Arms equipped to fire multiple shots long predated Beltons idea.
One concept was a combination wheellock/matchlock firearm from 1580 that could hold sixteen shots.
On May 7, Belton replied to Congress with his terms regarding what he felt to be reasonable compensation.
For reference, 1,000 in 1777 is the equivalent of 165,000 in 2021.
If all 13 states outfitted 100 men, Belton would receive 13,000 or a cool 2.1 million today.
Converted to U.S. dollars, thats $2.8 million in 2021.
Despite him cutting his price by 50 percent, they still viewed it to be an extraordinary allowance.
(No one saw that coming, right?)
Is Persistence Key?
Having heard nothing from Congress, Belton wrote them again on June 14.
This time, he claimed that his rifle could hit targets accurately out to 200 yards.
In an era of smoothbore muskets, that was an exceptional claim.
Whether or not he could actually back it up was another story.
Again, he heard nothing for almost a month.
Still undeterred, Belton wrote Congress again on July 10.
This time, he started slinging mud.
He tried to rile members of the body by claiming that Great Britain regularly pays 500 for such services.
Understandably, the founders didnt take kindly to this comparison.
Congress referred Beltons petition to the Board of War, made up of five delegates.
Nine days later on July 19, Congress got word from the Board of War.
They dismissed Beltons petition altogether.
