MusketeerA musketeer (French: mousquetaire) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare from the mid 15th to mid 19th centuries, particularly in Europe, where they normally comprised the majority of their infantry after 1600. The musketeer was a precursor to the rifleman. Muskets were replaced by breech loading rifles as the almost universal firearm for modern armies during the period 1850 to 1870.
Line (formation)The line formation was a standard tactical formation which was used in early modern warfare. It continued the phalanx formation or shield wall of infantry armed with polearms in use during antiquity and the Middle Ages. The line formation provided the best frontage for volley fire, while sacrificing maneuverability and defence against cavalry.
Military tacticsMilitary tactics encompasses the art of organizing and employing fighting forces on or near the battlefield. They involve the application of four battlefield functions which are closely related – kinetic or firepower, mobility, protection or security, and shock action. Tactics are a separate function from command and control and logistics.
InfantryInfantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadly encompasses a wide variety of subspecialties, including light infantry, irregular infantry, heavy infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry, mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and naval infantry.
Pike (weapon)A pike is a long thrusting spear formerly used in European warfare from the Late Middle Ages and most of the early modern period, and wielded by foot soldiers deployed in pike square formation, until it was largely replaced by bayonet-equipped muskets. The pike was particularly well known as the primary weapon of Spanish tercios, Swiss mercenaries, German Landsknecht units and French sans-culottes.
TercioA tercio (pronounced [ˈteɾθjo], Spanish for '[a] third') was a military administrative unit of the Spanish Army during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain and Habsburg Spain in the early modern period. They were the elite military units of the Spanish monarchy and essential pieces of the powerful land forces of the Spanish Empire, sometimes also fighting along with the navy.
MatchlockA matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of flammable cord or twine that is in contact with the gunpowder through a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with their finger. This firing mechanism was an improvement over the hand cannon, which lacked a trigger and required the musketeer or an assistant to apply a match directly to the gunpowder by hand.
Frederick the GreatFrederick II (German: Friedrich II.; 24 January 1712 – 17 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled King in Prussia, declaring himself King of Prussia after annexing Royal Prussia from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772.
Maurice, Prince of OrangeMaurice of Orange (Dutch: Maurits van Oranje; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was stadtholder of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic—except Friesland—from 1585 until his death. Prior to inheriting the title Prince of Orange from his elder half-brother, Philip William, in 1618, he was known as Maurice of Nassau (Dutch: Maurits van Nassau). Born in Dillenburg, Nassau, Maurice was educated at the Heidelberg University and the University of Leiden.
Napoleonic Wars1803–1815 series of wars led by NapoleonBelligerentsCoalition forces: United Kingdom Habsburg monarchy Holy Roman Empire HanoverLiechtensteinand others... Austria Hungary Russia PrussiaSpainPortugalSwedenand others...
American Civil War1861–1865 conflict in the United StatesBelligerentsUnited States Confederate StatesCommanders and leadersAbraham Lincoln XUlysses S. GrantAndrew Johnsonand others...Jefferson Davis (POW)Robert E. Lee and others...Strength698,000 at peak2,200,000 total360,000 at peak750,000–1,000,000 totalCasualties and losses110,000+ KIA or DOW230,000+ died from accidents or disease25,000–30,000 died in Confederate prisons365,000+ total dead282,000+ wounded181,193 captured828,000+ total casu…
BreechloaderA breechloader is a firearm or artillery piece in which the user loads the ammunition from the breech (rear) end of the barrel. The vast majority of modern firearms are breechloaders. Before the mid-19th century, most guns were muzzleloaders, guns loaded from the muzzle (front) end of the barrel.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.