Lry Help: FOR THE RIFLE

Subject: Lry Help: FOR THE RIFLE
From: GUEST,Diana
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 11:15 AM

Hi! My sister and I were in a play together about the Civil War and we sang this song- FOR THE RIFLE. We still try to sing it to this day but we absolutely cannot remember the words> If anyone has a clue what I'm talking about please contact me. My e-mail address is [e-mail] Thanks a lot!!!!

Subject: RE: Lry Help: FOR THE RIFLE
From: Midchuck
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 09:08 PM

There's a Vermont song from the Revolution - NOT the Civil War - called "Riflemen of Bennington," which has a chorus something like "For the Rifle, in our hands will prove no trifle..." I don't know if that's even close to what you wanted.

Peter.

Subject: RE: Lry Help: FOR THE RIFLE
From: Bud Savoie
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 11:29 PM

Why come ye hither, redcoats? Your minds what madness fills? In our forests there is danger And there's danger in our hills. Oh, hear ye not the singing of the bugle loud and free? Full soon ye'll know the ringing of the rifle from the tree.

For the rifle, for the rifle, in our hands will prove no trifle.

Is this the one? If so, I can remember the rest of the lyrics.

Bud

Subject: RE: Lry Help: FOR THE RIFLE
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 01:11 AM

Words are in DigiTrad--search for Bennington. Or rifle.

Subject: RE: Lry Help: FOR THE RIFLE
From: Amos
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 10:10 AM

I have sent the words of the Bennington song to Guest Diana as it appeared she was expecting that. BTW, I had thought that rifling the barrels of muskets was a later technology...when did the transition from smooth-bore to rifled barrels occur? Anyone know?

A

Subject: RE: Lry Help: FOR THE RIFLE
From: Midchuck
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 10:24 AM

I believe that the idea of rifled barrels was known earlier than the American Revolution, but they were by no means universally used.

Rifled barrels were used for hunting weapons, especially small-game ones (the Kentucky "squirrel rifle") because of the greater accuracy, needed for hitting a small target at long range. The squirrels and rabbits would bug out on you if you tried to get close.

Unrifled muskets were still the common military weapon at that time, for three reasons:

1) Infantry tactics at the time involved troops in ranks, firing in volleys. Accuracy of each individual weapon was not that important.

2) An unrifled muzzle-loader could be reloaded faster, since you didn't have to force the ball down the tube against the resistance of the rifling.

3) They were cheaper and easier to manufacture.

One of the main reasons the Americans won the revolution was that they didn't know diddly about infantry tactics, so they did the rational thing: hid behind something that would provide cover from enemy fire and concealment from observation, and fired as individuals, when they'd get good shot, at ranges the unrifled Brown Besses couldn't reach with any accuracy.

Or so I've read.

Peter.

Subject: RE: Lry Help: FOR THE RIFLE
From: Amos
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 12:21 PM

Enlightening, Midchuck. Thank you!

Subject: RE: Lry Help: FOR THE RIFLE
From: GUEST,Diana
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 03:54 PM

OH you guys! I wanna cry! Thank you so much. My sister and I sang that song together in the first play I was ever in in school. I was in elementary school and was not part of the drama department yet, but they needed another soldier and my sister talked them in to letting me do it. It really brings back memories. Once again, thanks a lot!

Subject: RE: Lry Help: FOR THE RIFLE
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 04:44 AM

G'day Amos,

There is reference to "Rifles" ('Screwed guns') being used as early as the English Civil War - by gamekeepers to snipe at Royalists in the gentry's country houses. They were infernally slow to load and could only be used in a sniping or harassing role. This was true until the self expanding skirt of the "Minie Ball" (and similar devices) allowed loading as fast as that of a smooth bore musket around Crimea and Americam Civil War.

Rge real use of the rifle by American revolutionaries was ingenious. They allowed an expert rifleman to be 'captured' by a British unit about to be repatriated - so that he was taken back to England ... where he happily demonstrated his deadly accuracy to the startled British. This did wonders for the recruiting effort (???!!) and probbably dropped English recruitment by hundreds.

Regards,

Bob Bolton