^22 COLONEL IIA?\GER'S 



barrel, will not be heavier than a soldier's 

 musket and bayonet ; and why a rifleman 

 should not carry arms as heavy as a battalion 

 soldier, I can see no reason, when he shall 

 reap so great an advantage by so doing. 



I can speak with no certainty, for the 

 experiment remains to be tried ; but I am 

 strongly inclined to believe, that this rifle, 

 weighing nine pounds in the barrel, will 

 shoot with more precision and execution, 

 at six hundird yards, than the rifles used at 

 present before the enemy, will shoot at 

 four hundred. Should the experiment turn 

 out equal to my expectations, w^hat an ad- 

 vantage will not a corps of riflemen, so 

 armed, obtain before an enemy that they 

 do not at present possess ! Anyhow, it is 

 lamentable to reflect how badly such a 

 gallant set of fine fellows are at present 

 armed, — for the addition of two pounds, to 

 make the barrels six pounds in weight, or 

 of five pounds of iron to make the barrels 

 weigh nine pounds, is too paltry an expense 

 to be considered by any government, con- 

 sidering the immense advantage which will 

 be acquired, by adding more weight to the 



