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The
musket Sam takes from his father in my brother Sam is dead,
was a Brown Bess "Long Land" musket with a 46" barrel length,
.75 barrel caliber, and bayonet length of 16"-17". A skilled
soldier could fire three shots per minute with a musket of
this type.
Brown
Bess is a nickname of unknown origin for the British Army's
Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. This musket was used
in the era of the expansion of the British Empire and acquired
a symbolic importance which was at least as significant as
its physical importance. It was in use for over a hundred
years with a good number of incremental changes in its design.
The earliest version was the Long Land Pattern of 1722, 62
inches long (without bayonet) with a 46 inch barrel. It was
later found that shortening the barrel did not lessen its
accuracy and made handling the musket easier. This resulted
in the Militia (or Marine) Pattern of 1756 and the Short Land
Pattern of 1768, both of which had a 42 inch (1,067 mm) barrel.
Other versions included the India Pattern, New Land Pattern
Musket, and Sea Service Musket.
As
most male citizens of the American Colonies were required
by law to own a musket for militia duty, the Long Land Pattern
was a common firearm in use by both sides at the commencement
of the American Revolution.
Accuracy
of the Brown Bess was, as with most other muskets, poor. The
effective range is often quoted as 80-100 yards but it was
more likely about 50 yards. The combination of the large diameter
of the bullet, the heavy weight of its lead construction and
its unstable aerodynamic shape (a round ball marred by hand
casting) contributed to its low effective range. Though the
large projectile could inflict a great deal of damage when
it did hit its target, military tactics of the period stressed
mass volleys and bayonet charges, instead of individual sniping
due to the inaccuracy of these muskets. The great length of
the weapon, 62 inches long, with a bayonet of 16 to 17 inches,
was advantageous because it allowed longer reach in bayonet
engagements, especially against horsemen. By forming a rectangle
or square with men facing outward with their bayonets, horsemen
could not ride through them.
Early
usage of the term "Brown Bess" appears in an April 1771 issue
of the Connecticut Courant, which noted "...but if you are
afraid of the sea, take Brown Bess on your shoulder and march."
This familiar use must indicate widespread use of the term
by that time. The 1785 Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue, a contemporary
work which defined vernacular and slang terms, contained this
entry: "Brown Bess: A soldier's firelock. To hug Brown Bess;
to carry a firelock, or serve as a private soldier."
Popular
explanations of the use of the word "Brown" include that it
was a reference to either the color of the walnut stocks or
to the characteristic brown color that was produced by russeting,
an early form of metal treatment. Others argue that mass-produced
weapons of the time were coated in brown varnish on metal
parts as a rust preventative and on wood as a sealer (or in
the case of unscrupulous contractors, to disguise inferior
or non-regulation types of wood). However, the Oxford English
Dictionary notes that "browning" was only introduced in the
early 19th century, well after the term had come into general
use.
Similarly,
the word "Bess" is commonly held to either derive from the
word arquebus or blunderbuss (predecessors of the musket)
or to be a reference to Elizabeth I of England, considered
unlikely as she died more than a century before the introduction
of the weapon. More plausible is that the term Brown Bess
could have been derived from the German words "brawn buss"
or "braun buss", meaning "strong gun" or "brown gun"; King
George I who commissioned its use was from Germany.
New:
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e-book is here! After three years it is finally ready for
download.. This
e-book contains everything you have access to online and much
more. The only items I have not included are the photos which
keeps the file size small and makes printing the e-book much
easier and less taxing on your printer! My sources
are vast and all information is based on a contemporary knowledge
bank to ensure that this is the most complete and up-to-date
information available anywhere.
With
this guide you will have all you need to teach a course on
My Brother Sam is Dead or ace your test on My Brother Sam
is Dead.
Payment is made at Google Checkout, download provided by Payloadz.
Resources
Available at the History of Redding Website:
Resources Available
Online:
- Connecticut
Colonial Records
- Revolutionary
War Research mostly Connecticut information but an excellent
resource
- Connecticut
American Revolution Sites Connecticut Society of the
Sons of the American Revolution (SAR)
- Why
the Revolution Occurred- a very good timeline of events
that led to the colonist revolt, what happenned during it
and how our nation was formed.
- Battles
of the Revolutionary War- Awesome resource showing you
dates, locations and winners and losers.
- Uniforms
of the Revolutionary War
- Revolutionary
War Finances
- Paper
Money and Inflation
- Life
and Death Aboard British Prison Ships
- Names
of Prisoners who died on British Prison Ships
- Washington,
George, 1732-1799. The writings of George Washington
from the original manuscript sources: Volume 13 Electronic
Text Center, University of Virginia Library
- The
Complete General Orders of George Washington October
2, 1778 to 1780
- Religion
and the Revolution The Revolution split some denominations,
notably the Church of England, whose ministers were bound
by oath to support the King, and the Quakers, who were traditionally
pacifists.
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