swivels are missing, but the lugs are present on the middle band and triggerguard plate.

The wood has an undisturbed old finish and generally good fit to the metal. There is lightness around the nipple from firing, not severe burnout, and the wood shows handling marks, a few chips and divots, and narrow cracks forward of the lockplate, near the triggerguard tang, and on the left behind the lower band, but the wood is stable. The forestock, however, shows a cut concealed by the middle barrel band and old loss to the upper left along the barrel between the middle and upper band.

This is by no means a mint example and rates about good for an antique arm, but there is a lot of history here and the musket looks as it must have coming out of an old estate where it had been handed down for generations. We would not try to change or “improve” it. It is a real relic of the Revolution and well worth the money.

[sr]

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