accuracy of smooth bore muskets

I dont know how many will find this interesting, I did, mostly in the fact that few gun books, magazines or trivial history mentions it. That issue being the accuracy level of revolutionary war muskets. Now I was aware that they were not at all accurate in comparison to any rifled weapon, I did not really realize just how lousy they were.

The first hint I came across this topic, was in a book covering the history of Remington Gun company, which of course is Americas oldest gun maker, and dates back at least too the early 1800s, as I recall.

In the book, where Remington is testing smoothbore muskets, one Army general, allows something to the effect, that “If a man is shot off a horse, at much past 100 yards, its purely an accident of fate” As well, it records some group sizes at closer range, I dont recall them without digging out the book, but lets just say the groups were recorded in feet, instead of inches.

Now considering its a known fact, that a classic Pennsylvania long rifle of that same era, shooting patched round balls, will hit baseballs or better at 100 yards, or better, there is no doubt the Brits had their backside handed too them by early American snipers hiding behind trees. Now of course the rifle was very slow to load in comparison to any of the muskets due to several factors.

Now another place I found data, on just how poor in accuracy of the Brown Bess is in W W Greener’s classic, “The Gun”. Greeners father, (in 1841) reporting on Brown Bess performance, (quote) “.....customary to use a ball two sizes smaller than the bore, wrapped in a loosely fitting patch....thus they were easy to load even when fouled.” Later, detailing actual performance of this musket “.....the immense escape of explosive matter past the ball prevented the possiblity of any velocity worthy of the name being given to the ball, and the range is the most contemptible of of any kind or description of gun I know: 120 yards is the average distance the balls strike the ground when fired horizontally at 5 feet above level”

Now that last sentence, must mean, that they are elevating the muzzle several feet to even get the ball to hit 120 yards out!

What I really found telling, is that the Brit armories were still producing the basic design flint lock found on the Brown Bess, and up into 1842, which is 30 years roughly past the invention of the percussion cap!

We have all heard the old term, “dont fire until you see the whites of their eyes....”
And I am sure most of us have wondered why they fought engagements, all lined up side by side as they did.

I guess the above accounts, explain that old cliche pretty well.