TheCivilWar’ssingle-shot,muzzle-loadingmusketrevolutionizedwarfare-orsowe’vebeentoldforyears.NotedhistorianEarlJ.Hessforcefullychallengesthatclaim,offeringanew,clear-eyed,andconvincingassessmentoftheriflemusket’sactualperformanceonthebattlefieldanditsimpactonthecourseoftheCivilWar.Manycontemporarieswereimpressedwiththenewweapon’sincreasedrangeof500yards,comparedtothesmoothboremusket’srangeof100yards,andassumedthattheriflewasamajorfactorinprolongingtheCivilWar.Historianshavealsoassumedthattheweapondramaticallyincreasedcasualtyrates,madedecisivevictoriesrare,andrelegatedcavalryandartillerytofarlesserrolesthantheyplayedinsmoothborebattles.Hesspresentsacompletelynewassessmentoftheriflemusket,contendingthatitsimpactwasmuchmorelimitedthanpreviouslysupposedandwasconfinedprimarilytomarginaloperationssuchasskirmishingandsniping.Hearguesfurtherthatitspotentialtoalterbattlelineoperationswasvirtuallynullifiedbyinadequatetraining,soldiers’preferenceforshort-rangefiring,andthedifficultyofseeingtheenemyatadistance.Henotesthatbulletsfiredfromthenewmusketfollowedaparabolictrajectoryunlikethosefiredfromsmoothbores;atmid-range,thoserifleballsflewwellabovetheenemy,creatingtwokillingzonesbetweenwhichtroopscouldoperateuntouched.HealsopresentsthemostcompletediscussiontodateofthedevelopmentofskirmishingandsnipingintheCivilWar.Drawingupontheobservationsandreflectionsofthesoldiersthemselves,HessoffersthemostcompellingargumentyetmaderegardingtheactualuseoftheriflemusketanditsinfluenceonCivilWarcombat.Engaginglywrittenandmeticulouslyresearched,hisbookwillbeofspecialinteresttoCivilWarscholars,buffs,re-enactors,andgunenthusiastsalike.
CLEAR COMBAT SSINGLE clear-eyed RE
