| njsteve |
07-09-2024 02:02 AM |
5 Attachment(s)
Here's an actual 4th of July relic from back in 1776:
I found this bayonet in the fallen down barn that was on my brother's property near New Haven, CT in the 1970s. (The town formally dates to the mid 1600's). It was buried in the dirt in an area where they used to dump waste oil so it perfectly preserved it. It is a 1750's era Dutch Sea Socket bayonet used by the Hessian's during the Revolutionary war. Since they were known to have operated in the area in the 1770's it was most likely from one of their mercenaries. We had no idea of its historical significance growing up and for decades it was just stuck into a beam in our family garage and used to open paint cans. Several years ago I showed it to a military historian who has a vast collection of Revolutionary war armaments. He got slack jawed when he saw it and immediately walked it over to a particular musket in his display rack and with a gentle "snick" sound, it slid and locked into place on an unrestored 1760's Hessian musket like it was born there. He asked to buy it but understood its family heirloom status to my family.
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