“The Patriot” is one of those movies you almost have to love. It stars Mel Gibson as Benjamin Martin, a former soldier turned farmer turned solder yet again. The character of Benjamin Martin is loosely based on the Swamp Fox, Francis Marion, who is credited with basically being the father of modern guerilla tactics. It’s a pretty fast-paced movie and features everything from hatchets to swords to guns. Of course, it’s the guns we’re focused on (mostly). Check our top five choices of interesting firearms you can spot next time you watch “The Patriot.”
Kentucky Rifle
It’s true that the Kentucky Rifle is wielded by numerous people in “The Patriot,” but perhaps the most memorable moment is when it’s seen in the hands of Nathan Martin, played by Trevor Morgan. Nathan is one of the younger sons of Benjamin Martin, and he does as he’s told when his father gives him a Kentucky Rifle and tells him to help take out British soldiers who’ve taken his older brother prisoner. You could say this was the moment Benjamin Martin, AKA Sort-of Swamp Fox, gets back into battle. And he does it with style, armed with a hatchet. But he also brings his younger sons along to help, and instructs Nathan to use his Kentucky Rifle to fire on the British from the treeline. (Spoiler alert: Yes, they get the eldest son, Gabriel, back.)
The Kentucky Rifle was designed in the 1700s by Martin Meylin and Robert Baker. It was a muzzle-loaded flintlock often referred to simply as the Long Rifle or Pennsylvania Rifle. This was, indeed, a commonly used rifle during the French and Indian War which is supposed to have been Benjamin Martin’s first experience in battle. And, yes, the rifles and hatchet used in this early scene were said to be weapons from his former days of soldiering. Regardless, the old Kentucky Rifle is used handily by young Nathan despite it being the first time he’s ever used a firearm for that purpose (or any purpose, really, making it even more impressive).
Flintlock Pistol
Yes, flintlocks are a theme due to the era the movie is set in. The reason for the generic flintlock pistol designation is partly because more than one model was used in “The Patriot.” In the scene shown above, though, the flintlock served its justice in Benjamin Martin’s hands. (Another spoiler alert warning.) The antagonist, Colonel Tavington, played by Jason Isaacs, kills the oldest son Gabriel in a sneaky move after Gabriel manages to wound him. But that isn’t the first brother Tavington kills. At the beginning of the movie, Tavington murders a younger brother, Thomas, mostly because he feels like it. Benjamin Martin ends up melting down some of Thomas’ lead soldiers into musket balls. In the end, he uses the final lead soldier in ball form in his flintlock pistol to shoot Tavington.
The flintlock used by Mel Gibson in his role as Benjamin Martin was from a personal collection, and the owner of the gun just happened to have the same initials as Gibson’s character. As for the flintlock pistol used by Colonel Tavington, it was built for the movie from a kit.
Brown Bess
You really can’t have a Revolutionary War movie without Brown Bess. The Brown Bess was often the preferred weapon for the British Army in real life, so of course it makes lots of appearances in “The Patriot.” It’s a muzzle-loaded, flintlock smooth-bore rifle. There were a lot of variants, but all were 0.75-caliber. The Brown Bess was in service in one form or another for more than a century, and there are all kinds of debates about the origins of its nickname.
In “The Patriot,” then Brown Bess is a frequent flyer for the British. In the scene shown above, British soldiers fire their Brown Bess rifles against Benjamin Martin as they’re being attacked. It’s used in the movie with a bayonet, which is also accurate. For those who think modern warfare is brutal, the reality is that the wars of past centuries were violent and cruel in different ways.
Charleville 1766
It seems somehow right that the Charleville 1766 is in “The Patriot” in the hands of the Reverend Oliver, who is killed by Colonel Tavington (of course). As the reverend falls to the ground, Gabriel Martin snatches the gun out of midair, aims, and fires it at Tavington. He does shoot the villain, but it’s not a fatal wound. And the way Gabriel drops the musket and nudges over Tavington’s body rather than being cautious is ultimately what results in his own death. Tavington wasn’t really dead, and he was armed.
The Charleville 1766 was a 0.69 caliber flintlock musket that was standard for the French, some of whom were fighting on the side of the Americans in the Revolutionary War. It was also a common musket imported/smuggled by the French to the Americans to help arm them for battle against the British. It wasn’t a hugely accurate gun, but it was favored by some soldiers and militia because it didn’t foul as badly as many rifles due to it being a smoothbore, which meant it could be reloaded more reliably in combat. Really, the makers of “The Patriot” did a pretty good job with the guns they showed being used.
American Fowler
We started this with a flintlock being used by one of the younger Martin brothers, and we’re ending it the same way. In the early scene where the Martins go to rescue Gabriel from the British, Samuel Martin is also given a long gun and directed to use it to shoot the British. The gun in question is an American Fowler.
The Fowler got its name from the fact that it was primarily used for hunting birds, although it could also be used on deer and other four-legged game. It had an accuracy range of approximately 70 yards and was fairly easy to reload when compared to other firearms of the era. Because of that and the fact that many farmers already owned a Flintlock Fowler, this was a gun routinely seen in use during the Revolutionary War (and also during the French and Indian War, which circles right back to the fact these guns were supposed to have been Benjamin Martin’s weapons from his former days of battle).
If you’re thinking that’s all well and good but the idea of a small boy wielding this flintlock seems preposterous, hold up. It was actually not at all uncommon for boys to be part of battle during the Revolutionary War. The youngest were typically part of militias, but there were also boys that simply lied about their age and were allowed to fight.
Even with the spoilers in this article, “The Patriot” is definitely worth watching (and re-watching). It doesn’t really matter what time of the year it is, it’s an excellent, patriotic movie.
What’s your favorite scene from “The Patriot”? Tell us what you think in the comments.
