Fire By Volley: European Musketry at War
While musket volley fire was used often during 17th and 18th-century warfare, the methods of delivery of that firepower frequently diverged.
Here's What You Need to Know: While most students of military history are aware of the use of musket volley fire during 17th- and 18th-century warfare, the methods of delivery of that firepower often remain little known or appreciated.
On the snowy field of Mollwitz, Poland, on April 10, 1741, newly installed King Frederick II of Prussia faced a formidable army of Austria. After initiating the War of the Austrian Succession by invading Silesia, Frederick had only recently been installed on the throne. A born military genius, Frederick was still inexperienced this early in his career, and more campaigns and warfare would have to intervene before he earned his sobriquet, Frederick the Great. At Mollwitz, after his cavalry had been totally routed and most of his guns lost, Frederick was persuaded to leave the field as he was facing certain defeat. Prussian Field Marshal Kurt von Schwerin was asked to provide the rear guard for what remained of the army. “Over the bodies of the enemy,” was his reply. The Prussian infantry was silent for a moment, but then advanced, their musket volleys rolling like continuous thunder. Faced by such a spectacle, the Austrian infantry refused to attack and conceded the battle to the Prussians.