History_of_War_43_2017

Frontline
BLADES & GUNS
The bloody business of early 19th-century warfare spawned a range
of weaponry, most of which were common across all nations
THE CARBINE
This was a versatile weapon, which found employment
with all of the armies in the Napoleonic period. Shorter
than the musket (much shorter in the case of some
British and Austrian models), it was often issued to
light cavalry to aid in skirmishing duties, such as with
the flankers in Russian hussar regiments and French
chasseurs à cheval.
✪ THE FURNITURE
Made of brass, the carbine’s furniture was
usually on a smaller scale than that of a regular
musket, but otherwise identical. Some models
employed pistol furniture.
✪ THE STOCK
The stock would often be
thinner – and therefore
lighter – than those found on
regular muskets, making this
a handier weapon for light
cavalry and skirmishers.
Right: The carbine was originally
a regular musket with a cut-down
barrel. Later developments saw a
smaller calibre size adopted, with
varying barrel lengths, as short
as 16 inches in some cases
Left: The Baker rifle was an
incredibly accurate weapon
✪ THE BARREL
The relative shortness of the
carbine barrel made the weapon
lighter and easier to handle, but
also impacted negatively on range
and accuracy (few were rifled). The
French tended to opt for longer
carbine models, frequently giving
them an advantage.
✪ THE RAMROD
Thanks to its smaller size, the
carbine could theoretically
be loaded and fired while
on horseback, but it was
standard practice to dismount
to engage the enemy.
“IT PACKED A FEARSOME PUNCH
WHEN IT FOUND ITS TARGET, THE
SOFT LEAD BALLS FLATTENING
ON IMPACT TO INFLICT
SERIOUS WOUNDS”
Right: The most famous rifle of the era, the British
Baker Rifle, shared characteristics (including a
shortened barrel) with most models of the time
THE RIFLE
The best marksmen in each Russian light
infantry company (as well as a portion of men
in a heavy cavalry squadron) would be
equipped with rifles, the improved
accuracy of which was down to the
grooves carved inside the barrel.
The same rifling made the
weapon slower to load than
a musket, and
rendered riflemen
vulnerable
once they
had fired.
THE MUSKET
The most common Napoleonic
weapon, the humble musket was
slow to load and famously inaccurate,
requiring a lengthy process to be
fired in volleys. However, it packed
a fearsome punch when it found its
target, the soft lead balls flattening on
impact to inflict serious wounds.
Left: The French Musket Model 1777 replaced
the earlier Charleville (many of which were sent
to America during the War of Independence)
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