Loyalist period Pattern 1756 Heavy Dragoon pistol, Collection of the Fredericton Region Museum, 1969.3118.1
FREDERICTON – May 12, 2025.
In honour of Loyalist Day (May 18), the Fredericton Region Museum would like to commemorate the day with an artefact feature by historian Dr. Gary Campbell. Gary is an avid volunteer at the Museum, and he has artefact-of-choice is a Pattern 1756 Heavy Dragoon pistol that is currently on display in our Loyalist Room exhibition:
This pistol is typical of those used by cavalry units during the American Revolution. Both British and Loyalist cavalry units were active during the time. A typical cavalryman would have been armed with one or two pistols, a sword and a carbine. A military innovation of this time was to combine infantry, cavalry and (sometimes) artillery into a “Legion”. This type of unit was mutually supportive in combat and pre-dated the modern “combined arms team” by a couple of centuries. Well known Loyalist units with cavalry components were Tarleton’s Legion, Queen’s Rangers and De Lancy’s Brigade. Following the revolution, the Loyalists fled the Thirteen States and sought refuge in other locations such as New Brunswick. They would have brought their firearms with them. This is a particularly good example of a pistol of this time period. We are fortunate to have it in our collection.
The donor of this exquisite artefact is unknown. It does have the serial number 54 stamped on it. This is not contemporary with usage and suggests that it was once part of a collection. Several firearms in the collection of the York-Sunbury Historical Society have serial numbers of this kind. An early member of the Society, Alvah Good, donated many firearms and this may have been one of them.
This is a Pattern 1756 Heavy Dragoon pistol. It has a 11.75 inch barrel and is 0.58 calibre. The flintlock has the Royal Cypher (GR) for George III and the makers name – Edge 1759 (the top jaw of the cock has been broken off). The side plate follows the style of the contemporary Long Land musket. The butt cap has long “arms”. There are two ramrod guides. The lock and barrel are iron while the furniture is brass.
Note: under the “ordnance” system, gun makers provided the parts for a gun but the actual gun was not assembled (stocked) from parts in store until needed. This pistol could have been made using this lock in 1759 or at some later date. The custom of dating locks was stopped in 1760 as users receiving firearms with older lock dates thought they were receiving older arms instead of newly made ones.
Be sure to visit the Fredericton Region Museum to learn more about the Loyalist settlement of New Brunswick. We are open Wednesday to Saturday from 1 to 4, and commencing June 26 will be open for our full summer hours: Monday to Saturday 10 to 5, Thursday until 7pm, and Sunday from 12 until 5.
For more information, please contact:
Alena Krasnikova, Executive Director
Fredericton Region Museum www.frederictonregionmuseum.com
Email: frederictonregionmuseum@gmail.com or phone 506-455-6041
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