Cuthbertson’s System for a Battalion of Infantry
Compiled by Joe Wagner
As a new reenactor learns the use and care of their musket, they likely hear many stories and advice passed down from reenactor to reenactor. The use of leather verses lead grips for our flints, the protection of the lock and use of frizzen covers, relieving the mainspring when on the rack, and the history of other tools and devices we acquire to care for our weapon, are all subject to various opinions on the authenticity and value of each.
What we need is a truly authentic view from the ground level of soldierly operations. The original and authentic source of information on how the original musketman cared for his weapon – the British Brown Bess.
Enter Cuthbertson’s System for the Complete Interior Management and Economy of a Battalion of Infantry – New Edition with Corrections, printed by Rouths and Nelson, Bristol, England, in 1776.