224 • COLONEL HANGEUS 



already known, to arm them with a perfect 

 rijle. 



I conclude this by repeating, that it is 

 a disgrace to the country, and an injustice 

 to such gallant soldiers, to arm them with 

 so useless a rifle, as they are at present armed 

 with ; and that, were I honored with the 

 command of a large corps of riflemen, I 

 would prefer arming them with a common 

 musket, and use them as light infantry, being 

 certain that I could do more with them, 

 (so badly armed for riflemen, as they now 

 are,) both to my own credit, to the' satis- 

 faction of the soldier, and to the advantage 

 of my country. The barrel of the rifle I 

 use at present, weighs six pounds four or 

 five ounces, the whole gun only ten pounds 

 five ounces. If it shall be thought, that a 

 barrel, weighing nine pounds, will make the 

 gun too heavy, then let the baiTcl weigh 

 only eight pounds, the addition of two 

 pounds, will be an immense advantage : the 

 whole gun then will not weigh so much ^s 

 a soldier's musket. But I repeat again, 

 that I see no reason why a rifleman should 

 not carry arms as heavy as a battalion sol-r 



