Lock, Stock, & Barrel (U.S. National Park Service) (2024)

A simple weapon by today's standards, the ­flintlock musket was the primary weapon of infantrymen during the U.S.-Mexican War. It was here at Palo Alto Battlefield the first angry shots of the war sounded on May 8, 1846. Though muskets saw limited use during the battle, they saw much more action in later engagements. Eventually, some of the muskets present at Palo Alto would make their way to Mexico City when the U.S. Army captured the Mexican capital in September of 1847.

In the hands of U.S. and Mexican soldiers, the fl­intlock musket was both a giver and taker of life. An instrument of war made of wood and steel, it was often the only thing standing between an early grave or living another day. The musket was a constant companion of the infantryman, at times even sharing a bedroll with the soldier.

The weapon employed a simple firing mechanism relying on a piece of ­flint crashing down on a steel plate. The resulting shower of red-hot sparks ignited gunpowder held in a shallow pan on the side of the lock, setting off the main charge inside.

The signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 ended the war. The boundary issue between Texas and Mexico was finalized. The U.S. also acquired nearly one million square miles of territory from Mexico--nearly half of its national territory. Polk had succeeded in stretching the boundaries of the U.S. from sea to shining sea.

Just 25 years young, Mexico was ill prepared to fight a large-scale confl­ict with the U.S. Her government seemed to be in constant turmoil, the treasury did not have the funds to supply the army, and her arsenals could not produce weapons in any great quantity. Mexico was forced to purchase much of its weaponry from Europe. This is evident by the use of surplus British Brown Bess muskets by Mexican infantrymen. However, these were generally not high quality weapons.

There were many instances of Mexican infantrymen, wary of their muskets, firing from the hip to avoid a possible backfire occurring so close to their face. The very thing a soldado had to defend him with was capable of rewarding him with a fate similar to one given by an enemy musket.

U.S. infantrymen fared better than their Mexican counterparts. To feed the U.S. war effort, the armories at Harpers Ferry and Springfield churned out thousands of Model 1816 muskets. Armed with newer, more reliable weapons, U.S. infantrymen did not worry about firing from the hip. They could properly aim and fire their muskets straight and true. Well, as much as can be expected with a musket.