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French Musketeers on the March. Accuracy score: 7

That is one of the reasons I find Chandler's claim interesting, is he specifically states that it was withdrawn from "first-line" (i.e. not militia, but battlefield ready regulars) by 1708. Unfortunately he does not directly source this rather bold statement with a footnote or endnote (particularly considering the aforementioned 1699 ordinance and the lack of matchlock mentions in contemporary French military manuals), so I think it is fair to say his source has some explaining to do on French WoSS matchlock usage.

Not directly related to the French, but thought it was worth noting that on the next page Chandler mentions in 1704 the 4th of Foot (the 'King's Own') were reporting that their firearms were all of '24 years old,' so were presumably matchlocks. He dates completion of the flintlock transition in Denmark to 1690, native Dutch forces by 1692, and in Habsburg as well as Deutsch forces to 1710.

Right now the ordinances and written statements are our best sources, but battlefield archaeologists have started to do a little research on the war. Among the best of these is at the moment is Campillo 2008's 'An Archaeological Study of Talamanca Battlefield,' which focuses on the Bourbon v Catalan action there in 1714. The funniest part about this study is the sometent irregulars were firing some sort of weird large caliber non-standardized ammunition from their guns, which makes it rather difficult for us archaeologists to figure out what they were firing them from!! :joy:

It has been fun to do a little research on this war; us native North Americans are not taught or exposed to this war at all (despite the fact we were, of course, intricately involved), so it is all new to me. Before these sets came out I had no idea Louis XIV was involved with this era. Thanks for the inspiration! :sunglasses:

French Musketeers on the March. Accuracy score: 7

Thank you, Master Kunz and thebabylonian, for these clarifications. By these, I confirm that apart from the various officers, flag bearers, NCOs and drummers I will not use any of these pikemen and/or musketeers.

On the other hand I expect a lot from the French cavalry.

French Musketeers on the March. Accuracy score: 7

Zouave72
Thank you, Master Kunz and thebabylonian, for these clarifications. By these, I confirm that apart from the various officers, flag bearers, NCOs and drummers I will not use any of these pikemen and/or musketeers.

On the other hand I expect a lot from the French cavalry.
Useful remarks, views and insights - thank you.

I am also expecting much from the forthcoming French cavalry sets. The French cavalry was regarded at the start of the 18th century as the finest in Europe, if not the World. These gentlemen deserve some equally fine and historically accurate sets.

PS: And to Zouave72: Yes my friend, some of us Brits still respect and value the sacrifices made by French troops in 1940, at Dunkirk and elsewhere. Never forgotten.

French Musketeers on the March. Accuracy score: 7

Just got the French fusiliers, grenadiers and marching musketeers. First look at them (and looking at them all via PSR) these French sets do not match the quality of the British sets. The fusilier set is a very good effort, backed up somewhat by the grenadier set, but the marching musketeer set is disappointing. Couple of decent poses where the bayonet hides the length of barrel slightly, but most of the set will be ignored. It's a shame that the care and attention to detail demonstrated with the British sets has not been maintained.

It is Strelets choice and right to do whatever they want. It is their business, their money and their livelihoods and therefore up to them what they produce and do not produce. I am grateful they continue to produce anything at all and continue at such a quick pace. However, it seems odd to produce such obscure, and at best limited accuracy, whilst ignoring the opportunity to cover more basic ideas which would surely prove more popular and be backed up with plenty of historical evidence. The pikemen look fantastic, the drummer and ensign in particular, but will this set's sales cover the cost and effort of making it in the first place if there is very little evidence and justification for it? But it is Strelets choice, and for every success they release, they are entitled to release a dud!

just keep on producing Strelets! I look forward to your next big hit!

French Musketeers on the March. Accuracy score: 7

Some insightful comments and useful information. I cannot accept Chandler's comment unsupported by a primary source reference, when the other references point the other way. I am entirely comfortable with the idea of militia and veterans in fortresses etc having access to rooms full of pikes and matchlocks. What I see no credible evidence for is their use in a WoSS battle, which is rather the point. These weapons may well have existed somewhere in 1708, but that's not the point.

Rather than try to justify the production of these sets, which, to be fair, no one here has attempted, look at it the other way; if Strelets had just made fusiliers and grenadiers for their French infantry, everyone would have been fine with that; you wouldn't have a chorus of people insisting that no French WoSS army could be considered accurate without pikemen and musketeers!

I'll do what I can with these musketeer and pikemen sets, but not in great numbers, because the conversions, where possible, will be a bother and a significant proportion of them will need to be discarded, which is a pity because they are well crafted minis.

Let us hope that this aberration has run its course. There are two excellent cavalry sets to look forward to and I do hope much more WoSS to follow them. Again, I second Minuteman and others on the absolute necessity of French Line Cavalry.

More Fusiliers (with drummers!) would be awfully helpful too!

French Musketeers on the March. Accuracy score: 7

I have received today the marching set: 7 boxes!

The figures are again wonderful sculpted, but I am absolutly disapointed that there are only 2 marching poses of regulars in the set - and unfortunatly 2 with such quite different poses that there can´t combine to a marching column. And the combination with former french marching figures doesn´t fit too, because theirs rilfes/musquets and bags are too different.

I appreciate, yes I enjoy very much Strelets productions, but I can´t understand, what was theirs thinking to produce this set where the marching poses are so marginal - and again the NCOs so over-represented.

The poses of the english were still very well choosen, but the french range turned mad in a wild mixture of different uniforms, arms and poses - and a flood of non-useful NCOs poses with a rarity of drummers.

I hope that Strelets will reflect more its production, set-titles and set-illustrations in the future. Otherwise many buyers will been disapointed that the content of a box aren´t similar to front-image and title - a mistake that happened also with the headgears of the prussian ulans.