Pocket Knife

1750 – 1780

A rifleman used this knife to cut cloth or leather patches that were wrapped around the rifle's lead shot. The patch sealed any open space between the inside of the rifle barrel and the round ball. This prevented the escape of gases once the gun was fired.

Steel, bone. L 16.5, W 2.5 cm
The George C. Neumann Collection,
Valley Forge National Historical Park, VAFO 1791