"Black Russian Muskets" Topic

In 'Armies of the Napoleonic Wars' edited by Chris McNab, published by Osprey, there is an illustration of a Russian Grenadier c.1805 carrying a 1796-pattern musket. The accompanying text says that the stock of these weapons was usually painted black. Another illustration shows a grenadier c.1812 carrying an unpainted 1808-pattern musket. So was it just the earlier model musket that was painted and was it common practice throughout the Russian army or was it only the grenadiers that had black muskets?

Thanks for any help you can give

I just looked through a Russian text with colored copies of the Viskovatov infantry plates from the Alexander I reign. ALL of the stocks are brown. I will see if I can find something else and report back.

That's an Osprey compilation, is it not? I believe the original plate and comments are from Laurence Spring's "Russian Grenadiers and Infantry, 1799-1815":

link

Oddly, no less a commentator than Charles Dickens wrote the same thing about Russian muskets in the Crimea.

I assume that Spring, who has translated Viskovatov, has a credible source. I confess that I have never seen a Russian musket with black paint: in the collections in St. Petersburg, in Smolensk, in Tula, or in my books on the gun factories of Tula.

But then, it's often repeated that British muskets prior to the Brown Bess (Long Land Pattern) were also painted black or red, and I've not seen one in the Pattern Room or the Royal Armouries. But then one probably wouldn't have a "pattern" weapon painted; it would impede inspection of contract work.

"Oh-oh Black Betty, bam-a-lam…"

Allen

The Osprey book on the Russian army in the Crimea mentions black painted muskets and has a photo of one.

That ones's from Paris, and Thomas describes it as a "black wood stock". I'm not sure it's painted, but it could be.

Allen

I know Laurence very well. He is/was the leader of the Russian Army Study Group.

I cannot answer the question directly, but Russian muskets regularly turn up at antique arms auctions in the UK, normally dating from the 1830s and 1840s. Some of these are completely devoid of original finish on the wood, as is the case with many antique muskets, having been cleaned by their more recent owners.

Many, however, retain traces of black paint, which was perhaps applied during their service life. I remember one particularly good example being described by the auctioneers, who specialise in antique arms, as "retaining most of its original black-painted finish". Unfortunately I cannot find the catalogue at the moment, but some post-Napoleonic Russian muskets were certainly painted black at some time in their life.

As an aside, British Cavalry often painted their steel scabbards Black, on campaign, to help prevent rust.

John

"I know Laurence very well. He is/was the leader of the Russian Army Study Group."

Still is, is he not? (I haven't seen an issue of "The Kiwer" in a very long time.) That's why I assume that he has a credible source.

I do not question the practice. It irritates me that as many weapons I've seen in collections, I've never encountered an example. I guess I should hang around auction houses more…

Allen

Thanks for all the replies guys. It sounds like the jury is still out on this one. However, I think I may well paint up a battalion of Russian infantry with black muskets just to make them look a bit different.

@aecurtis

I hadn''t heard of the British painting their muskets black or red prior to the Brown Bess. If it did happen I wonder what colour red they used? Funnily enough, I have also got some Seven Years War British grenadiers on my painting table and whilst part of me is quite taken with the idea of giving them red muskets I'm worried that they might end up looking like they just marched out of Toy Town.

"Then their muskets are long, awkward, unwieldy things, the stocks made of deal, painted black. They have no "halfcock," and their locks are so stiff as almost to require both hands to lift the hammer. The greater part of the muskets and rifles found were marked 1854, so in that branch of home manufacture they have made little progress."

Dickens, editor, "The Household narrative of current events …", September 1855 issue, p. 205:

link

The words do not appear to be those of Dickens. The exposition is preceeded by "Many incidents of the battle are related by the newspaper correspondents. The following are among the most remarkable."

True, just as "Household Words" (to which the "Household Narrative" was appended) contained contributions from nearly four hundred often unattributed writers and correspondents. But Dickens served as editor-in-chief, and vetted every submission, frequently re-writing them entirely.

I do not doubt that particular portion was *not* based on Dickens' first-hand observations!

Allen

Crimean period: "…these were painted black as a cheap and none reflective finish …."

The Musee de l'Armee (Paris) has a model 1854 musket that is black.

SJ Donovan wrote:

"I hadn''t heard of the British painting their muskets black or red prior to the Brown Bess. If it did happen I wonder what colour red they used?"

SJ,

Although I have seen a Sea Service musket with traces of red-brown paint on the stock, I think that British muskets, if coloured at all, would have normally been stained rather than painted. Alkanet root was traditionally used to give a reddish tinge to musket stocks.

Bennett Cuthbertson's 1768 "A System for the Compleat Interior Management and Oeconomy of a Battalion of Infantry" mentions musket stocks:

"The stock must be brought to as clear a* polish as the nature of the wood will possibly allow, a little beeswax, joined to the labour of the soldier to rub it on, will soon accomplish a point, which, if excecuted with due attention through the whole, will produce a most pleasing effect, in the appearance of a battalion under arms."

and in a footnote:

*"By going to some little expence, it will not be difficult to bring the stocks of the firelocks to one uniform colour, by staining them either black, red or yellow, and then by laying on a varnish, to preserve them always in a glossy, shining condition."

To represent this, I would add a hint of red, yellow or black paint to your musket stock colour. Don't paint the stocks scarlet :-)

Thanks Major Snort,

Sounds like I should stick to the chestnut colour I generally use.

Dear SJD
In 1796, Tsar Paul came to the throne and he wanted to bring everything that Frederick the Great did especially the army. It was the practice of the Prussian Army of that time to stain their stocks black. They were not painted.

Stephen

Thanks Stephen,

Do you happen to know when the Prussians started and ended this practice? Should my SYW and Jena campaign Prussians have black musket stocks as well?

Dear SJDonovan
This practice goes back to at least Frederick the Great's father. Remember that it was stained black so would look like old cresote in colour. Black with a hint of brown or very dark brown.

Currently writing a book on the Seven Years War Austrian Army which should be finished for Spring next year. So far about 250 colour illustrations mainly from contemporary sources.

The other book is on the Russian Artillery 1795-1815. The scale plans are taking a great deal of time to draw.

Some day I might finish my books on the Prussians. Alas there seems to be little call for them.
Stephen

Thanks Stephen,

I shall start going for a very dark brown/black for my Prussian and Russian muskets from now on.

Dear SJDonovan
The Seven Years War Prussians should have the dark brown/black muskets and this practice persisted into 1806. Old stocks of the M1786 musket would be so stained. The later muskets and the foreign muskets were not.

So the muskets produced in Russia from 1796-1801 would have stained black stocks but this was not the case when Alexander I came to the throne. The Russians would still be using old stocks even into 1812.

Is that clearer now. Sorry for the confusion.

Stephen

According to Constantin Kling, Infanterie, p. 88, note 6, the black colour for the Prussian musket stocks was generally (with a few exceptions) introduced only after the Seven Years War. Before, most regiments had them in red or red-brown.

Between 1806 and 1810, the colour seems to have been changed to brown / dark brown, see for example Wolf & Jügel:

link

The two authors not to say authorities to be thoroughfully studied before writing anything about uniforms and equipment of the Prussian army before 1806, are Kling and Bleckwenn.

I agree with Oliver Schmidt that in the 7YW most Prussian muskets would show natural wood colour – as contemporary pictures show.

The post-1808 Prussian fusilier battalions did retain the black staining on the musket woodwork, as did the fusiliers and schutzen pre-1808, I believe; prior to that, I suspect it was possibly a regimental thing. I think also that we should not take "black" too literally, and that it was a bit like "black" horses often being very dark brown.

There are accounts of British troops having black-stained woodwork during the Williamite Wars and early WSS. I seem to recall the Michale Barthrop book on British Infantry 1660-1914 had illustrations of this, and it might also be mentioned in CCCP Lawson's work (memory may be faulty on that last one).

> The post-1808 Prussian fusilier battalions did retain
> the black staining on the musket woodwork

Can you tell me the source for this ?

Here some – contemporary – Füsiliere with brown stockings:

picture

picture

picture

Of course, also Wolf's and Jügel's plates sometimes contain minor erros.

Stocks that were stained would surely offer more surviving examples than those that are painted, surely?

If Supercilius Maximus is correct, and "black staining" means simply staining a lighter hardwood (such as beech; see Hollins's "Austrian Grenadiers and Infantry 1788-1816", notes on Plate A) to resemble darker walnut, then is what we are seeing as "normal" dark brown actually "stained black"?

Allen

The blackened Russian muskets that I have seen have been painted, not stained. The remaining finished surface is opaque but the lighter-coloured wood shows through where this finish has been worn off.

For those who have a copy, there is a photograph of a similar looking Prussian musket on p192 of the Waterloo Companion. This looks to have been painted black at some time and the sharp contrast between finished and worn areas can be clearly seen. The Baker Rifle in the same photograph also looks to have a very dark finish, but appears more typical of that created by 200 years worth of oil, wax and grime.

Without a primary reference confirming that the muskets were painted black when issued, it is very difficult to be sure when this coating was applied, but from those Russian muskets I have seen (from the 1830s and 40s), I would guess that it was original.

A little off topic … but …

"Some day I might finish my books on the Prussians. Alas there seems to be little call for them.
Stephen"

I'd like to put out 'a call' for them! 8O)

Salute
von Peter himself
web.mac.com/nataliendpeter

Oliver,

I have no problem with conceding that you may be right. My source, however, was David Nash's "Almark" book on the Prussian Army of 1808-15; a relatively old work now, it must be said (early 1970s), but I'm not aware of any major errors in it. I no longer have it, but I do recall a c.1820 plate showing a Line infantry fusilier holding a musket with a black stock, and he refers to this specifically in the text, IIRC.

I notice that your three examples are all Guard units – I wonder if they did things differently from the Line? Or perhaps the plates were done after new weapons were issued, but before the staining was done? Or perhaps the artist didn't spot the difference between the fusilier and grenadier muskets (I did think the figures in the first link had darker stocks than the others). All three of the above caveats are just speculation/interpretation on my part, you may well have more solid info.

I checked in Nash (who is a typical example for in many details inaccurate English writers on the Prussian army – still better than nothing, of course).

You are right, on p. 37 he notes the "blackened" fusilier's musket. On another reprodcuton of the fusilier, I have got, the musket looks dark brown, not black, to me.

The coloured plates are not, as Nash states on p. 4, "from a series of prints, commissioned by the Prussian War Ministry in 1843", but published first in 1846 by a private publishing house, Sachse & Co. The artist's name is Edmund Rabe.

The only description of how to make stain for Prussians muskets which I coud find is from 1830: v. Bagensky & Klaatsch, Das Neu-Preußische Infanterie-Gewehr. It doesn't make a difference between muskets for musketeers or fusileers, the stain (called "Eisenschwärze") is black on the basis of iron.

So I can't disprove Nash, but still believe he is wrong.

I wonder if eisenschwarze is what is also known as aqua fortis used on flintlocks in early America and elsewhere. It is basically iron disolved in vinegar or something similarly acidic. It gradually darkens the wood to a very dark brown/black. It can be neutralized when you achieve a color you like, but my understanding is that the wood will gradually continue to darken over time. If some of the existing Russian muskets were treated this way they may appear much darker now than they did at the time.

The detailed procedure to stain the wood – in, beware, 1830 – is given as:

1° Boil small pieces of Lignum Brasilianum (Brasilienholz or – if it is already in splints – Braunspan, its colour is dark-red, sometimes also yellowish-brown) in water and cover the wood twice with the hot liquid.

2° Before it has dried completely, cover it up to three times with Eisenschwärze, but wait with the new layer until the old one has dried. The Eisenschwärze consists of vinegar or old beer, in which old iron has lied for a long time.

3° Smoothen the surface with a tooth or piece of steel, and wipe it with oil.