The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-12-12
MANUAL OF ARMS
 OF EARLY MILITIA
Directions For Musket, Match, Coal, Pan, Scour-
 ing Stick.

As an effort is now being made to reorganize the National Guard in this state and much attention is being paid to rapid fire guns. 1t Is interesting to note the progress that has been made since the time of King Philips War, The regulations of the early New England militia also show great difference from the manual of the present day. From Soldiers in Ktns Philips War by George NJ. Bodge, volume in the Connecticut State Ii brary, Is copied the following artl- cIe on 'The Ancient Manual sof .Aruls'':-
 I have not found any authority showing the manual of arms or mill
 tary tactics in use at the time of the Pequot War; but perhaps in thal
 quaint old library of Myles Standish, III his volume of "Barif's Artillery
 or that "parceu of old books of divers subjects in quarto," mentioned in hi.
 inventory (1665), might have beer
 found the manual from which wer, drawn the "regulatIous'' of the early
 New England militia.
 From old English treatise quoted in "Grose's Antiquities" |
 find the following extracts:-
 Wherefore the soldier must accus- tom himself to bear a. peece or a pike. If he bear a peece, he must first learn to hold the same: to accountable hi. match between his two foremost fin gers and his thumb, and to plant the | great end on his breast with a gallant l souIdier-1ike grace; and being ignor | ant, to the entent he may be moro 1 encouraged, let him acqUaint himsel: 1 first with the firing of the touch 1 powder in his panne, and so by de | grees both to shoote of, to bow ana
 bear up his body, and so consequently 1 to attaine to the leveu and practiss | of an assured and serYiceable shot; | readily charge and with comely | couch discharge, making choise at the 1 same instance of his marke, with -sl 1 quick and vigilant eye; his faske ant 1 touch-box must keep his powder, hi. 1 purse and mouth his bullets II
 skirmis1l, his left hand must hold hi
 match and peece and the right-hant
 use the office of charging and dis
 charging. let him ever first loac
 his peece with powder out of hi fa-ske, then with her bullet, and las
 
 foreseeing ever that the panne b, cleare, the cover close, the touchhol. wide, or else weI-proined, etc." From the same work above quoted in tables illustrated with quaint pic
 lures, I find the following manual ''1. March with your rest in you hand. 2. March with your muske carry your rest 3. Unshoulder you musket 4. Potse your musket. , Join your rest to your musket. 6 Take forth your match. T. Blow oI your coal. 8. Cock your match. {! Try your match. 10. Guard blow am open your pan. II. Present. F Give fire. Is. Dismount your nusket 14. Uncock your match 15. Returl your match. 16. Clear your pan. r Prime your pan. IS. Shut your pan 19. Cast off your loose powder. 20 q Blow off your loose powder. 21. Gas about your musket. 22. Trail you rest. B. Open your charge. 24 Charge your musket. 25. Draw fortl 8 your securing stick. 26. Shorten you z securing stick. 26. Put in your bulIe I and ram home. 28. Withdraw you s securing stick. 31- Recover you a musket and recover your rest. B s Rest your musket- 34. Draw out you $ match. 35- Blow your match. 3f 8 Cock your match. 37. Try you s match. 3S. Guard your pan. 3G z Present 40. Give fire. 41. Com up to your musket. 42. Return you ] match. 43. Take up your rest. 4 { Blow off your loose powder and cas 2 about your rnusket. 45. Trail you a rest and open your charge. 46. Brin up your musket. AT. Poise you a Inusket and recover your rest. A < Shoulder voJIr TT1uSkat"