American regular soldiers used a variety of muskets of French, British and American origin.

During the War of Independence, France supplied tens of thousands of "Charleville" muskets to the American forces. By the end of the war, the American army had vast storehouses of muskets. By the time of the War of 1812, however, many of the French muskets had been damaged due to neglect. In order to meet demand, the U.S. government encouraged the domestic manufacture of firearms. The first official American musket was essentially a copy of a French 1763 model.

Initial arms production levels were insufficient so the army began to procure muskets from private contractors. Thousands of weapons were actually bought from Britain.

The American musket was relatively light and easy to clean compared to the British version. The range of the US gun - fifty yards at best - was not much better than the notoriously inaccurate British muskets.

Each soldier had shoulder cross-straps which held a bayonet (the blade which can be attached to end of a gun) on one side and a black cartridge box containing thirty-eight rounds on the other.

Some American troops used rifles. These guns were generally used for sport and hunting until their military virtues were recognized during the War of Independence. Rifles were much more accurate than muskets although their rate of fire was slower.

The 15th Infantry carried an unique weapon called a pike, a spearhead on a long pole, which was probably inspired by the explorer Zebulon M. Pike.

Swords were standard issue for officers, musicians of foot units and cavalry, and pistols were generally issued to mounted units.