The Shot Felt Around The

World

Old Saying
There is an old saying that the start
of the American Revolution was the
Shot heard around the world
The reason was that a bunch of
colonialist farmers and merchants
were about to take on the worlds
super-power of the day, the British
military, and be successful, despite
the odds

The Backstory
In the colony of Kentucky, German and Swiss
immigrants began working on improving the
design of the smooth bore firearms that were
being used in the colonies. They where known
as muskets, like this one below

A New American Invention

What they came up with was a new
firearm that became known as the
Kentucky Long Rifle

So Whats the Big deal?

They look pretty much the same?
But there is a remarkable difference
between the two firearms

The Musket has a smooth bore

barrel
The Kentucky rifle has grooves in
the barrel. think of the musket as
a single shot shotgun. It is only
accurate out to about 60 yards,
is very heavy, and uses a lot of
gunpowder to shoot. The rifle is
accurate out to 200 yards (or
more) and is lighter, longer, and
uses less gunpowder. The rifles
bullets are smaller so less lead is
needed also. Lead and

A rifled barrel does what?

This spinning (Gyroscopic) force

makes the bullet fly straight.

The Frontiersman

 Prior to the Revolution the rifle is in the

hands of not soldiers, but of everyday
people. It is being used for hunting,
protection, and for recreational shooting.
Since it is so accurate, shooting
competitions evolve. It is also the weapon
of choice for the folks who live on the
frontier of the new nation. Hence the
term Frontiersman. He was not training
for war, he was trying to stay alive on a
day to day basis. It was this training and
adopting Native American skills that came
into play when the Revolution starts.

Why the person is as important as

the tool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Hgd2F2QNfEE
Just a quick video of the relationship
a soldier has to have with his Best
Friend

Brief overview of man and machine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONot
7ujoxfc
As you can see the sharpshooter or
sniper has been invented and warfare is
about to change. Wars according to the
dictates of the British (among others)
was to be two armies meeting on the
field of battle, slug it out, and the most
powerful one would win. Right?

Daniel Morgan
Here is a clip to intro you to this new style
of warfare, known as counter-insurgency
The Americans didnt fight the old way of
just standing in a field and lobbing
bullets, they used the natural cover of the
landscape, shot, and disappeared before
the British could react
Essentially the Americans were cheating!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIZBP
pAJcNA

To Sum Up
All is fair in love and war!
There were many shots, but the one,
in my opinion, that meant the most
was from Tim Murphy. He sent the
British reeling by killing their general
and showing that the Americans
were a force to be reckoned with
This would not be possible if the
Kentucky Long Rifle did not exist

The Kentucky Long Rifle still

carried today

The above images are the insignia that our Army

wears on their uniform if the are an infantry
soldier who has seen combat. Notice that the
symbol is the Kentucky Long Rifle. Next time you
see a vet wearing this insignia, remember this,
and say Thank You.

References
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Hgd2F2QNfEE
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/am
ericanrevolutio1/p/American-Revolution
-Brigadier-General-Daniel-Morgan.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIZ
BPpAJcNA
http://www.tngenweb.org/campbell/his
t-bogan/KentuckyLongRifle.html