<p>Weapons that were used during the 1600 till early 1800 were mostly muskets, rifles, pistols, and swords. Muskets were used by infantry men, rifles by hunters, and pistols and swords by high ranking officers. Muskets were slow and difficult to load. Depending on the man, it took about 30 seconds to load a musket. Experienced shooters could fire 3 shots in a minute. Rifles were even slower, but the accuracy made for the lack of firing rate. Muskets were muzzle loaded, which means that the powder and bullet were poured into the barrel. Rifles and pistols, on the other hand, were flintlocked. That means those guns were ignited by flint and steel. Guns, obviously, were used for long range battles or fights. That leaves us with the melee battles or fights. Swords were used for this type of battle. Most swords were double edged, which means that it could be used on both sides. Those swords that were not double edged were known as sabers.</p> <p>Bigger weapons that were used in war were pikes and cannons. Pikes were very long spears that could exceed 22 feet. They were not used for throwing, instead, it was used defensively to protect infantry men. The cannon, another defensive weapon, was used to protect troops when preparing to deploy and/or advancing in the field. The cannon could throw 4 to 12 pound cast iron balls that reached 600 to 1800 yards.</p> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p>Websites Used:</p> <p>Colonial Williamsburg Online Collection</p> <p><a href="http://emuseum.history.org/view/objects/aslist/classification@15/4/title-asc?t:state:flow=a330d712-5772-4de1-aeeb-18279a3b359d">http://emuseum.history.org/vie...</a></p> <p>The Lesson Locker</p> <p><a href="http://thelessonlocker.com/materials/history/weapons_of_war.pdf">http://thelessonlocker.com/mat...</a></p> <p>Rob Ossian's Pirate's Cove</p> <p><a href="http://www.thepirateking.com/historical/cannon_eighteenth_century.htm">http://www.thepirateking.com/h...</a></p> <p>aagaines.com</p> <p><a href="http://www.aagaines.com/man/18broncannn.html">http://www.aagaines.com/man/18...</a><br /></p>