Correspondence between John Belton and the Continental Congress

by Joseph Belton

This is a collection of correspondence between Joseph Belton, a firearms inventor, and the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, in 1777. It contains descriptions of a modification that could be made to flintlock muskets to allow rapid firing of multiple shots with a single loading. Congress was interested in the invention, and it was demonstrated before noted scientists and military officers (including well known scientist David Rittenhouse and General Horatio Gates), but was rejected due to Belton's demand for what Congress considered excessive fees for the use of Belton's design.

Cover page of Belton's first letter to the Continental Congress

Belton's original letter to Congress, April 11, 1777

April 11 letter from Bolton to Congress

To the Honourable Conteintnal Congress

May it Please your Honours,

I would just informe this Honourable Assembly, that I

have discover'd an improvement, in the use of Small Armes,

wherein a common small arm, may be maid to discharge

eight balls one after another, in eight, five or three seconds of

time, & each one to do execution five & twenty, or thirty yards,

and after so discharg'd, to be loaded and fire'd with cartridge as

usual, which I am ready to prove by experimental proof

and can with equal ease fix them so as to discharge sixteen,

or twenty, in sixteen, ten, or five seconds of time, which I

have kept as yet a secret, thinking that in two, or three Months

we might have an army thus equipt, which our enemy

should know nothing of, till they should be maid to know it

in the field, to their immortal sorrow

And if you Gentlemen are desirous to enquire into this im-

provement, your Humble Servent, is ready to wait upon you at

any time, or place, or he may be waited on at the Widow

Fords, in Walnut Street, between second & third street.

from your most Obedient

Humble Servent

Philidelphia April 11th 1777 Joseph Belton

Journals of the Continental Congress, Sat. May 3, 1777

Resolved, That John Belton be authorized and appointed to superintend,

and direct, the making or altering of one hundred muskets, on the

construction exhibited by him, and called "the new improved gun,"

which will discharge eight rounds with once loading; and that he

receive a reasonable compensation for his trouble, and be allowed

all just and necessary expences.

Belton's second letter to Congress, May 7, 1777

May 7, 1777 letter to Congress, page 1

To the Honorable Continental Congress

May it Please your Honours;

I have receiv'd your resolve of the first of May, Were-

in, I am Authorized to superintend, & direct, the altering of one

hundred Muskets, & that I receive a reasonable compensation for

my trouble (for so superintending & directing) &c. But I see

no prospect of having any reward for my Invention, and for

the cost and trouble I have already been at, Which has ever

been customary through all Nations, to reward usefull inventi-

ons, or discoveries, as I have set for in a paper, Which I

had wrote before. I had seen the Resolve, Which I had defer'd

the Board of War to lay before your Honours, and to what lengths

I would carry the invention and What Service it might render

to the States, and provided I should fail in compeating the

armes as I had therein set fourth, I would have no rewards

as I desire not my Counteries money without rendering Ser-

vices adiquate thereto, And still to remove all possable

Objections, & to put things on an equitable, & reasonable a

futten, as any one I think can desire, I will engage to direct

the arming of one hundred men, so as to be equal to two hun-

dred in the field of Battle, or any number equal to double the

same number as they are arm'd at present, Which shall be

left to the Judgement of the Commander, or three first Comman-

ding officers of our Army. And if they judge they are not I

will be satisfied, & desire, and receive no reward & be intitled to

none, But provided they should judge they were equal I then

should be intitled to a thousand pound from each State-

according to resolve of Congress, fo then where one hundred was

May 7, 1777 letter to Congress, page 2

thus equipt it would be the same, to the strength of the army, as if

there was another hundred raisd & equipt, & what state can raise, cloth

& equipt one hundred men for a thousand pound, or even three thousand

then allowing one hundred men to be equipt for each State, their

strength would be the same, as if they had been to the expense of three

thousand pounds more, in raising men besides the cost of maintaining them

which may be saivd to the State, What then would be the saving in

arming three or four thousand for each State, in short the many &

ennumerable advanteages, which it may render, are almost beyond

discription, which makes my proposal vastly reasonable, & untill

it is agreed to, or something simular, I shall beg to be exus'd

from superintending & directing the altering of any Muskets,

But when it is, it will be undertaken with Alacrity by

Your Most Obedient Humbl Ser't

Joseph Belton

N.B. As for the Enemies obtaining & making any use of the

invention against us, as some perhaps my imagine, I am no ways

apprehensive of at present, for it will be my own folt if they doe,

at least untill we had what number you please armd, and if they doe

then it might be by a deserter from our army, after he had become

acquainted with the use of the armes, for were our enemy to take

some of the Armes after they were completed they could not very sud-

denly use them, untill they had discovered the true & safe method

of Charging, which might puzzle the best of them for Months as

it has done me, & perhaps split one or two about their ears, as I have

done, Which you may think Gentlemen, as you have seen me

May 7, 1777 letter to Congress, page 3

discharge, to be very easy, but if any Gentleman in this

place will tel me in a week with what, & how I charge

I will give him the Invention, And him that alter'=d me

the gun knows not, and I am confident there is but one

upon the Continent beside myself that does know, But

from this you may think it will always be difficult, &

dangerous, for men to use them, But so far from that,

-that I would trust any friend that was usd to a gun,

after giving him the materials, & three or four words of

direction, to go by himself & Charge, for me to discharge,

and who had never seen the gun thus Charg'd before,

Many things appear vastly dangerious & difficult, & are

so till they are found out, then as vastly easy & simple

so experientia docet omnia, and has taught the forgoing to

your HblSert

Jo^s Belton

Philidelphia May 7 1777

Belton's letter to John Hancock, May 8, 1777

Letter to John Hancock, May 8, 1777

Philadelphia May 8th 1777

Mr Hancock

Sir

Perhaps the Congress will sooner Comply

with this than what I have heretofore laid before

them, (Viz) I will engage to arm any member

which shall prove equal to double the same num-

ber in Battle, if so then I should be intitled to

five hundred pounds from each State, & if equal

to three times their number I should be intitled to

a thousand pound from each Sate, and if equal to

four times their number I should be intitled to fif-

teen hundred from each State, so on riseing five

hundred for every greater number. Which should be

left to four experienced Officers two of which I

should have the privelage of Choosing, And as they

brought in so I should receive. And if they judged they

were not equal to double their number I would be

intitled to no reward which will be hartily complied with

by

Your Most Obiedient Humble Ser't

Joseph Belton

Journals of the Continental Congress, Thurs. May 15, 1777

A letter, of the 8, from Joseph Belton, was read, requiring an

extraordinary allowance for his new invented gun.

Ordered, That the same be dismissed.

Belton's third letter to Congress, June 14, 1777

Letter to Congress, June 14, 1777

Sir

Please to inform the Honourable Congress, that

as I have heretofore asserted to them, that I can discharge six-

teen, or twenty balls from one piece, one charging, by once pul-

ing tricker, or at two or three diffrent times, by little more

than cocking & priming the same lock two or three different

times. And as I mean ever to fulfull all & every one of my Asser-

tions, I propose next munday about ten O'Clock A.M. (if it

be agreeable to your Honours) in the State House Yard to make the

following exhibition (viz) to make five different discharges from

one pulling tricker. then again by little more than cocking & priming

to make five more different discharges, then by little more than cocking

& priming again to make six, all which I will warrant to do

execution one hundred yards and think I might safely warrant

it would two hundred, after which I can charge & fire with car-

trage as usual.---from

Your Most Obedient Humbl Ser't

Joseph Belton

Phila^da Saturday June 14th 1777

Belton's fourth letter to Congress, July 10, 1777

Letter to Congress, July 10, 1777

To the Honourable Continental Congress:

May it Please your Honours

You may see from a paper herewith inclos'd

signed by the Generals & other Officers, & Gentlemen, their

Oppinions upon my new Constructed Musket, and how extensively

usefully they judge it may be, and that I ought to be hansomely

rewarded by the Publick for my Invention, And it is reasonable

to think that all Publick reward ought to be in proportion to the

service that my invention, or improvement, may render to the

Publick. And to remove Objections (if any there be) against the

usefulness of my Invention, I will engage to direct the making

of Muskets upon such a construction, that anybody of men shall

be save in using them in discharging sixteen rounds in less

space than a minute, that shall do execution two hundred yards, and

then shall be able to load and fire with cartridge as usual, or to load the

whole sixteen rounds again, and in the least failer herein I would

be intitled to no reward. The service that such armes may render

to the Publick at this day & to posterity, I will leave your Honours

to Judge. at the same time, I think that Great Britan has granted

many five hundred a year for less services renderd to their country,

then what this will render to mine, and I look upon this extensive

continent to be able to grant five hundreds as well as the little Island

of Britan, and as money is stild the sinews of war, so it may be stild

the sinews of invention, for doubtless many experiments which might

have discoverd something useful to the Publick, has for the want of it, died

in Oblivion, And as the present Invention opens a door, into a wide

extended field of improvement in every military department, where many

useful things present themselves to view, which lies as yet unnotissed,

which when I am rewarded as the Invention merits, I shall readily

step forth in my Counteries cause, and exert eery ingenious nerve

to arm my Countery to the best possable advantage, for which purpose

I beg leave to dedicate these papers to your Honours serious consideration

and your wise determinations, may I hope, be crown'd with salutary con-

sequences, which is the desire of

your Most Obedient

Most Humble Servent

Joseph Belton

Enclosure

Enclosure to July 10, 1777 letter

Philadephia July 10th 1777

Having Carefully examined M. Beltons

New Constructed Musket from which He discharged

Sixteen Balls loaded at one time, we are fully of

Opinion that Muskets of his Construction with

some small alterations, or improvements might be

Rendered, of great Service, in the Defense of lives,

Redoubts, Ships &c, & even in the Field, and that

for his Ingenuity, & improvement he is Intitled

to a hansome reward from the Publick.

Dav. Rittenhouse	B Arnold
Charles Wm Seale	Horatio Gates
	G Nash
	Th F Proctor
	J W Strickland

Journals of the Continental Congress, Thursday, July 10, 1777

A petition from Joseph Belton, and a petition from Captain James [Joseph] Lees, were read:

Ordered, That the petition of J. Belton be referred to the Board of War,

and the petition of Captain Lees to the Marine Committee.

Journals of the Continental Congress, Saturday, July 19, 1777

Resolved, That the petition of Thomas [Joseph] Belton be dismissed.