Brown Bess

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British Land Pattern Musket
a.k.a. Brown Bess
fore-sight that also doubles as a bayonet lug

"Brown Bess" is a nickname of uncertain origin for the British Army's muzzle-loading smoothbore flintlock Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. The musket design remained in use for over a hundred years with many incremental changes in its design. These versions include the Long Land Pattern, the Short Land Pattern, the India Pattern, the New Land Pattern Musket, and the Sea Service Musket.

The Long Land Pattern musket and its derivatives, all 0.75 inches

percussion system known as the Pattern 1839 Musket. A fire in 1841 at the Tower of London
destroyed many muskets before they could be converted. Still, the Brown Bess saw service until the middle of the nineteenth century.

Most male citizens of the thirteen colonies of British America were required by law to own arms and ammunition for militia duty.[5] The Long Land Pattern was a common firearm in use by both sides in the American War of Independence.[6]

In 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars, the United Kingdom subsidised Sweden (during the Sweden–Finland period) in various ways as the British government anxiously wanted to keep an ally in the Baltic Sea region. These included deliveries of significant numbers of Brown Bess-muskets for use in the Finnish War of 1808 to 1809.[7]

During the

Indian rebellion of 1857. Zulu warriors, who had also purchased them from European traders, used them during the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. One was even used in the Battle of Shiloh in 1862, during the American Civil War.[8]

Origins of the name

One hypothesis is that the "Brown Bess" was named after

derogatory name, a bit like 'Sheila' in modern Australian English", and "brown" simply meant plain or drab. Ferguson discounts, with evidence, many of the other theories previously popular.[9]

Early uses of the term include the

Connecticut Courant in April 1771, which said: "... but if you are afraid of the sea, take Brown Bess on your shoulder and march." This familiar use indicates widespread use of the term by that time. The 1785 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, a contemporary work that defined vernacular and slang terms, contained this entry: "Brown Bess: A soldier's firelock. To hug Brown Bess; to carry a fire-lock, or serve as a private soldier." Military and government
records of the time do not use this poetical name but refer to firelocks, flintlock, muskets or by the weapon's model designations.

Soldiers of the Black Watch armed with a musket (Brown Bess) and a halberd, circa 1790

Popular explanations of the use of the word "Brown" include that it was a reference to either the colour of the

browning" was only introduced in the early 19th century, well after the term had come into general use.[10] Others argue that mass-produced weapons of the time were coated in brown varnish on metal parts as a rust-preventive and on wood as a sealer (or in the case of unscrupulous contractors
, to disguise inferior or non-regulation types of wood), an entirely different thing from russeting.

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, possibly given to commemorate her death. The OED has citations for "brown musket" dating back to the early 18th century that refer to the same weapon. Another suggestion is that the name is simply the counterpart to the earlier Brown Bill. However, the origin of the name may be much simpler, if vulgar.

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, "Brown Bess", 1911

Kipling may have based his poem on an earlier but similar "Brown Bess" poem published in "Flights of Fancy" (No. 16) in 1792. Of course, the name could have been initially inspired by the older term of the "Brown Bill" and perhaps the barrels were originally varnished brown, but it is well known in literary circles that the name "Brown Bess" during the period in question in the 17th to early 19th centuries is not a reference to a colour or a weapon but to simply refer to a wanton prostitute (or harlot).[11] Such a nickname would have been a delight to the soldiers of the era who were from the lower classes of English and then British society. So far, the earliest use noted of the term "Brown Bess" was in a 1631 publication, John Done's Polydoron: or A Mescellania of Morall, Philosophicall, and Theological Sentences, page 152:

Things profferd and easie to come by, diminish themselves in reputation & price: for how full of pangs and dotage is a wayling lover, for it may be some browne bessie? But let a beautie fall a weeping, overpressed with the sicke passion; she favours in our thoughts, something Turnbull.

The Land Pattern muskets

The Long Land Pattern "Brown Bess" musket was the British infantryman's basic arm from about 1740 until the 1830s

From the seventeenth century to the early years of the eighteenth century, most nations did not specify standards for military firearms. Firearms were individually procured by officers or

standardisation led to increasing difficulties in the supply of ammunition and repair materials. To address these difficulties, armies began to adopt standardised "patterns". A military service selected a "pattern musket" to be stored in a "pattern room". There it served as a reference for arms makers
, who could make comparisons and take measurements to ensure that their products matched the standard.

Stress-bearing parts of the Brown Bess, such as the barrel, lockwork, and sling-swivels, were customarily made of iron, while other furniture pieces such as the butt plate, trigger guard and ramrod pipe were found in both iron and brass. It weighed around 10 pounds (4.5 kg) and it could be fitted with a 17-inch (430 mm) triangular cross-section bayonet. The weapon had a single fore-sight, but no rear sights. this doubled as a bayonet lock. This is often mistakenly referred to as a "bayonet lug" but this is a modern nomenclature - contemporary sources refer to this as a "sight" and cite its positioning to be intentional for aiming.[12]

The earliest models had iron fittings, but these were replaced by brass in models built after 1736. Wooden ramrods were used with the first guns but were replaced by iron ones, although guns with wooden scouring sticks were still issued to troops on American service until 1765 and later to loyalist units in the American Revolution. Wooden ramrods, also called scouring sticks, were also used in the Dragoon version produced from 1744 to 1771 for Navy and Marine use.

The

accuracy of the Brown Bess was fair, as with most other muskets. In 1811, in London, a test shooting was conducted at the site. The target was a wooden shield the size of an infantry or a cavalry line. The results of the practice were as follows: at a distance of 100 yards (91 m) 53% hits, 200 yards (180 m) 30% hits, 300 yards (270 m) 23% hits. The accuracy of the Brown Bess was in line with most other smoothbore muskets of the 18th to 19th centuries. But it should be borne in mind that this[clarification needed] is the result of shooting by ordinary soldiers who had little training. Soldiers of light infantry had more training, and were taught accurate shooting.[13]

The Brown Bess was used not only in the line infantry, but also light infantry, as well as Rogers' Rangers, hunters, skirmishers, Indians and many other irregular troops who used non-standard tactics.

The Brown Bess's bullet was lethal at its full effective range. In the mid-18th century, Robertson measured the speed of musket bullets on a

joules, which is comparable to the energy of modern rifle cartridges. Modern ballistic tests have confirmed these data.[14] According to the Russian lieutenant-general Ivan G. Gogel, all the muskets of the European nations were able to penetrate a wooden shield with a thickness of 1 inch (2.5 cm) at a distance of 300 yards.[15]

British soldiers armed with Brown Besses preferred to reduce the standard number of steps for loading a musket. To this end, they would sometimes drop the cartridge into the barrel and strike the butt on the ground, to seat the load without the use of a ramrod.[16]

Besides not having

Potzdam muskets
up until the Prussian 1801 pattern.

Variations

X-ray of a Brown Bess musket recovered by LAMP archaeologists from an American Revolutionary War-era shipwreck from a ship lost in December 1782. It is believed to be a 1769 Short Land Pattern, and is loaded with buck and ball

Many variations and modifications of the standard pattern musket were created over its long history. The earliest version was the Long Land Pattern of 1722, 62 inches (1,600 mm) long (without bayonet), with a 46-inch (1,200 mm) barrel. It was later found that shortening the barrel did not detract from accuracy but made handling easier, giving rise to the Militia (or Marine) Pattern of 1756 and the Short Land Pattern of 1768, which both had a 42-inch (1,100 mm) barrel. Another version with a 39-inch (990 mm) barrel was first manufactured for the

British East India Company
, and was eventually adopted by the British Army in 1790 as the India Pattern.

By the late 1830s and into the early 1840s the weapon was becoming obsolete and its flintlock mechanism was being replaced by the more efficient and reliable percussion cap ignition. The

wet weather. The last flintlock pattern manufactured was selected for conversion to the new system as the Pattern 1839. As a fire at the Tower of London destroyed large stocks of these in 1841, a new Pattern 1842 musket was manufactured. These remained in service until the 1853 outbreak of the Crimean War, when they were replaced by the Minié and the P53 Enfield rifled musket
.

Pattern In service Barrel Length Overall Length Weight
Long Land Pattern 1722–1793
Standard Infantry Musket 1722–1768
(supplemented by Short Land Pattern from 1768)		 46 inches (1,200 mm) 62.5 inches (1,590 mm) 10.4 pounds (4.7 kg)
Short Land Pattern 1740–1797
1740 (Dragoons)
1768 (Infantry)
Standard Infantry Musket 1793–1797		 42 inches (1,100 mm) 58.5 inches (1,490 mm) 10.5 pounds (4.8 kg)
India Pattern 1797–1854
Standard Infantry Musket 1797–1854
(Some in use pre-1797 purchased from the East India Company for use in Egypt)		 39 inches (990 mm) 55.25 inches (1,403 mm) 9.68 pounds (4.39 kg)
New Land Pattern 1802–1854
Issued only to the Foot Guards and 4th Regiment of Foot		 39 inches (990 mm) 55.5 inches (1,410 mm) 10.06 pounds (4.56 kg)
New Light Infantry Land Pattern 1811–1854
Issued only to the 43rd, 51st, 52nd, 68th, 71st and 85th Light Infantry and the Battalions of the 60th Foot not armed with rifles. The detail differences between this musket and the standard New Land Pattern were a scrolled trigger guard similar to that of the
Baker Rifle
except more rounded, a browned barrel and a notch used as rear-sights, the bayonet lug being used as fore-sights		 39 inches (990 mm) 55.5 inches (1,410 mm) 10.06 pounds (4.56 kg)
Cavalry Carbine 1796–1838
Issued to cavalry units		 26 inches (660 mm) 42.5 inches (1,080 mm) 7.37 pounds (3.34 kg)
Sea Service Pattern 1778–1854
Issued to Royal Navy ships, drawn by men as required, Marines used Sea Service weapons when deployed as part of a ship's company but were issued India Pattern weapons when serving ashore		 37 inches (940 mm) 53.5 inches (1,360 mm) 9.00 pounds (4.08 kg)

See also
Preceded by
???
 United States Army rifle
1776-1795 		Succeeded by

Citations

  1. ^ Benjamin Robins, New Principles of Gunnery: Containing the Determination of the Force of Gun-Powder, 1805
  2. OCLC 1551982
    .
  3. OCLC 43501345
    .
  4. ^ Krenn, Peter; Kalaus, Paul; Hall, Bert (6 June 1995). "View of Material Culture and Military History: Test-Firing Early Modern Small Arms". Material Culture Review.
  5. ^ Linder, Doug (2008). "United States vs. Miller (U.S. 1939)". Exploring Constitutional Law. University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School. Archived from the original on 23 November 2001. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
  6. ^ Neumann, George. "The Redcoats' Brown Bess", Archived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine American Rifleman, posted 2009.
  7. ^ Norrbottens museum, Månadens föremål 2009/September Flintlåsgevär med bajonett.
  8. ^ Brown, Dee Alexander (1959). The Bold Cavaliers. p. 50.
  9. ^ "History of the term 'Brown Bess'". Royal Armouries. 17 May 2017. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  10. ^ "History of the term 'Brown Bess'". Royal Armouries. 17 May 2017. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  11. ^ A Dictionary of Sexual Language and Imagery in Shakespearean and Stuart Literature, Gordon Williams (1994) pgs 102–103
  12. ^ Windham, William; Townshend, George Townshend Marquis (1759). A Plan of Discipline, Composed for the Use of the Militia of the County of Norfolk. Printed, for J. Shuckburgh, at the Sun, next Richard's coffee-house, Fleetstreet.
  13. ^ British Light Infantry and Rifle Tactics of the Napoleonic Wars
  14. ^ Krenn, Peter; Kalaus, Paul; Hall, Bert (6 June 1995). "View of Material Culture and Military History: Test-Firing Early Modern Small Arms | Material Culture Review". Material Culture Review.
  15. ^ Гогель, Иван Григорьевич - Подробное наставление о изготовлении, употреблении и сбережении, огнестрельнаго и белаго солдатскаго оружия : С 6-ю чертежами - Search RSL. В типографии Медицинскаго департамента Министерства внутренних дел. 1825.
  16. ^ Thomas Anburey. "Here I cannot help observing to you, whether it proceeded from an idea of self-preservation, or natural instinct, but the soldiers greatly improved the mode they were taught in, as to expedition. For as soon as they had primed their pieces and put the cartridge into the barrel, instead of ramming it down with their scouring sticks, they struck the butt plate of the piece upon the ground, and bringing it to the present, fired it off."

General bibliography

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Brown Bess".
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brown Bess.
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