 During America’s War of Independence, British officers had not factored-in the accuracy of the average American rifle-owner. Two historical accounts document the importance of training boys with guns. In wartime, they become men with guns. In a letter to Giovanni Fabbroni, June 8, 1778, Thomas Jefferson writes, "I enclose you a list of the killed, wounded, and captives of the enemy from the commencement of hostilities at Lexington in April, 1775, until November, 1777, since which there has been no event of any consequence ... I think that upon the whole it has been about one half the number lost by them, in some instances more, but in others less. This difference is ascribed to our superiority in taking aim when we fire; every soldier in our army having been intimate with his gun from his infancy."
Jefferson’s analysis at War’s end: American boys were twice as accurate as the professional British and mercenary troops. But even so, lethal hits were difficult to achieve. In his memoirs,[1] war veteran John Adlum recounts, "One Continental soldier claimed that 'at least eighty balls were fired for one that took effect,' and often 'but one ball in near three hundred.' In that respect the battle of Bunker Hill was the deadliest battle ever fought up until that time, 'taking into view the quantity of fire or the number of shots that were fired,' since about one ball in every thirty (fired by the patriots) hit the mark. Comments are closed.
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