My Family Trip to Historic Williamsburg, Virginia (3 Viewers)

[Louis Badolato]

The black powder shooting was a ton of fun!! My son and I each got to take 5 shots froma Brown Bess Musket and 3 shots from a fowler piece. I had never fired a smooth bore weapon before. We were on a 60 yard range, and I hit the paper target (about the size of a Man's head and torso) 5 of the 8 times (my son Alec got 3 of 8 on target). Here are some photos:

 

[Louis Badolato]

A couple of more from my son's slow motion camera setting:

 

[paxtoysoldier]

Thank you for the memories, sir. Reminds us of our trip there.
I think we have the FF Tun's Tavern because it looks like Chownings where we spent some time!
Two friends of mine fired 18th Century muskets. They also said it was a blast! Great for you and your son.
Great trip! Have fun!
Paddy

 

[Louis Badolato]

Some more photos from Yorktown. First, the Nelson House. Apparently Nelson was the wealthiest man in Yorktown, and in the course of the seige, directed American canon fire on his own home, because it had been occupied by Cornwallis as his headquarters. You can see a canon ball in the side of the home.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Next, the customs house, and some historical homes in Yorktown (the white wooden house was discovered to have damage from a canon shell in its attic when it was restored):

 

[Louis Badolato]

Some more historic homes in Yorktown, one of which is a gallery, another a restaurant. Sadly, as beautiful and historic as Yorktown is, none of the homes, even those in National Park hands, are open to tour the interiors, and there is nothing to do, from a historical perspecitve, in the town proper, only at the Revolutionary War Museum and the Battlefield, both outside of the town.

 

[Horus]

Thanks for sharing these great photos Louis !:salute::

Those early Jamestown photos give a bit of an insight into what a pain the *** being a settler in the New World must have been !

Well done on the target shooting too and thank God they didn't fire back ! ^&grin

Thanks again Louis for sharing your adventure.

Steve

 

[Louis Badolato]

Thanks for sharing these great photos Louis !:salute::

Those early Jamestown photos give a bit of an insight into what a pain the *** being a settler in the New World must have been !

Well done on the target shooting too and thank God they didn't fire back ! ^&grin

Thanks again Louis for sharing your adventure.

Steve

Steve,

My son Alec was saying that the smooth bore muskets were pretty accurate and it wasn’t that hard to hit the target. I said imagine the target was a highlander charging at you with fixed bayonet and if you missed he would be on you before you could reload. I think he understood why these muskets were not that actin battle.

 

[Louis Badolato]

On the way home from Williamsburg, we stopped in Fredricksburg. First we saw a plantation house that was owned by one of George Washington's female relatives:

 

[Louis Badolato]

Then we went to the Fredricksburg Battlefield, because my son and I wanted to see the monument to Richard Kirkland, the Angel of Marye's Heights, and to stand on Marye's Heights:

 

[Louis Badolato]

On the way home from Williamsburg, we stopped in Fredricksburg. First we saw a plantation house that was owned by one of George Washington's female relatives:

The plantation house we went to was Historic Kenmore, the home of George Washington's sister Betty and her husband Colonel Fielding Lewis.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Very cool Louis. I wonder what the recoil is like on a musket? Plus the length and weight of it. The East Coast has so much history.

The recoil was not that bad. I would compare it to the kick on an M1 Garand. The Brown Bess musket was heavy and much longer than I expected. The range instructor explained that it was that long because with a fixed bayonet, it had to function as a spear.

 

[Go for Broke]

The recoil was not that bad. I would compare it to the kick on an M1 Garand. The Brown Bess musket was heavy and much longer than I expected. The range instructor explained that it was that long because with a fixed bayonet, it had to function as a spear.

That's really surprising. Despite being a large caliber, maybe not much powder to produce huge recoil. When see I those muskets in the museum, they look like they weigh 20-pounds.

 

[OzDigger]

Hey Louis, some terrific photos of a fantastic trip, and I would love to shoot those black powder guns. The largest calibre rifle I ever owned was a 6.5 55mm Swedish Mauser. It was an ex military weapon, still in good condition and considered plenty of gun for Aussie game, except for feral Water Buffalo in the Northern Territory.

 

[BHogan]

Great photos! You're really making me want to revisit.

Brendan