Flintlock Musket

German
1770 – 1786

To supplement their own military force during the American War for Independence, the British government hired German soldiers, called Hessians, to serve in North America. These German mercenaries frequently carried muskets from their home principality.

The stock is carved with the initials "RB" on the front side of the butt stock near the end. The musket's flat lock plate is marked, "POTSDAM/MAGAZ" ahead of the cock, representing the lock manufacturing center of Potsdam. The wrist of the stock includes an oval escutcheon plate stamped with Frederick the Great's marking "FR."

Barrel .71 caliber. Weight 9.8 lbs
Wood, iron. L 144.8 (barrel L 104.8), W 5 cm
George C. Neumann Collection
Valley Forge National Historical Park, VAFO 128