Revolutionary War iron mattock hand-tool, recovered at Williamsburg, VA

Being offered is a Revolutionary War iron mattock/adze head measuring 9 ¼” x 3 ¼” x 2 ¼”.  It is difficult to tell if this is an American piece because similar styles were manufactured in England. With all of the fort building and clearing land, there was a dramatic shortage of tools on both sides. It was recovered from a Revolutionary War site in Williamsburg, VA.

During the American Revolution (1775–1783), Virginia’s royal governor dissolved the General Assembly and fled the city. After British troops invaded Virginia in 1779, Governor Thomas Jefferson moved the capital to Richmond.

During the war, tools such as this were just as important as muskets. There is light surface rust on this adze, but it is still solid with no flaking. There are examples of this mattock in the “Collector’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution” by Neumann and Kravic, (see pictures).