16055
W. Britain
This soldier is armed with the Long Land pattern or “Brown Bess” musket. Its barrel length was 46 inches but it was found that shortening it did not detract from accuracy and actually made it easier
to handle. There is evidence that some of these musket barrels may have been cut down to 42 inches as early as 1758 for service in North America. This was part of the reforms Lord Howe set about for General James Abercrombie’s army for warfare in North America. Further, in the orderly book of the 42nd RHR, of 28 July 1761, at Staten Island, New York, is found the following statement, “The companies to give in separate returns this evening, of the firelocks only, distinguishing between the sufficient and insufficient, those cut or not cut.”
These 42nd Highlanders are representative of soldiers as they would have appeared in Colonial North America from 1759-1763. They are a great addition to many conflicts from 1750s-1790s.