The Baker rifle was a muzzle-loading flintlock weapon used by the British Army in the Napoleonic Wars, notably by the 95th Rifles and the 5th Battalion, 60th Regiment of Foot.
This rifle was an accurate weapon for its day with reported kills being taken at 100 to 300 yards (91 to 274 m) away.
The rifle was in service in the British Army until the 1840s. The Mexican Army under Santa Anna used British Baker Rifles during the 1836 Texas-Mexican War.
Hopefully you will not need this, so Good Luck! Grumpy
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Let me begin by saying the following things to the Youngsters who are thinking about becoming a K-12 Teacher.
If you have any doubts about liking Youngsters. Save yourself a lot of time & Money and DON’T DO IT!
Most Rookie Teachers quit after a year or two. On your 1st day look to your left & right during orientation day. Those folks will not be there in a year or less!
It will be the hardest job that you will undertake. I still say that the US Army was a little bit easier but not by much.
I met more Characters in my District than I ever did in the Army.
In the Army I would just have to say that I wanted something done. Most of the time, Folks would actually do something about it. Both Good or bad.
In Teaching, you will have to learn the fine art of nagging to get close to the same results at times. That & when to do it!
I was a very lucky teacher as I almost never had problems with my students. But I can not say the same about the so called adults involved at school.
Everyday was a struggle to keep my reputation at work
Never count on anybody at school! They will always let you down. But always do your best to keep your word. It will really pay off later!
Be interested in your students and ask them questions. It will pay off in spades!
Be nice to the Support Staff as nobody else does! Especially the Janitor, Who ever is in charge of supplies and The School Secretary (The Power behind the Throne) As they can make or break you!
More later, Good Luck as you are going to really need it!
Grumpy
It old & cute but I would not shoot it for neither love or money!
This musket has probably the best claim to have really put the British Empire on the map. Having served from many a battlefield from Europe, Africa, Asia and the New World.
“Brown Bess” is a nickname of uncertain origin for the British Army‘s muzzle-loading smoothbore Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives.
This musket was used in the era of the expansion of the British Empire and acquired symbolic importance at least as significant as its physical importance.
It was 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 .75 caliberflintlock muskets, were the standard long guns of the British Empire‘s land forces from 1722 until 1838, when they were superseded by a percussion cap smoothbore musket.
The British Ordnance System converted many flintlocks into the new 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 American Colonies were required by law to own arms and ammunition for militia duty.[1] The Long Land Pattern was a common firearm in use by both sides in the American War of Independence.[2]
In 1808 during the age of Napoleon, the United Kingdom subsidised Sweden in various ways as the British anxiously wanted to keep an ally in the Baltic Sea area, among other things deliverances of war material and with those, significant numbers of Brown Bess muskets for use in the Finnish War.[3]
During the Musket Wars (1820s–30s), Māori warriors used Brown Besses, having purchased them from European traders at the time.
Some muskets were sold to the Mexican Army, which used them during the Texas Revolution of 1836 and the Mexican-American Warof 1846 to 1848.
Brown Besses saw service in the First Opium War and 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.[4]
One hypothesis is that the “Brown Bess” was named after Elizabeth I of England, but this lacks support.
It is not believed that this name was used contemporaneously with the early Long Pattern Land musket but that the name arose in late years of the 18th century when the Short Pattern and India Pattern were in wide use.
Early uses of the term include the newspaper, 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 firelock, 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, c. 1790.
Popular explanations of the use of the word “Brown” include that it was a reference to either the colour of the walnut stocks, or to the characteristic brown colour 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 (OED) notes that “browning” was only introduced in the early 19th century, well after the term had come into general use.[citation needed] [here the author confuses simple varnishing with the browning of metal, two entirely different things]
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’s poem most possibly “hits the mark” although he may have based his poem on an earlier but similar “Brown Bess” poem published “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 color or a weapon but to simply refer to a wanton prostitute [or harlot].[5]
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 so far of the term “Brown Bess” was in a 1631 publication, John Done’s “POLYDORON: OR A Mescellania of Mo∣rall, Philosophicall, and Theologicall Sen∣tences.” at Page 152:
Things profferd and easie to come by, diminish them∣selves in reputation & price: for how full of pangs and dotage is a wayling lover, for it may bee some browne bes∣sie? But let a beautie fall a weeping, overpressed with the sicke passion; she favours in our thoughts, something Turnbull.
The Long Land Pattern “Brown Bess” musket was the British infantryman’s basic arm from about 1740 until the 1830s.
From the 17th century to the early years of the 18th century, most nations did not specify standards for military firearms. Firearms were individually procured by officers or regiments as late as 1745, and were often custom-made to the tastes of the purchaser.
As the firearm gained ascendancy on the battlefield, this lack of 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 inches (430 mm) triangular cross-section bayonet. The weapon did not have sights, though it could be aimed using the bayonet lug as a crude sight.
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 ramrods were still issued to troops on American service until 1765 and later to loyalist units in the American Revolution.
Wooden ramrods were also used in the Dragoon version produced from 1744–71 for Navy and Marine use.
The accuracy of the Brown Bess was fair, as with most other muskets.
The effective range is often quoted as 175 yards (160 m), but the Brown Bess was often fired en masse at 50 yards (46 m) to inflict the greatest damage upon the enemy.
Military tactics of the period stressed mass volleys and massed bayonet charges, instead of individual marksmanship.
The large soft projectile could inflict a great deal of damage when it hit and the great length of the weapon allowed longer reach in bayonet engagements.
As with all similar smooth bore muskets, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the weapon by using musket balls that fit more tightly into the barrel.
The black powder would quickly foul the barrel, making it more and more difficult to reload a tighter-fitting round after each shot and increasing the risk of the round jamming in the barrel during loading.
Since tactics at the time favoured close range battles and speed over accuracy, smaller and more loosely fitting musket balls were much more commonly used. The Brown Bess had a barrel bore of .75 caliber, and the typical round used was around .69 caliber.
While the looser-fitting musket ball reduced the effective range of a single musketeer firing at a single man-sized target to around 50 yards (46 m) to 75 yards (69 m), the Brown Bess was rarely used in single combat.
Since individual soldiers are not aimed for en masse volleys, the effective range of the Brown Bess when fired en masse was easily 100 yards (91 m) or more.
Standard European targets included strips of cloth 50 yards long to represent an opposing line of infantry, with the target height being six feet for infantry and eight feet, three inches for cavalry.
Estimations of hit probability at 175 yards could be as high as 75 percent in volley fire. This, however, was without allowances for the gaps between the soldiers in an opposing line, for overly tall targets or the confusing and distracting realities of the battlefield.
Modern testers shooting from rigid rests, using optimum loads and fast priming powder, report groups of circa five inches at fifty yards.[6]
X-ray of a Brown Bess musket recovered by LAMP archaeologists from an American Revolutionary War era shipwreck lost in December 1782.
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, a 62-inch (160 cm) long (without bayonet) and with a 46-inch (120 cm) 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 (110 cm) barrel.
Another version with a 39-inch (99 cm) barrel was first manufactured for the British East India Company, and was eventually adopted by the British Army in 1790 as the India Pattern.
Towards the end of the life of the weapon, there was a change in the system of ignition.
The flintlock mechanism, which was prone to misfiring, especially in wet weather, was replaced by the more reliable percussion cap.
The last flintlock pattern manufactured was selected for conversion to the new system as the Pattern 1839.
A fire at the Tower of London destroyed large stocks of these in 1841, so a new Pattern 1842 musket was manufactured.
These remained in service until the outbreak of the Crimean War when they were replaced by the Minie and the P53 Enfield rifled musket.
| Pattern | Picture | In service | Barrel Length | Overall Length | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Land Pattern |  |
1722–93 standard Infantry Musket 1722–68 (supplemented by Short Land Pattern from 1768) |
46-inch (120 cm) | 62.5-inch (159 cm) | 10.4 pounds (4.7 kg) |
| Short Land Pattern |  |
1740–97 1740 (Dragoons) 1768 (Infantry) standard Infantry Musket 1793–97 |
42-inch (110 cm) | 58.5-inch (149 cm) | 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-inch (99 cm) | 55.25-inch (140.3 cm) | 9.68 pounds (4.39 kg) |
| New Land Pattern |  |
1802–54 Issued only to the Foot Guards and 4th Regiment of Foot |
39-inch (99 cm) | 55.5-inch (141 cm) | 10.06 pounds (4.56 kg) |
| New Light Infantry Land Pattern | The detail differences between this musket and the standard New Land Pattern were a scrolled trigger guard similar to that of the Baker Rifleexcept more rounded, a browned barrel and a notch back-sight, the bayonet lug being used as the fore-sight. | 1811–54 Issued only to the 43rd, 51st, 52nd, 68th, 71st and 85th Light Infantry and the Battalions of the 60th Foot not armed with rifles |
39-inch (99 cm) | 55.5-inch (141 cm) | 10.06 pounds (4.56 kg) |
| Cavalry Carbine |  |
1796–1838 Issued to cavalry units |
26-inch (66 cm) | 42.5-inch (108 cm) | 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-inch (94 cm) | 53.5-inch (136 cm) | 9.00 pounds (4.08 kg) |
|
)
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“Brown Bess” is a nickname of uncertain origin for the British Army‘s muzzle-loading smoothbore Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. This musket was used in the era of the expansion of the British Empire and acquired symbolic importance at least as significant as its physical importance. It was 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 .75 caliberflintlock muskets, were the standard long guns of the British Empire‘s land forces from 1722 until 1838, when they were superseded by a percussion cap smoothbore musket. The British Ordnance System converted many flintlocks into the new percussion system known as the Pattern 1839 Musket. A fire in 1841 at the Tower of Londondestroyed 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 American Colonies were required by law to own arms and ammunition for militia duty.[1] The Long Land Pattern was a common firearm in use by both sides in the American War of Independence.[2]
In 1808 during the age of Napoleon, the United Kingdom subsidised Sweden in various ways as the British anxiously wanted to keep an ally in the Baltic Sea area, among other things deliverances of war material and with those, significant numbers of Brown Bess muskets for use in the Finnish War.[3]
During the Musket Wars (1820s–30s), Māori warriors used Brown Besses, having purchased them from European traders at the time. Some muskets were sold to the Mexican Army, which used them during the Texas Revolution of 1836 and the Mexican-American Warof 1846 to 1848. Brown Besses saw service in the First Opium Warand 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.[4]
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One hypothesis is that the “Brown Bess” was named after Elizabeth I of England, but this lacks support. It is not believed that this name was used contemporaneously with the early Long Pattern Land musket but that the name arose in late years of the 18th century when the Short Pattern and India Pattern were in wide use.
Early uses of the term include the newspaper, 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.
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’s poem most possibly “hits the mark” although he may have based his poem on an earlier but similar “Brown Bess” poem published “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 color or a weapon but to simply refer to a wanton prostitute [or harlot].[5] 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 so far of the term “Brown Bess” was in a 1631 publication, John Done’s “POLYDORON: OR A Mescellania of Mo∣rall, Philosophicall, and Theologicall Sen∣tences.” at Page 152:
Things profferd and easie to come by, diminish them∣selves in reputation & price: for how full of pangs and dotage is a wayling lover, for it may bee some browne bes∣sie? But let a beautie fall a weeping, overpressed with the sicke passion; she favours in our thoughts, something Turnbull.
The Long Land Pattern “Brown Bess” musket was the British infantryman’s basic arm from about 1740 until the 1830s.
From the 17th century to the early years of the 18th century, most nations did not specify standards for military firearms. Firearms were individually procured by officers or regiments as late as 1745, and were often custom-made to the tastes of the purchaser. As the firearm gained ascendancy on the battlefield, this lack of 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 inches (430 mm) triangular cross-section bayonet. The weapon did not have sights, though it could be aimed using the bayonet lug as a crude sight.
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 ramrods were still issued to troops on American service until 1765 and later to loyalist units in the American Revolution. Wooden ramrods were also used in the Dragoon version produced from 1744–71 for Navy and Marine use.
The accuracy of the Brown Bess was fair, as with most other muskets. The effective range is often quoted as 175 yards (160 m), but the Brown Bess was often fired en masse at 50 yards (46 m) to inflict the greatest damage upon the enemy. Military tactics of the period stressed mass volleys and massed bayonet charges, instead of individual marksmanship. The large soft projectile could inflict a great deal of damage when it hit and the great length of the weapon allowed longer reach in bayonet engagements.
As with all similar smooth bore muskets, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the weapon by using musket balls that fit more tightly into the barrel. The black powder would quickly foul the barrel, making it more and more difficult to reload a tighter-fitting round after each shot and increasing the risk of the round jamming in the barrel during loading. Since tactics at the time favoured close range battles and speed over accuracy, smaller and more loosely fitting musket balls were much more commonly used. The Brown Bess had a barrel bore of .75 caliber, and the typical round used was around .69 caliber.
While the looser-fitting musket ball reduced the effective range of a single musketeer firing at a single man-sized target to around 50 yards (46 m) to 75 yards (69 m), the Brown Bess was rarely used in single combat. Since individual soldiers are not aimed for en masse volleys, the effective range of the Brown Bess when fired en masse was easily 100 yards (91 m) or more.
Standard European targets included strips of cloth 50 yards long to represent an opposing line of infantry, with the target height being six feet for infantry and eight feet, three inches for cavalry. Estimations of hit probability at 175 yards could be as high as 75 percent in volley fire. This, however, was without allowances for the gaps between the soldiers in an opposing line, for overly tall targets or the confusing and distracting realities of the battlefield. Modern testers shooting from rigid rests, using optimum loads and fast priming powder, report groups of circa five inches at fifty yards.[6]
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 inches (430 mm) triangular cross-section bayonet. The weapon did not have sights, though it could be aimed using the bayonet lug as a crude sight.
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 ramrods were still issued to troops on American service until 1765 and later to loyalist units in the American Revolution. Wooden ramrods were also used in the Dragoon version produced from 1744–71 for Navy and Marine use.
The accuracy of the Brown Bess was fair, as with most other muskets. The effective range is often quoted as 175 yards (160 m), but the Brown Bess was often fired en masse at 50 yards (46 m) to inflict the greatest damage upon the enemy.
Military tactics of the period stressed mass volleys and massed bayonet charges, instead of individual marksmanship.
The large soft projectile could inflict a great deal of damage when it hit and the great length of the weapon allowed longer reach in bayonet engagements.
As with all similar smooth bore muskets, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the weapon by using musket balls that fit more tightly into the barrel.
The black powder would quickly foul the barrel, making it more and more difficult to reload a tighter-fitting round after each shot and increasing the risk of the round jamming in the barrel during loading.
Since tactics at the time favoured close range battles and speed over accuracy, smaller and more loosely fitting musket balls were much more commonly used.
The Brown Bess had a barrel bore of .75 caliber, and the typical round used was around .69 caliber.
While the looser-fitting musket ball reduced the effective range of a single musketeer firing at a single man-sized target to around 50 yards (46 m) to 75 yards (69 m), the Brown Bess was rarely used in single combat.
Since individual soldiers are not aimed for en masse volleys, the effective range of the Brown Bess when fired en masse was easily 100 yards (91 m) or more.
Standard European targets included strips of cloth 50 yards long to represent an opposing line of infantry, with the target height being six feet for infantry and eight feet, three inches for cavalry. Estimations of hit probability at 175 yards could be as high as 75 percent in volley fire.
This, however, was without allowances for the gaps between the soldiers in an opposing line, for overly tall targets or the confusing and distracting realities of the battlefield.
Modern testers shooting from rigid rests, using optimum loads and fast priming powder, report groups of circa five inches at fifty yards.[6]
X-ray of a Brown Bess musket recovered by LAMP archaeologists from an American Revolutionary War era shipwreck lost in December 1782.
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, a 62-inch (160 cm) long (without bayonet) and with a 46-inch (120 cm) 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 (110 cm) barrel.
Another version with a 39-inch (99 cm) barrel was first manufactured for the British East India Company, and was eventually adopted by the British Army in 1790 as the India Pattern.
Towards the end of the life of the weapon, there was a change in the system of ignition. The flintlock mechanism, which was prone to misfiring, especially in wet weather, was replaced by the more reliable percussion cap.
The last flintlock pattern manufactured was selected for conversion to the new system as the Pattern 1839. A fire at the Tower of London destroyed large stocks of these in 1841, so a new Pattern 1842 musket was manufactured.
These remained in service until the outbreak of the Crimean War when they were replaced by the Minie and the P53 Enfield rifled musket.
| Pattern | Picture | In service | Barrel Length | Overall Length | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Land Pattern | |
1722–93 standard Infantry Musket 1722–68 (supplemented by Short Land Pattern from 1768) |
46-inch (120 cm) | 62.5-inch (159 cm) | 10.4 pounds (4.7 kg) |
| Short Land Pattern | |
1740–97 1740 (Dragoons) 1768 (Infantry) standard Infantry Musket 1793–97 |
42-inch (110 cm) | 58.5-inch (149 cm) | 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-inch (99 cm) | 55.25-inch (140.3 cm) | 9.68 pounds (4.39 kg) |
| New Land Pattern | |
1802–54 Issued only to the Foot Guards and 4th Regiment of Foot |
39-inch (99 cm) | 55.5-inch (141 cm) | 10.06 pounds (4.56 kg) |
| New Light Infantry Land Pattern | The detail differences between this musket and the standard New Land Pattern were a scrolled trigger guard similar to that of the Baker Rifleexcept more rounded, a browned barrel and a notch back-sight, the bayonet lug being used as the fore-sight. | 1811–54 Issued only to the 43rd, 51st, 52nd, 68th, 71st and 85th Light Infantry and the Battalions of the 60th Foot not armed with rifles |
39-inch (99 cm) | 55.5-inch (141 cm) | 10.06 pounds (4.56 kg) |
| Cavalry Carbine | |
1796–1838 Issued to cavalry units |
26-inch (66 cm) | 42.5-inch (108 cm) | 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-inch |
These guys sure did have an issue with bears!
For several Regiments of the British Army. Today is a day of Celebration and feasting. They also put roses in their covers (hats) to symbolise the Victory that their Forefathers won on this day.
Here is their story.
Minden Day is a regimental anniversary celebrated on 1 August by certain units of the British Army. It commemorates the participation of the forerunners of the regiments in the Battle of Minden during the Seven Years’ War on that date in 1759.
The celebration of the day involves the wearing of “Minden Roses” on the regimental head dress, and, in the case of the infantry regiments, the decoration of the regimental colours with garlands of roses. This recalls that the regiments wore wild roses at the battle that they had plucked from the hedgerows as they advanced to engage the enemy.
Minden Day is celebrated by:
The colours of roses varies: red is used by most of the units, but white is favoured by the Light Infantry and red and yellow by the Royal Anglians. In some cases this reflects parts of the regimental recruiting areas: the Light Infantry is associated with part of Yorkshire (represented by a white rose), the Fusiliers with part of historic Lancashire and the Princess of Wales’s area includes Hampshire (both counties having red roses as insignia).
In 1975, August 1 was adopted as Yorkshire Day, partly to reflect the presence of Yorkshire soldiers at the battle.
Minden Day is commemorated in the English folk song Lowlands of Holland, which dates to the time of the Seven Years’ War. Like most English folk songs, the song has numerous variants. One version, which is prevalent in Suffolk, home of 12th Regiment of Foot (1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment), contains the verse:
“My love across the ocean Wears a scarlet coat so fair, With a musket at his shoulder And roses in his hair”.
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The Battle of Minden—or Tho(r)nhausen—was a decisive engagement during the Seven Years’ War, fought on 1 August 1759. An Anglo-German army under the overall command of Field MarshalFerdinand of Brunswick defeated a French army commanded by Marshal of France, Marquis de Contades. Two years previously, the French had launched a successful invasion of Hanover and attempted to impose an unpopular treaty of peace upon the allied nations of Britain, Hanover and Prussia. After a Prussian victory at Rossbach, and under pressure from Frederick the Great and William Pitt, King George II disavowed the treaty. In 1758, the Allies launched a counter-offensive against the French forces and drove them back across the Rhine.
After failing to defeat the French before reinforcements swelled their retreating army, the French launched a fresh offensive, capturing the fortress of Minden on 10 July. Believing Ferdinand’s forces to be over-extended, Contades abandoned his strong positions around the Weser and advanced to meet the Allied forces in battle. The decisive action of the battle came when six regiments of British and two of Hanoverian infantry, in line formation, repelled repeated French cavalry attacks; contrary to all fears that the regiments would be broken. The Allied line advanced in the wake of the failed cavalry attack, sending the French army reeling from the field, ending all French designs upon Hanover for the remainder of the year.
In Britain, the victory was considered to constitute the Annus Mirabilis of 1759.
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The western German-speaking states of Europe had been a major theatre of the Seven Years’ War since 1757, when the French had launched an invasion of Hanover. This culminated in a decisive victory for the French at the Battle of Hastenbeck and the attempted imposition of the Convention of Klosterzeven upon the defeated allies: Hanover, Prussia and Britain.[3] Prussia and Britain refused to ratify the convention and, in 1758, a counter-offensive commanded by Ferdinand saw French forces first driven back across the Rhine, and then beaten at the Battle of Krefeld. The Prussian port of Emden was also recaptured, securing supply from Britain. In fact, the British government, which had previously been opposed to any direct involvement on the continent, took the opportunity of the 1758–59 winter break in fighting to send nine thousand British troops to reinforce Ferdinand.[4] The French crown also sent a reinforcing army, under Contades, hoping this would help to secure a decisive victory, swiftly concluding the costly war, and forcing the Allies to accept the peace terms France was seeking.
In an attempt to defeat the French before their reinforcements arrived, Ferdinand decided to launch a fresh counter-offensive, and quit his winter quarters early. In April, however, Victor-François, Duke de Broglie and the French withstood Ferdinand’s attack at the Battle of Bergen, and de Broglie was promoted to Marshal of France. Ferdinand was forced to retreat northwards in the face of the now reinforced French army. Contades, senior of the two French marshals, resumed the advance, occupying a number of towns and cities including the strategic fortress at Minden, which fell to the French on 10 July.[5] Ferdinand was criticised for his failure to check the French offensive. His celebrated brother-in-law, Frederick the Great, is reported as having suggested that, since his loss at Bergen, Ferdinand had come to believe the French to be invincible.[6] Irrespective of any presumed crisis of confidence, however, Ferdinand did ultimately decide to confront the French, near Minden.
Contades had taken up a strong defensive position along the Weser around Minden, where he had paused to regroup before he continued his advance. He initially resisted the opportunity to abandon this strong position to attack Ferdinand. Ferdinand instead formulated a plan that involved splitting his force into several groups to threaten Contades’ lines of supply. Perceiving Ferdinand’s forces to be over-extended, Contades thought he saw a chance for the desired decisive victory. He ordered his men to abandon their defensive encampments and advance into positions on the plain west of Minden during the night of 31 July and early morning of 1 August.[7]
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The river Weser
In 1759, the fortified city of Minden, now the Innenstadt (inner city) of modern Minden, was situated at the confluence of the Weser, which flows from south to north, and the Bastau, a marshy tributary rivulette. The Bastau drains into the Weser from west to east, roughly parallel with, and south of, the western arm of modern Germany’s Midland Canal, where it crosses the Weser at Minden, north of the Innenstadt via the second largest water bridge in Europe). The Battle of Minden took place on the plain immediately in front of the city and its fortifications, to its northwest, with the Weser and Bastau lying behind the city to its east and south respectively.
On the 31st, the French troops under Contades’ direct command had their positions west of the Weser and south of the Bastau, crossing to the north over five pontoons during the night and early morning of the 1st. The French under the junior marshal, de Broglie, were stationed astride the Weser. Some were occupying Minden on the 31st, while the remainder, stationed east of the Weser, crossed over to join them during the night.
In an exception to the norm for the era, Contades placed his artillery in the centre protected only by the cavalry, with his infantry on either flank. The battle began on the French right flank, where Marshal de Broglie, who commanded the reserve, began an artillery duel against the allied left.
The decisive action of the battle took place in the centre, famously due to a misunderstanding of orders. Friedrich von Spörcken‘s division, composed of the infantry of the British contingent of the allied army (two brigades under Earl Waldegrave and William Kingsley) and supported by the Hanoverian Guards, actually advanced to attack the French cavalry. It is reported that they had been ordered “to advance [up-]on the beating of drums” (i.e., advance when the signal drums begin to beat,) misunderstanding this as “to advance to the beating of drums” (i.e., advance immediately while beating drums.) Since the French cavalry was still in its ranks and the famous ‘hollow square‘ had not yet been developed, it was assumed by all that the six leading British regiments were doomed. Despite being under constant artillery fire, the six regiments (soon supported by two Hanoverian battalions), by maintaining fierce discipline and closed ranks, drove off repeated cavalry charges with musket fire and inflicted serious casualties on the French. Contades reportedly said bitterly, “I have seen what I never thought to be possible—a single line of infantry break through three lines of cavalry, ranked in order of battle, and tumble them to ruin!”[8]
Supported by the well-served British and Hanoverian artillery, the entire allied line eventually advanced against the French army and sent it fleeing from the field. The only French troops capable of mounting any significant resistance were those of de Broglie, who formed a fighting rear guard.
Prince Ferdinand’s army suffered nearly 2,800 men killed and wounded; the French lost about 7,000 men.[2] In the wake of the battle the French retreated southwards to Kassel. The defeat ended the French threat to Hanover for the remainder of that year.
Ferdinand’s cavalry commander, Lieutenant General Lord George Sackville, was accused of ignoring repeated orders to bring up his troopers and charge the enemy until it was too late to make any difference. In order to clear his name he requested a court martial, but the evidence against him was substantial and the court martial declared him “…unfit to serve His Majesty in any capacity whatsoever.” [9] Sackville would later reappear as Lord George Germain and bear a major portion of the blame for the outcome of the American Revolution while Secretary of State for the Colonies.
In Britain the result at Minden was widely celebrated and was seen as part of Britain’s Annus Mirabilis of 1759 also known as the “Year of Victories”, although there was some criticism of Ferdinand for not following up his victory more aggressively. When George II of Great Britain learned of the victory, he awarded Ferdinand £20,000 and the Order of the Garter.[10] Minden further boosted British support for the war on the continent, and the following year a “glorious reinforcement” was sent, swelling the size of the British contingent in Ferdinand’s army.[11]
In France the reaction to the result was severe. The Duc de Choiseul, the French Chief Minister, wrote “I blush when I speak of our army. I simply cannot get it into my head, much less into my heart, that a pack of Hanoverians could defeat the army of the King”. To discover how the defeat had occurred and to establish the general condition of the army, Marshal d’Estrées was sent on a tour of inspection. Marshal de Contades was subsequently relieved of his command and replaced by the Duc de Broglie.[12]
Michel Louis Christophe Roch Gilbert Paulette du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette and colonel aux Grenadiers de France, was killed when he was hit by a cannonball in this battle.[13] La Fayette’s son, Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, was not even two years old at that time. Jean Thurel, the 59-year-old French fusilier, was severely wounded, receiving seven sword slashes, six of them to the head.[14]
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The British regiments which fought at Minden (with the successor British army unit which still uphold their traditions) were:
The descendents of these units are still known as “the Minden Regiments.”
When the British infantry and artillery were first advancing to battle they passed through some German gardens and the soldiers picked roses and stuck them in their coats. In memory of this, each of the Minden regiments marks 1 August as Minden Day. On that day the men of all ranks wear roses in their caps. Royal Anglians, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and the PWRR wear red and yellow roses; the SCOTS wear red; RIFLES wear Yorkshire white roses. From this tradition, and to mark the heroism of the Yorkshiremen who fought, 1 August has been adopted as Yorkshire Day. The R WELSH do not wear roses on Minden Day as the Minden Rose was incorporated into the roundel of the cap badge of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and so is worn every day of the year. Retired members of the Regiment do sport roses in the lapels on Minden Day. Artillery regiments with Minden associations (see below) wear red roses.
This British victory was also recalled in the British Army’s Queen’s Division which maintained the “Minden Band” until its 2006 amalgamation with the “Normandy Band” to form the Band of the Queen’s Division.
Two Batteries from the Royal Regiment of Artillery carry the Minden battle honour. Soldiers from both 12 (Minden) Batteryand 32 (Minden) Battery traditionally wear a red rose in their headdress on 1 August every year, both batteries celebrate Minden Day every year. A proud tradition exists: ‘Once a Minden Man, always a Minden Man.’
Every year from 1967 to 2015, six red roses have been anonymously delivered to the British consulate in Chicago on 1 August. Until they were closed, roses were also delivered to consulates in Kansas City, Minneapolis and St. Louis, starting as early as 1958 in Kansas City. A note that comes with the roses lists the six regiments and says, “They advanced through rose gardens to the battleground and decorated their tricorne hats and grenadier caps with the emblem of England. These regiments celebrate Minden Day still, and all wear roses in their caps on this anniversary in memory of their ancestors.” The Embassy has asked for the name of the sender (on numerous occasions) so that they may thank the individual in person, but the identity of the donor remains a mystery.
