Matchlock Lighting Technique

[hthomso]

I was just reading the latest issue of Guns magazine and read an interesting article on the Rifle Shoppe's reproduction of the 1636 Newtowne matchlock musket. A question comes to mind that surely some members of the ML Forum could be able to answer. Back in the day, before phosphorus matches, how did they light the matchcord on the weapon? How could you keep it lighted and ready for action while hunting or in battle? Did they just keep the match lit? If not, how could it be quickly lighted when needed? The article states the match was kept lighted at both ends so if one end went out it could be lighted by the opposite end, but I was curious as to what method was used to light the match while in the field given the absence of a fire.

 

[curator]

Matchlock musketeers carried a match case with one or more slow matches inside. They would light their matchcords in advance and have at least one in "reserve" inside one of these match cases (this is a bit later in time period but the principle is the same):http://www.gggodwin.com/prod-895.htm

 

[Darto]

About that slow match case. It holds a very short length of burning match which is touched to the long match the gunner always holds in hand to relight if it blows out.

I too, am wondering about links to early fire starters. Lots of information on 18th century buckskin stuff, and tons about how the cave men lit fires. But have the true clue how the military gunners actually did light fires in the 1500's and 1600's.

 

[Darto]

'exorcise of arms'

This classic book is available on amazon for under $10 used in many editions. 40 full page pictures step by step manual of arms for using a 1500's caliver and another set of 40 pics for firing a large musket while dragging a forked stick rest. And yet another set of pictures for pike maneuvers.

 

[Musketeer]

I assume they lit their matches with a tinder box of some kind containing flint and steel. Whether they sparked directly to the match or just used them to ignite a constant source of fire from which they then lit their matches I don't know. Great question, though. :hmm:

 

[Bob Riegl]

I saw a reenactment in Hohenfels Germany a few years back and the Matchlock infantry group used a hand full of smoking dried grass with slow match cord wound around the bundles. They passed the smoking bundles between them to light their match cords. Non- historically they also lit their cigars and cigarettes as well......"Doc" :thumbsup:

 

[ChrisPer]

Depending on organisation, there was typically a Master Gunner (maybe like a CSM) who carried a supply of lit fire, a small brazier and match on a linstock. Individuals did not keep matchcord lit all the time; they got it lit from the Master's linstock as they moved into positions for set-piece battles or at the sounding of the alarm.

Naturally, the responsible person had packets of extra-dry tow, punk, fluff or whatever and good reliable flint and steel to light it with, but individuals didn't need to. Remember too that cooks needed wood fires and didnt have safety matches either; as long as a unit was in camp there would be fire available nearby.

 

[Canute Rex]

There is a leftover symbol from that era - the shoulder braid of a corporal. That used to be the spare match cord.

If you look at old illustrations of musketeers with matchlocks you'll notice that they look like mountain climbers with coils of rope over their shoulders. They tended to carry a lot of match into battle.

I start my match by stuffing a small piece of char cloth into the fuzz at the end of the cord and striking a spark into it with flint and steel. I can get it glowing nicely in less than a minute.

 

[Canute Rex]

I'll have to contradict Curator (sorry) on the matter of that brass match case. That type of case was an accoutrement for grenadiers, used by them to light the fuses on hand grenades. The use of grenades fell out of favor later in the 18th century and it became merely a symbol.

Musketeers, in every account I have come across, carried two lit ends of the match in the left hand, in between the pinky, ring and middle fingers. You can see this illustrated in the old manuals. I have done this myself while running a primitive biathlon with my matchlock and it works well.

Aside from having a spare, there is the advantage of having a fresh end after reloading. The flash of the prime tends to splay out the end of the match. What you want is a neat pointed cone of glowing match, not a "dandelion" end.