Guns: The Evolution of Firearms

Season 1, Episode 2

Episode Title: From the Flintlock to the Percussion cap

Air Date: 2013-01-22

Overview:

The strain between the colonists and the British Parliament, the threat of conflict, and the colonists' stockpiling of arms and ammunition for use in the coming war for independence begins episode two. The segment examines the arms of both the colonists and the English, most of which were covered in the previous episode. Also featured are the weapons acquired form the French and those produced in the colonies. Episode two also looks at the flintlock handguns carried at the time of the revolution and General Washington's "buck and ball" loading system. Examined in detail is the battle of Lexington, the burning of supplies at Concord, and the Battle of Saratoga and the critical role of "Morgan's riflemen.. Episode two also sees the development of the Minié ball, which facilitated firing accurately from a rifled barrel, and the development of Sharp's rifle and its place in the pre-Civil War era. Also: the innovations of Samuel Colt in the development of handguns.