His father, Henry Buzzacott, also worked as a hunter and trapper after the Civil War and assisted Francis in drafting his Masterpiece.

When he was 16 years old, Francis Buzzacott ran away from home and signed on as an apprentice aboard a Welsh collier of the Richardson Shipping Line.

He was a prolific inventor, designing and patenting a number of devices, including stoves for the Army, rolling field kitchens, camping equipment, and compact travel kits.

[6] In 1886, he enlisted in the U.S. 5th Cavalry Regiment for five years, serving in Indian Territory (present-day state of Oklahoma), where he patrolled along the Texas Border in search of Native American renegades and took part in the Pine Ridge campaign against the Ghost Dancers that culminated in the Battle of Wounded Knee.

Though he did not experience any combat personally, he did improve his regiment's morale when he set up a Temperance Canteen in camp near Guayamo, Puerto Rico.

After the 3rd Illinois Volunteers returned to the USA in November 1898, along with the rest of the regiment he was demobilized and mustered out of service on 20 January 1899 with the rank of Sergeant.