In the days of lace-ruffles, perukes, and brocade
Brown Bess was a partner whom none could despise --
An out-spoken, flinty-lipped, brazen-faced jade,
With a habit of looking men straight in the eyes --
At Blenheim and Ramillies, fops would confess
They were pierced to the heart by the charms of Brown Bess.
-Rudyard Kipling, 1911
In 1775, the regular foot soldier of the 23rd Regiment of Foot was armed with the Short Land Pattern (2nd Model) Musket which was commonly referred to as the "Brown Bess." The origin of the term "Brown Bess" is not known and I may possibly explore that topic at a later date.
The Bess is a fairly large and cumbersome weapon with a barrel length of 42 inches and weight of about 9 lbs. It is stocked in walnut with brass fittings. The barrel and other metal parts are of steel--note that I didn't say stainless steel. In fact, it will be a constant battle to keep the musket from rusting as it has a tendency to rust at the slighest cause (such as my looking at it).
The musket fires a lead ball of .69 inches in diameter, although the barrel is larger at .75 inches in diameter. The difference in size is because after a few shots with black powder, there is so much gunk in the barrel a larger ball wouldn't fit. Due to the fact that the ball is smaller than the barrel, there is no real way to make sure you hit what you aim at. The standard tactics of the time were to have massive volleys at the enemy hoping that at least some of the shots do damage.
A good soldier should be able to get off three rounds a minute with the musket and let me tell you I am no good soldier. To load the musket, you have to take a paper cartridge out of your cartridge box. This paper cartridge contains the powder and bullet (or just powder when reenacting). You have to bite off the end of the cartidge, pour a bit of powder in the flash pan (which is next to the barrel) and then close the pan cover. Next, you have to pour the powder down the barrel and then shove the paper and ball down. After those things are in the barrel, you have to draw out the ramrod, ram down the charge and then put the ramrod back. Finally you can pull back the hammer and pull the trigger. Ignition is caused by the flint striking the frizzen, which causes the powder in the pan to ignite which should ignite the charge in the barrel. Rinse, lather and repeat up to three times a minute.
The Bess is a fairly large and cumbersome weapon with a barrel length of 42 inches and weight of about 9 lbs. It is stocked in walnut with brass fittings. The barrel and other metal parts are of steel--note that I didn't say stainless steel. In fact, it will be a constant battle to keep the musket from rusting as it has a tendency to rust at the slighest cause (such as my looking at it).
The musket fires a lead ball of .69 inches in diameter, although the barrel is larger at .75 inches in diameter. The difference in size is because after a few shots with black powder, there is so much gunk in the barrel a larger ball wouldn't fit. Due to the fact that the ball is smaller than the barrel, there is no real way to make sure you hit what you aim at. The standard tactics of the time were to have massive volleys at the enemy hoping that at least some of the shots do damage.
A good soldier should be able to get off three rounds a minute with the musket and let me tell you I am no good soldier. To load the musket, you have to take a paper cartridge out of your cartridge box. This paper cartridge contains the powder and bullet (or just powder when reenacting). You have to bite off the end of the cartidge, pour a bit of powder in the flash pan (which is next to the barrel) and then close the pan cover. Next, you have to pour the powder down the barrel and then shove the paper and ball down. After those things are in the barrel, you have to draw out the ramrod, ram down the charge and then put the ramrod back. Finally you can pull back the hammer and pull the trigger. Ignition is caused by the flint striking the frizzen, which causes the powder in the pan to ignite which should ignite the charge in the barrel. Rinse, lather and repeat up to three times a minute.
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