The Flintlock Musket: Brown Bess and Charleville 1715–1865 (Weapon, 44)

The flintlock musket enjoyed a long service life as a weapon of war. It equipped armies around the world from the European wars of the early 1700's through the conclusion of the American Civil War. The weapon itself was relatively simple to build and use, yet with it, farmers and tradesmen could be turned, with a little training, into deadly infantrymen."The Flintlock Musket" is an Osprey Weapon Series book by Stuart Reid, with illustrations by Steve Noon and Alan Gilliland. Roughly the first third of the book is devoted to a detail technical description of the flintlock and its evolution over time. Another large segment is devoted to the struggle of mainly European armies to develop tactics to best employ the flintlock musket on the battlefield. The last and perhaps best third is a concise history of its use on the battlefield, touching examples in Europe, India, and North America. The text is nicely supported by a collection of photographs, diagrams, and period and modern illustrations. As the author notes, the flintlock musket lasted such a long time because, coupled with a bayonet, it was a highly lethal weapon whose users, whether Highland light infantry, Indian Sepoys, or American farmers, required relatively little training to become effective in battle. Recommended as a highly readable introduction to the topic.

Historical information and great overview of the development of the most fundamental change in military tactics until the machine gun is brought forth and the tank.

Great book!. I wish Mr. Reid had written this volume about 5 years earlier. There is a ton of information here and a lot of history. Consider this review 4 and 1/2 stars. Good for the wargamer and figure modeler interested in the musket era. My faults are minimal. I found the language, at times, flowery and unnecessary for the subject matter. This is not a great novel. I also found the discussion on developing firing methods, platoon firing, etc. confusing, but that may just be me.If you are questioning whether to purchase this volume, you should be able to tell from the title and back cover. This is the weapon that was carried across historically significant battlefields around the world. If you have an interest in the musket era you should be able to tell if it is or it isn't your cup of tea.Thank you, Mr. Reid, for your effort in writing this volume.

It was a good book. Well researched from a historical and strategic point of view. I would have like to see a discussion of terminal ballistics, as well as cartridge making. There wasn't much I learned from this book, having studied this subject extensively for the last thirty years.

Not what I was expecting but an interesting read. Thought it would have specific details about the working of the guns.

This is an excellent book. Be aware it is an overview of the technology, tactics, and history of use.

This book would be much more informative if it were simply retitled something like Military Tactics of the 18th and 19th centuries. The amount of text given to the actual firearm is minimal and I was disappointed in that. I would have preferred to read more about locks, barrels, and ammunition of the flintlock gun than how the military used them. Almost no attention is given to the flintlock in uses such as hunting.

Very informative &detailed.