American Revolution - Napoleonic Wars - War of 1812 - Alamo - U.S. Marines
3rd Model (India Pattern) Brown Bess Musket. This lighter and shorter (39-inch barrel) was first developed for the use of the East India Company in 1771. Historians suggest it saw limited use at the end of the American Revolution (original example in the Smithsonian). This musket became the preferred musket of manufacture by the Board of Ordnance for the British Army in 1797. Throughout the Napoleonic Wars nearly 3 million of these muskets were manufactured and distributed to Britain's infantry regiments. Allies against Napoleon like Prussia, Spain and Portugal also received shipments of this musket.
The only change in their manufacture during this period was the switch from a swan-necked cock to a reinforced style in 1809. This 3rd Model Brown Bess offered here was the more common swan-necked style. Aside from being a pound lighter and 3 inch shorter barrel, the main differences from the previous "Short Land" pattern and the India pattern were ones of style (removal of the thumb plate and only three pipes for the ramrod instead of four). Because of the numbers manufactured, this pattern saw use as late as 1850 in the British army and militia.
Surplus brown bess muskets were also sold to the Mexican Army and were used by General Santa Anna's Army at the memorable Battle of the Alamo in 1836. At the surrender of Santa Anna later that year, large quantities of this musket feel into Texan hands. Subsequently, Texan militia put them to good use in the 1840s in the Mexican-American War.
Shores of Tripoli? The hardiness of this Brown Bess also made it popular with the U.S. Marines prior to and during the War of 1812. It's brass hardware was much more suitable for the service on the salty ocean waters than the standard U.S. Springfield Musket.
Further reading on the Brown Bess musket see:
Why was a British Musket called a "Brown Bess"?
From Bright Steel to Brown:The Colour of British Musket Barrels, 1755-1865
How to Mount a Flint on American and British Muskets: A History
