Comment on Keep it together, soldier!
SuperEars@lemmy.world 2 days ago
7th grade me asked teacher “Did they shoot at the drummer boys too?” and without hesitating she says “YES!” I’m sure she’s right, but she had a gleeful face which made me think she was happy to answer regardless of its truthfulness.
ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I mean, in the age of muskets and field cannons they didn’t really shoot at anybody in particular since the guns were not very accurate. They probably did try to hit the bagpipe dudes, though.
Notyou@sopuli.xyz 1 day ago
Fun fact. Rifling wasn’t invented until right before the Civil War. That spiraling in a gun barrel helps the bullet keep aim and hit the target. Before that the balls just bounced out of the musket any old way.
That is one of the reasons the Civil War was so bloody. The armies still lined up, but this time the rifles shot straight.
ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Wat. Rifling dates to the 16th Century. It was just prohibitively expensive before the mid-1800s so most troops were equipped with smoothbore muskets.
PyroNeurosis@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 day ago
No? Rifling was around muuuch longer than that, but was primarily for specialized divisions (the Kentucky Long Rifle being a notable example). It was becoming more commonly issued at the outset, but at the time, smoothbore muskets were still pretty widely issued due in part to vast stockpiles and sudden need.
Notyou@sopuli.xyz 1 day ago
I’m not sure what you’re No-ing. Rifling was around longer but the Civil War introduced it as a standard.
historymaking.org/textbook/items/show/275