Very cool. For folks who think Civil War reenacting is expensive, just look at the cost for Rev War. The uniforms are works of art. Part of my family history, a couple ancestors fought in the Continental Army. One was a genuine badass- Peter Francisco. Sadly, most history books in the state of Virginia don't even mention him even though he was a hero at Guilford Courthouse. Couple that with the fact that he was about 6'6" back then and known to be extremely strong and it makes for some interesting reading. Another one is a direct ancestor and had roots in clan Rose in Scotland.
Some other sorta tech questions. Who made your Bess?
It's a Miroku from Japan that was made for the Bicentennial. It belonged to a gentleman named Harvey Paclet of Chealsea, Massachusetts, who grew up in a colonial-era house. I bought it from his nephew through Facebook - and given that I teach for Project Appleseed, it seemed that Divine Providence winked on a local sale in Massachusetts not working out and it finding it's way to me....which may make sense when you read the pedigree of the musket.
I'll just share the history he wrote on it rather than type it all out on my phone:
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The musket was bought in Framingham Mass in 1976. A group of friends thought it would be cool to participate in the bicentennial celebration. We discovered that the town of Chelsea had Minuteman unit. One of our men was a knowledgeable historian. We applied to the Minuteman Council and proved we qualified as an original Minuteman unit. We marched over the "Rude Bridge that arched the flood." President Gerald Ford and many dignitaries were present. We also participated in reenactments and other parades. I have pictures of these events that I would be proud to share.
Harvey
To elaborate a bit more, he carried the musket in many reenactments parades in the Greater Boston areas. As he relates above, he also carried it in the 1976 events in Lexington and Concord as part of that great event. So the musket has a pedigree to it. He was excited to know that it will continue to be used to honor a period of history he loves.
So the very battle we talk about at every Appleseed, he and the musket celebrated at the Bicentennial before I was born. So for me, the cool factor is just through the roof.
In fact, I shared the above picture with him via a private message on FB, and he seems overjoyed about it.
Some.of his pictures from 1976:
With your ancestors, would you be interested in joining the Sons of the American Revolution? You qualify, and we'd be happy to have you.