Spanish Escopeta

[Elnathan]

What happened to the 18,000 Spanish muskets provided to Washington's army? Are they the 1752 model with the miquilet lock? How were they issued, and to what troops? Do they survive in any numbers? Are they valued by collectors?

Until this thread, I was TOTALLY unaware that Spain had contributed in ANY fashion to our cause. It simply WAS NOT taught in the public schools that I attended.

Thanks for your answers.

The 1752 model had a standard flintlock, not a miquelet - it was a copy of the 1717-1746 series of French muskets except that they retained the loop on the top jaw screw. In 1791 they went back to the miquelet lock but kept the rest of the musket the same - I've seen this called the 1752/91 model.

[R.J.Bruce]

I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Spain's contribution to our fledgling nation was not ever mentioned in 12 years of public school, nor in the several years of college that I attended.

Anybody think that the war on fascism might have had something to do with such an omission?

[alacran]

I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Spain's contribution to our fledgling nation was not ever mentioned in 12 years of public school, nor in the several years of college that I attended.

Anybody think that the war on fascism might have had something to do with such an omission?

No it goes way back further than that.  The colonists fighting the English were after all  mainly English. There was animosity between  England and Spain since Henry the Eighth. A lot has to to with the Catholic Church and the Protestants fear of Papists.
The fledgling Americans would take the opportunity to take help from who ever offered it at the time. As they did with France. After peace was signed with England we almost went to war with France. Not much in schoolbooks about that either. The reality is that France and Spain had Bourbon Kings that were related by blood. They had a secret treaty in which both had to provide a substantial amount of treasure in support of the Americans. This largesse was in their own self interest. After all the two nations were monarchies that had no intent at the time to support the American experiment in their own lands.

[Elnathan]

I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Spain's contribution to our fledgling nation was not ever mentioned in 12 years of public school, nor in the several years of college that I attended.

Anybody think that the war on fascism might have had something to do with such an omission?

Not really. Franco wasn't ever really our enemy. Couple of other factors that likely are more important:

Americans inherited a dislike from the English for Spain dating back to the Wars of Religion - they are pretty typically the villains in film and fiction, for example. Look at old - or even not so old - pirate movies, for example...

Most of American history early on was written by historians living in the Northeast, and tended to reflect that viewpoint. This is referred to as the New England Bias. Not a whole lot of Spanish influence in New England, so its importance elsewhere tended to be overlooked.

Plus, the US has had a bit of a crush on France  - and they on us - for most of our history. Sometimes that crush manifests itself in anger and mockery, but it is there all the same - neither country is really indifferent to the other. That tends to lead us to focus on France to the exclusion of other nations, I suspect.