Brown Bess Bayonet - National Parks Gallery

This bayonet piece was found at Fort Frederica National Monument, just up the road from us on St. Simon's Island, GA. It was made for a British "Brown Bess" musket, one of the most popular weapons ever produced. Besses were smoothbore flintlock muskets that could fire a .75 caliber lead ball up to 200 yards, although they were only effective at about 50 yards. Fort Frederica was established by Georgia founder General James Oglethorpe and was an active British post from 1736 to 1748.