First folks, the standard infantry load for the AWI was 18 rounds when the war began. The rounds were changed over to 24 when they went from belly boxes to hip boxes, and then went to 36 rounds in the hip box. Some folks will say they had 72 rounds, as the 36 round hip box block could be flipped over, to reveal an additional 36 rounds in a second compartment on the underside of the internal block. This was the Rawles pattern box, and although they were invented and suggested, very few if any of the men were actually issued these boxes. After the war ended in America, the British forces continued to fight in India where sometimes the troops wore two boxes, (we think the whole thing ended in 1781, treaty signed in 1783..., it didn't end on this continent). Rounds were expensive, and when not in combat the men rarely were allowed more than 3 rounds, and generally only when acting as a sentry.
The standard, widely used load for the majority of the war years was a single, very undersized ball. Buck and ball rounds, rounds split or cut, rounds with nails driven through them, were considered criminal, and grounds for hanging if a man was caught with such a round by the other side. British regular soldiers were never allowed such rounds, and neither were the Germans. Washington's troops may have loaded buck & ball for a few preliminary engagements when bayonets were scarse, but think about it..., Washington was always short on ammo, so why give one company of men buck & ball loads when the same amount of lead would allow him enough for two companies of standard ball rounds?
The ball for a .75 caliber musket, to fire all 24 rounds, without getting the clean ball stuck, is .660-.675, depending on humidity. We know this as we have tested it more than once, and with modern, clean burning Goex brand, if you use a .680 ball or larger, you cannot load the musket without the ball jamming, and they didn't take units out of the battle to swab the bores. Ammo was made in bulk for most line infantry units, and contrary to popular myth, they were given target training. Funny thing though, as the battle progresses, the bess gets more accurate..., the crud on the inside of the musket shrinks the bore, and the last few rounds are quite good.
Marksmen were issued paper, powder, and ball, and allowed to roll custom cartridges for accuracy rounds. They could only use these on a limited bases at the beginning of a fight.
When properly loaded with a tight ball, patch combination, the Bess in the hands of a designated Marksman, was expected to strike a man sized target at 90 yards. That target was a white board 2' x 6'. After all, any good hit on a person with a 1 oz ball at 90 yards would take them out of the battle. Riflemen were expected to be able to reach out and touch an enemy soldier at 300 yards.
LD
