"The Ferguson Rifle – The Advanced Revolutionary War" Topic

… Long Gun That Might Have Changed History.

"IT WAS THE rifle that could have won the American Revolution for the British. A technical marvel more than 50 years ahead of its time, this breech-loader received its baptism of fire at Brandywine Creek outside Philadelphia on Sept. 1, 1777.

Major Patrick Ferguson, the weapon's inventor, put his experimental rifle to his shoulder and centered the sights on a high-ranking American officer in buff and blue. Considered to be one of the finest marksmen in the British army, Ferguson knew it was an easy shot — the target was just over 100 yards away and he had a clear line of sight. Ferguson had no idea who the enemy officer was since the man's back was turned, but he was impressed by his enemy's height and bearing. At the last second, Ferguson lowered his weapon, deciding the business of a proper British officer was honourable combat, not assassinating opposing commanders. George Washington would live…."
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Amicalement
Armand

This oft-repeated story has been thoroughly debunked. The officer was NOT George Washington.

The opinion of the British army regarding Ferguson's rifle was that (1) it was not robust enough to withstand the rigors of campaigning; (2) it was effective only in the hands of trained marksmen. Whether these complaints were accurate or not will never be known, but his rifle was by no means dismissed out of hand.

The war that COULD have almost certainly been dramatically shortened was the U.S. War Between The States. The Yankees had the money and capacity to equip their infantry with already-developed breech-loading repeating rifles, but cited expense as the reason for not doing so. Yet some of the cavalry units that were in fact thus equipped proved how superior these weapons were – vide Buford at the run-up to Gettysburg.

Glup!…

Amicalement
Armand

Rawdon- is it that the story attributed to Ferguson has been found to be apocryphal, or is that the belief that the officer might have been Washington has been proved to be baselesss, or indeed implausible?

Buford had single-shot breech loading carbines, not Spencers. Those were in the hands of other regiments. They had to be paid for by their commander. Government considered them too expensive.