[trigger happy]

The musket was of .75 caliber, smoothbore design, and weighed about 10 lbs. Soldiers were drilled constantly on formation firing and tactical movement, but only fired several times per year. The effectiveness of the musket was not impressive. Major George Hanger, who fought in the American Revolution, described it thusly:

"A soldier's musket, if not exceedingly ill-bored... will strike the figure of a man at eighty yards; it may even at 100; but a soldier must be very unfortunate indeed who shall be wounded...at 150 yards, provided his antagonist aims at him..."

The British soldier was expected to fire one shot upon command every fifteen seconds, although one every twenty to thirty seconds would be more realistic. Formation firing was designed to simply unleash a volume of projectiles in hopes of inflicting some casualties, but the 14-inch bayonet was the true determining factor on the battlefield. Robert Jackson, one-time inspector-general of army hospitals during the Revolution, wrote:

"Such explosions may intimidate by their noise: it is mere chance if they destroy by their impression... History furnishes proof that the battle is rarely gained by the scientific use of the musket: noise intimidates; platoon firing strikes only at random; the charge with the bayonet decides the question..."

Ammunition came in the form of rolled paper cartridges containing six or eight drams of powder, and a one ounce lead ball. Each end was sealed with pack thread. On loading, the rear end was bitten off and a priming charge of powder placed in the pan. The remaining powder was poured in the muzzle followed by the ball. The paper was then packed down by the ramrod as wadding. When fired an intense amount of smoke engulfed the firer.