The Death Heard Around The World: The Death of George Washington
Chapter One
Chapter One
Here is a little background using fictional book excepts from fictional books:
The Ferguson rifle was unlike any seen on the American Revolution battlefield. The rifle was the first breachloading rifle to be used by any military. It was also the first breachloading rifle to be invented. It was invented by Captain Patrick Ferguson of His Majesty's 70th Foot Regiment. In order to load the gun, it used a screw base breech to bypass the ramming of the musket ball into the barrel. After one complete turn dropped the screw, the exposed breach was low enough to drop a round ball into it followed by powder of slightly more then normal, which was then sheared to the proper charge by the screw as it closed the breech. The user then cocked the hammer fully and then fired. The process could take a trained soldier only six seconds to load and fire, resulting in an amazing (for its time) ten shots a minute! (from: Page 1 of: The Ferguson Rifle by Mark Shepard, 2010)
The rifle had an amazing rate of fire, could be loaded while sitting or lying down or on horseback and greater range than the smoothbore muskets used by the Americans. However it was not god. It was good, but there are many misconceptions about it. The common mythical battle of Leominster, in which Colonial Army and Leominster Militia under Colonel Michael Brown faced off against Britsh under (then) Major Johnston, with the Americans armed with the American Longrifle (popularly, and errordly known as the Kentucky Rifle) and the British armed with the Ferguson Rifle never happened. During the American Revolution, Leominster was a stronghold of Loyalists, so there would be no reason to call out their Militia unless it was on the side of the British and Johnston was in England at the time the battle was said to have taken place. (from: Page 5 of: Misconceptions of the Ferguson Rifle, Sean Miller, 1990)
When I met General Sir Patrick Ferguson, I was just a sixteen year old lad fresh from England. I had only been in the Army for two months (the length of the sea crossing) and only had the rank of Ensign. Sir Patrick was years my seventeen years my senior and a Captain. During my time with him, he grew on me a surrogate father and a friend.” (From: age 1 of: The man that killed George Washington: My Autobiography, 1860, Nicholas Daniels)
Now onto the story:
Nicholas Daniels was a mess. He had just gotten off the boat that had taken him from England to the colonies to fight the rebels who do not want to be with Brittan. The journey had given him a lot of time to think on how he had come to the current point in his life. He had been born and raised in London, the only son of a successful merchant. He had been educated by private tutors in his home. His parents where also members of the enlightenment philosophy group that met in London and where introduced by mutual friends to James Ferguson and his wife. The two couples became friends and visited and wrote often. The two families kept in contact after their children were born and Nicholas spent much of his free time on the Ferguson estate in Scotland. As to how he got here though, it was quite by accident. He had been shooting with a rifle at some targets when his father and Lord Pitfour (James Ferguson after become a judge) came up to him “Son, you have been telling me for some time how you wish to join the military for a while now and you are a good shot. Patrick has a opening for a Ensign in his new experimental rifle corps, if you wish to join. Nick had nodded. Lord Pitfour then said “Yes, it has all been arranged. Your ship leaves Portsmouth in a week. Everything is ready and it is all set.” After that, the week had gone by fast, there were uniforms to get fitted with, weapons to buy, clothes to buy, a hundred things needed. Eventually things had settled down and he got on the ship for journey to America. The ship had hit some very good currents for the journey had taken only a month. After the journey he had landed in New York and after buying a horse and the nessacery equipment, had ridden to join his unit in Pennsylvania. As he opened the tent flap on the tent that housed Captain Ferguson, he felt a sense of dread. What would the man think of him? He had not seen him in nearly a year. Only one way to find out he thought as he entered the tent.
How was that? Comments and feedback are appreciated. No flames please as this is my first timeline.
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