Musket Ball Analysis at Fort St. Joseph

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Firearms and ammunition were used by military officers, traders, European settlers, and Native Americans in hunting and warfare throughout New France. To better understand military forts, trading posts, and European settlements, flintlock-related objects can be examined to determine the types of firearms being used at Fort St. Joseph, who was using them whether it was military personnel or civilians, and what country the firearms originated from. At the eighteenth-century site of Fort St. Joseph, an examination of flintlock components revealed the presence of more gun parts related to trade or civilian muskets than those of military weapons, confirming its important role as a trading post. However, several other components recovered from the site were badly rusted and unable to be assessed. To assist with this examination, an analysis of musket balls recovered from the site will be completed in hopes of determining the firearms used at the site and their country of origin. Through this research additional knowledge on the flintlocks available in the Great Lakes Region will be gained and can contribute to our understanding of military and trading operations in the area.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39728.0