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Soldiers on the
frontier during the French & Indian War (F&I War) found the Quill Pen quickly wore
out and was difficult to replace. They tried charcoal which was
easy to obtain but very messy to use and did not last at all. The
soldiers knew that their lead musketballs marked easily on the paper
cartridges used to hold powder and ball for loading, and they knew that
they could change the shape of the ball by hammering. One soldier,
using this knowledge, hammered a ball into the shape of a squared stick
with a point and the "Lead Pencil" came into common use, first by
soldiers and later in schools on the frontier. This use of a
hammered lead stick or "pencil" continued throughout the mid-nineteenth
century, and is how we get the term "Lead Pencil" today although today's
pencil is graphite. |
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Troops on campaign
during the French & Indian War (F&I War)
were not allowed to gamble nor carry gaming devices. They were,
however, allowed and expected to carry extra musketballs, usually in a
shot pouch which was normally checked by the heft rather than by looking
inside. The troops, knowing this, would take a hammer and
carefully flatten the balls, tap in the "pips" with a nail, and hide
their "dice" in the shot pouch safe from the Sergeant's eye yet
available for a quick game of Hazzard at the camp fire. These "musketball
dice" have been recreated just as they were done 200 years ago, hammered
from 69 caliber lead balls and pipped with a nail. |
Lead Pencil and Musketball Dice