F & I WAR MUSKET

F & I War Musket

American stock flintlock musket from the F & I War that was carried by Captain Charles Ellis, Albemarle County Militia, Albemarle County, Virginia. It is stock in the French style using and American barrel, a trigger guard from an English fusil, a butt plate from a French fusil and American gunsmith forged iron thimbles. The barrel measures 50” and the overall length is 65”.  The musket descended through the Ellis family in Amherst County, VA (Amherst Co, VA was original a part of Albemarle Co, VA). I purchased the fusil as a part of the Yost Collection in 1977 and had Keith Collis, Lancaster, PA restore the musket by adding wood at the fore-stock in 1981. The Tulle Fusil de Chasse stock style with its sweeping drop and comb is pleasing and a highly sort after style for F & I War collectors.  If it were not for the mixture of parts one would believe it to be a French musket from  the ca 1750 era. It has the initials CWE carved in the stock (his middle name was Martin – he reversed the M with a W). The musket comes with a research document about Captain Charles Ellis who dies at his plantation in 1759. Notes in the Virginia Gazette show him being paid for supplying good to the Native Americans in 1758. It is in nice restored condition and has been in my F & I War collection for more than 50 years. It is the one I always kept! Nice identified musket from America’s First War!

Note: The Yost Collection, Albemarle County, VA was the first early American Firearms Collection I ever purchased. All on borrowed money from a pharmacist friend in Charlottesville, VA that introduced me to Mr Yost. In 1978, at the Spring Pottstown Gun Show, I sold Norm Flayderman 23 of the guns from the collection. On Norm’s final catalog he pictured five KY Rifle he purchased from me that day. Total purchase was $3,300 in 1978 for all 23 guns. He said “Sold” I will give you a check. I said (didn’t know him) do you have any cash? He said you don’t have any money do you? I said “No Sir, only a gas to get home and motel paid for and I was counting on sales for food money for Margie and the kids setting here”. Norm gave me $500 cash which was about my profit on the deal and a check. Since that day i have sold him many guns and when I purchased guns from him, he would just send them to me on approval. Life long memories!