Muskets were horribly inaccurate, so instead they would shoot together and send a wall of musket balls flying at the enemy. The idea of lining up like this to shoot at the enemy may seem silly at first, but it made some sense. Fighting in lines like this is called "linear tactics." Then, while the first row was reloading, the second row would fire and so on. The first row would fire and then start to reload. Then each row would fire a volley at the enemy in unison. They would approach the enemy to get within a range of 50 yards. The soldiers would form rows of long lines. Soldiers often carried knives or small hatchets, but these were rarely used in major battles.īoth sides used similar tactics in fighting a battle. Cavalry (soldiers on horseback) used pistols and sabers to fight with as they were easier to use while riding a horse.
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Rifles were more accurate than muskets, but took a lot longer time to load. Rifles were also used during the Revolutionary War. Sometimes cannons were fired strait at a line of approaching enemy troops tearing right through them and stopping their charge. Cannons were effective in destroying fortifications or sinking ships. They fired solid shells, exploding shells, and grapeshot.
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Cannons could be made somewhat mobile when they were mounted on large wheels. British soldiers were especially skilled fighters with the bayonet.īoth sides used a variety of artillery (large guns) during the war. The bayonet turned the musket into a spear that could be used to charge and gore an enemy. A bayonet was a sharp pointed metal blade around 17 inches long. At the end of the musket most soldiers had a bayonet attached.