M1795

The M1795 was a smoothebore flintlock musket used by the United States Army from 1795 to 1865.

Service
The marine raiders adopted the Model 1795 musket as a replacement for the earlier Brown Bess and Charleville muskets, the latter lending much to the design of the M1795. The 1st Marine Raider Regiment first used this weapon in the Quasi-War and later in the Barbary War, with the 2nd and 3rd Marine Raider Regiments adopting it soon after. The 1st and 3rd Regiments received their M1795s from the Springfield Armory, while the 2nd took theirs from Harper's Ferry. All regiments used the weapon extensively during the War of 1812. It could be fired with standard shot, or buck and ball, and recruits were extensively trained in both. In one instance, at the Battle of Stoney Creek, the 1st Platoon, 3/1, fired only buckshot during a British attack, effectively turning their muskets into shotguns.

The M1795 was replaced by the M1812 musket officially in 1814, but it took some time to completely supplant the M1795.