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Title:	GUN, WALL -  U.S. WALL GUN 1.29"
Maker/Manufacturer:	HUNTER, JAMES
Date of Manufacture:	C 1778
Eminent Figure:
Catalog Number:	SPAR 1155
Measurements:	OL:158.2CM 62 3/8" BL:114.9CM 45 1/4"

Object Description:

U.S. WALL GUN 1.29"
Manufactured by Rappahannock Forge, Falmouth, Va. - Rifled single-shot muzzleloading gun. Octagonal barrel with 13 lands and grooves. Brass furniture. Full length stock with sliding wooden patchbox on right side of butt. Iron ramrod secured with three pipes. Barrel pinned to stock. Fixed V-notch rear, brass blade front sight. Stock cracked in several places. Piece broken off above mainspring to 9" in front of lock. Equipped with swivel attachment. Weapon has an overall length of 62 3/8" and a barrel length of 45 ¼". Made in limited numbers during the American Revolution and little is known as to their actual use. Weapon primarily designed for seacoast fortifications. This specimen of one of only five known.

Markings:
Lock: RAPA FORGE (Inside: IP).
Barrel: I HUNTER.
Stock: IIII (at butt opposition patchbox.)
Barrel: (Inside written in pencil): CLEANED BY PAUL JEFFERSON, MAY 5, 1876 WATERVLIET ARSENAL.

"INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION, 1876. MUZZLELOADING MUSKETS AND RIFLES. Match and flint locks. No. 8. Wall-piece, rifled, flint-lock; caliber 1.25. Rappahannock forge. The first arms made by the United States are supposed to have been fabricated at the Rappahannock forge, probably about 1785."

The Springfield Armory NHS would like to personally thank Mr. Walter V. Roberts for all the information he has sent us over the years regarding this arm. Mr. Roberts has been more than generous in supplying us with a great deal of his own research.

Notes: "Rappahannock Forge - Also known as Hunter's Iron Works. Established prior to the Revolution by James Hunter of Stafford County on the Rappahannock River near Falmouth, Va. On November 22, 1781, Hunter advised the Council of Safety that he had 1,000 horsemen's swords on hand. This is the only record of arms production that the writer has encountered." - Gardner

"The Rappahannock Forge or Hunter Iron Works was in operation prior to the Revolution, across the Rappahannock from Falmouth, small arms were made till 1781 when Tarleton's raid caused operations to cease." - Lewis

"The pistols, musketoons, rifles, and muskets were widely used firearms of the Revolution, but there was also one very specialized type of firearm that saw important even if infrequent service. This was the wall gun or amusette. It was a huge weapon, shaped like an ordinary musket but so big it could almost be considered heavy ordnance. Mounted on a swivel, it was an ideal weapon for a hastily erected fort or for a small boat. It was lighter than a cannon, but its range and striking power were infinitely greater than those of the usual musket or rifle.
As with all other forms of arms during the Revolution, the Continental Line used wall pieces from a variety of sources and in a variety of patterns. Some resembled muskets; some were huge blunderbusses with flared muzzles. There was also one real American innovation of the war, and this was the rifled rampart gun.
The rifled wall pieces were made early in the Revolution and quickly proved effective. On February 4, 1776, Fielding Lewis, Commissioner of the Fredericksburg Manufactory, wrote his brother-in-law, George Washington, as follows: '...I propose making a Rifle next week to carry a quarter of a pound ball. If it answers my expectation, a few of them will keep off ships of war for out narrow Rivers, and be useful in the beginning of an engagement by land....'
It is not definitely known that Lewis achieved his goal and produced these rifles. No surviving specimens are known. There are, however, four surviving specimens made at the famed Rappahannock Forge, located directly across the river from Fredericksburg. These huge rifles all weigh in the neighborhood of fifty pounds and are roughly five feet long. They are full-stocked, having sliding wooden patch boxes and wooden ramrods. The brass mountings are reminiscent of those on the lighter rifles of the period. Three of the surviving specimens have round barrels; the fourth is octagonal. The design of the exterior parts of the locks resembles those on the FredericksbGeneral Charles Lee attested to the effectiveness of these weapons when he wrote Washington from Williamsburg on May 10, 1776, 'I am likewise furnishing myself with four-ounced rifle-amusettes, which will carry an infernal distance; the two-ounced hit a half sheet of paper 500 yards distance." - Peterson

"I can't think of a more propitious time, or place, to deliver this paper on The Rappahannock Forge than in the year 1975, here in West Virginia. Why? Because it was this past April, 200 years ago, in 1775, that the British Regulars marched on Lexington and Concord, resulting in - among other things - the "shot heard 'round the world' that was the beginning of the Revolutionary War, and the Rappahannock Forge - where some of the first weapons for the Continental Army were made - was located in Virginia, about two miles from Falmouth, on the Rappahannock River.
Prior to and during the first part of the Revolutionary War, the Colonies had much the same problems as the South prior to and during the Civil War. One common problem was not only the lack of sufficient number of weapons to fight a war, but the lack of proper type of weapons to fight a war. There were, of course, many weapons in the Colonies. Many of them were obsolete weapons left over from the French and Indian Wars, and, up until England declared an embargo on shipments of weapons to the Colonies, many imported English weapons were purchased by the Colonists. These were, however, mainly weapons for protection and for hunting purposes, and they weren't too adaptable for warfare.
There were relatively few gunmakers in the Colonies at that time. Ironically enough, some of the finest gunmakers that ever lived resided in a small section of Pennsylvania, and it was here that the greatest majority of the fine Pennsylvania rifles - commonly called 'Kentuckies' - were made. Although the Pennsylvania rifle very definitely had a place in the Revolutionary War, it was not suitably adaptable to the linear warfare tactics of the day, primarily for two reasons - slowness in loading, and lack of a bayonet. This rifle used not only a greased patch under the ball, but the ball itself was tight fighting, making loading slow in comparison to the British infantry, whose minimum requirement was to load and fire once every fifteen seconds. The lack of a bayonet left the Rifleman defenseless for the inevitable charge. Although these fine rifles were extremely accurate, these two drawbacks certainly limited their use during the war. Even if they were adaptable to linear tactics, it would have been impossible for these gunsmiths to supply a sufficient number of rifles quickly, for each was hand made by one man, which was a time consuming job.
There were also those who might best be called gun 'assemblers', for they assembled muskets - from parts already on hand - many of which were apparently made for military use, under very lax requirements of the various militia units that existed throughout the Colonies. Many examples are in collections today that have, for example, an English barrel, a French lock, with the hardware being a combination of British, French, German and even "home made" parts. Many have a stud on the top, or bottom, of the muzzle end of the barrel for attachment of a bayonet, giving them a 'semi-military' status of possibly having seen militia use.
To cope with their problems, 'Committees (or Councils) of Safety' were organized, with Massachusetts establishing the first one in February, 1775. Among other things, it was the duty of the various Committees to obtain arms, and this is where James Hunter and his Rappahannock Forge comes into the picture.
James Hunter came to this country from Scotland, where he settled in Virginia and became a successful merchant and planter. His first venture into the iron business was when he purchased a forge on the banks of the Rappahannock River, which became the basis of the Hunter Iron Works. John Strode had previously been a farm sufather recruited skilled workmen in Pennsylvania for the purpose of making arms 'shortly after the war began', which could be as early as the summer, or fall, of 1775. There is evidence that pre-dates even this statement. This evidence is in the form of a Rappahannock Forge lock in a re-stocked musket now in the collection of the Concord Antiquarian Society. More on this musket will be given later.
On June 6, 1776, Hunter presented a few muskets to the Virginia Convention of Delegates. The muskets were so well made that they ordered the committee to Contract with Hunter 'for as many good muskets, with bayonets, sheaths, and steel ramrods as he can manufacture within 12 months from this time, at the rate of six pounds for each stand.' The next day the Committee issued a warrant for 25 muskets, representing 25 sample arms that he submitted to the Convention of Delegates as proof of his ability to supply well made arms. Later references show many entries relative to Hunter's supplying arms to the State. Various numbers of muskets are shown (with amounts paid) - fourteen on June 17, 1776, sixty on August 8, twenty-five on November 22, and on December 8, the entry shows the amount paid but did not specify the number.
At this stage, a rather odd combination of events began - a combination of the need for arms, and the apparent lack of cooperation on the part of the government. There can be little doubt as to the urgency of Hunter supplying badly needed arms, yet even in the face of this, certain events began to develop that sadly hindered Hunter's ability to produce arms. When Patrick Henry was elected governor, he wrote to Hunter urging him to increase his production of arms. On February 19, 1777, John Strode, writing from Rappahannock Forge, answered this request by giving ideas as to how the facilities could be expanded. He cautioned, however, about over expansion, and, as a mean of self protection, suggested a ten year contract - and that was about as far as he got on that suggestion! He also listed other things that had to be corrected. He advised that Hunter had made little or no profit on the previous production of arms, teamster's wagons had been confiscated for military use, and many of the workmen had been drafted into military service. The situation became so bad that in late 1780, Hunter was forced to suspend production of small arms due to lack of skilled help.
At this time, Benedict Arnold, who was now in British Service, was in Virginia with a raiding party. In an effort to save the military supplies at Richmond, the small arms were moved to Westham, where the British sent a party and destroyed the foundry, but overlooked some damaged muskets. An appeal immediately went out to Hunter to repair the muskets, but unfortunately, Hunter was unable to do so. He too had removed much of his equipment to protect it from raiding parties. A combination of this, plus the fact that he had no skilled workmen, prevented him from making the necessary repairs, even though he was anxious to do so. In explaining why he was unable to effect the repairs, Hunter outlined a plan of re-establishing the small arms production for the benefit of the State. He even offered to produce arms at no profit to himself, providing his workmen would be exempt from military service. Before anything could come of this offer, Hunter was forced to further remove tools and equipment to tEvidence, in the form of a letter, written by Hunter in November 1781, indicates the re-establishment of the Rappahannock Forge. This letter deals mostly with swords, with more about this later.
On April 22, 1782, Hunter wrote to the effect that he still wanted to produce and repair arms; however, this letter stated: 'little attention' previously given his operation had finally forced him to discharge all of his workmen. This final explanation apparently brought an end to the operation of the Rappahannock Forge by Hunter.
James Hunter died in 1785.
Production at the Rappahannock Forge wasn't confined to muskets alone....
Although sixteen year old Henry Banks did not mention wall guns as one of the products of the Rappahannock Forge, there are four wall guns known to exist today. These heavy, rifled weapons are known as 'wall guns,' 'Amusettes,' (which mean a light field cannon), and 'rampart guns,' with the word 'rampart' meaning a fortification, or embankment, to protect soldiers. They were made as a fill-in between the shoulder arm and cannon. They are approximately five feet in length and weigh in the neighborhood of fifty pounds. The swivel, attached to the stock, enabled the gun to be turned in a 360 degree circle, as well as up and down. The bottom portion of the swivel of this gun indicated the swivel was slipped into a metal sleeve, or hole, to be fired from a fixed position. Other wall guns, however, have a 'spiked' or pointed bottom indicating it can be driven into wood quickly, giving it more mobility. Although these wall guns weren't used too much during the Revolutionary War, their use was certainly important. The effectiveness of these weapons were attested to when General Charles Lee, writing from Williamsburg in 1776, wrote to Washington that he was obtaining four-ounce rifle-amusettes, for they 'will carry an infernal distance, the two ounced hit a half sheet of paper 500 yards distance.'
If I were asked to give a word picture of these wall guns, I would they are basically modeled from the early German rifle, for they have a 'squatty,' thick appearance, with a relatively straight stock. The influence of the early Pennsylvania rifle makers (who patterned their rifles after the German rifles), is quite evident in the sliding wood patch box, the accentuated curl at the rear of the brass trigger guard, the short brass fore end cap, as well as a brass side plate.
This is the second view of the same wall gun, and it is in the Smithsonian collection. This gun was transferred to the Smithsonian from the Rock Island Arsenal in 1958. At that time, the wooden patch box cover, and the cock was missing. These two pieces were replaced by the Smithsonian, using the West Point wall gun as a pattern....Of the four Rapa Forge wall guns, this Smithsonian gun is the only one that has Hunter's name engraved on the barrel. Note that all the letters are capital letters; however, the 'I' and 'H' are taller than the rest. I call this to your attention, because some of Hunter's other weapons have his name engraved on the barrel with all letters being the same height. Notes the first initial, which stands for 'James,' is an 'I.' During this period, the letter 'I' was used as 'J.' I do not know the weight of the Smithsonian wall gun. The overall length is 61 1/2", the barrel is round, 44 5/16" long, and the bore is 1 3/16". The hardware is brass. The name 'Rapa Forge' appears behind the cock, with the second 'A' of 'Rapa' being a small high 'A' with two small dashes underneath it. An assemblers mark, a Roman numeral 'II' appears inside the lock plate, inside the side plate and on the lock plate screw and barrel tang screw. Inspector's initials 'IP' are stamped inside the lock plate, and these same initials are stamped on the inside of the lock plate of some of the Rapa Forge pistols.
Figure 4 is in the West Point Museum collection. This gun appears to be a duplicate of the Smithsonian gun just sThe next wall gun is in the Rock Island Arsenal. Here we begin to see a variation, for you will note this specimen has an octagonal barrel, rather than round. This gun weighs 57 pounds, is 61 1/4" overall length. The barrel is octagonal, 44 1/4" long, 1 3/16" bore, with thirteen land and grooves. The hardware is brass. The name behind the cock...appears to be 'Rapa Forge.' Inspector's initials 'IP' are stamped inside the lock plate, and there are no other markings." - Nathan L. Swayze.

"Arms Factories Set up in America 239. Lewis. Fielding. A.L.S. to George Washington, (Fredericksburg, Va.,) 4 February 1776. 2 pages, folio. A Remarkable Letter from Washington's brother-in-law; Telling of Virginia's Preparations of War and the Manufacture of Munitions....'We are making preparation to receive the Enemy should any appear in the Spring. In the whole we have & are raising nine Regiments which are expected to be ready by the last of Mar wech. Our Convention have at last appointed some your old officers to the Command of the Regiments. (The list is headed by Patrick Henry as Colonel of the 1st regiment)...One Company of Artillery; the Minute Men are continued but expect they never will be compleat as the Regiments may be recruited out of the Minute Men; we are also preparing a Naval force Two Row Gallys one to carry one 18 pounder and the other a 12 pounder Mann Page Esqr. and myself are to build immediately at this place...and many attempts are making to procure Powder from abroad, and numbers are now making Salt Petre which succeeds beyond expectation, my son John brings this as far as Philadelphia where he is procuring persons to build a Powder Mill and powder maker. Sulphur we have abundance of; I expected the Parliament would have repealed the American oppressive Act; as preserving must I think ruin England, which I hoped they would have been sensible off, and had it been so, we should have had peace by the month of March as I mentioned to you; we have just heard that our Ships of War are arrived from Philadelphia, and than an engagement must have happened before this, we are impatiently expecting some AccT. of the matter. God send us success & that our most inveterate enemy Dunmore may be among the first slain. Our little manufactory improves daily. I expect by the last of March we shall be able to make Ten Muskets p(er) Day; we have been mostly imploy'd in repairing old Gunns since we began, and only had one Gunn Lock make who has instructed many others who begin to be very expert. We make now 35 p(er) week and increasing. Most of the Locks which Ld Dunmore stole away from the musquests in the Magazeen are now replaced by our workmen; I propose making a Rifle next Week to carry a quarter of pound Ball. It answers my expectations a few of them will keep off Ships of War from our narrow Rivers....We have been much dejected here at the misfortune of loosing Gen. L. Montgomery. In our miscarriage agst. Quebeck, yet are hopeful that our Army will yet get the place before Carlton can receive any assistance..."

Letter from James Mercer of Fredericksburg to Thomas Jefferson, Governor of Virginia, April 1781: "There is not in this State a place more deserving of Public mention than this Town and its appendage, Mr. Hunter's Iron Works. I am sure I need not tell you that is from Mr. Hunter's Works that every Camp Kettle has been supplied for the Continental and all other Troops employed in this State or to the Southward this year....
As to the Town itself, I need not inform you that the
"American Wall Gun - The 'wall gun' or 'amusette' was used to fill the gap between a shoulder arm and cannon in the 1700's. It was essentially a large musket - semiportable, and yet able to throw a large ball for an extended distance. This rare example was made at James Hunter's famed Rappahannock Forge about 1776." - Neumann

LOAN HISTORY:
Army # 1337 - Loaned to George Kennedy, C.B.S. Television, from 8 May 1958 to 16 May 1958.