Saturday, February 10. 2007
 Being a Colonial soldier against native insurrectionists who did not know the exacting Rules of European Warfare, such as standing shoulder-to-shoulder in precise targets lines and taking turns at firing group volleys at one another, must have been most unnerving. A single shot in volley took 56 precise steps, usually on the command of a sergeant (who must have needed one of those little wrist things that footfall quarterbacks have today! Imagine if the savages redskins Indians Native Americans indigenous insurrectionists charged when you were laying down your musket at step 51! Read Philbrick’s fabulous Mayflower to see how they barely survived.
 Here are the orders, or words of command, under the 1668 title of "The Compleat Body of the Art Military," laid down for the practice of the manual of arms (i.e. for such as used the muskets).
1. Stand to your arms
2. Take up your bandoleers
3. Put on your bandoleers
4. Take up your match
5. Place your match
6. Take up your rest
7. Put the string of your rest about your left wrist
8. Take up your musket
9. Rest your musket
10. Poise your musket
11. Shoulder your musket
12. Unshoulder your musket and poise
13. Join your rest to the outside of your musket
14. Open your pan
15. Clear your pan 16. Prime your pan
17. Shut your pan
18. Cast off your loose corns
19. Blow off your loose corns and bring about your musket to the left side
20. Trail your rest
21. Balance your musket in your left hand
22. Find out your charge
23. Open your charge
24. Charge with powder
25. Draw forth your scouring stick
26. Turn and shorten him to an inch
27. Charge with bullet
28. Put your scouring stick into your musket
29. Ram home your charge
30. Withdraw your scouring stick
31. Turn and shorten him to a handfull
32. Return your scouring stick
33. Bring forward your musket and rest
34. Join your rest to the outside of your musket
35. Draw forth your match
36. Blow your coal
37. Cock your match
38. Fit your match
39. Guard your pan
40. Blow the ashes from your coal
41. Open your pan
42. Present upon your rest
43. Give fire, breast high
44. Dismount your musket joining the rest to the outside of the musket
45. Uncock and return your match
46. Clear your pan
47. Shut your pan
48. Poise your musket
49. Rest your musket
50. Set your musket off the rest and set the butt end on the ground
51. Lay down your musket
52. Lay down your match
53. Take your rest into your right hand clearing the string from your left wrist
54. Lay down your rest
55. Take off your bandoleers
56. Lay down your bandoleers
Image: Easy to see why the flintlocks replaced the matchlocks: you could eliminate a few firing steps.
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