The matchlock was invented around 1430 and made the gun much easier to handle. The main differences between the device of the new weapon were as follows: the predecessor of the modern trigger arose - the serpentine lever located on the stock of the gun, with the help of the serpentine the wick was activated, which freed the shooter's hand. The seed hole was moved to the side so that the wick no longer covered the target. On later models of matchlock guns, the serpentine was equipped with a latch and a spring holding it, a powder shelf for seeding appeared, which later became closed, there was also a variant of matchlock guns, in which the trigger was replaced with a trigger button. The main disadvantage of wick guns was their relatively low resistance to moisture and wind, a gust of which could blow off the seed, besides, the shooter had to constantly have access to open fire, and besides, the smoldering soot left after the shot in the barrel bore threatened with instant ignition of the charged gunpowder. Thus, loading a matchlock gun from a powder flask big amount gunpowder became quite dangerous, and therefore, in order to protect the shooters from serious burns, bandoliers were introduced, equipped with containers containing a smaller amount of black powder than before - exactly as much as needed to make a shot.

The appearance of the first muskets

A musket is a long-barreled matchlock gun. This first mass-produced infantry firearm appeared before anyone else among the Spaniards. according to one version, muskets in this form initially appeared around 1521, and already in the battle of Pavia in 1525 they were used quite widely. The main reason for its appearance was that by the 16th century, even in the infantry, they became massive plate armor, which of the lighter coulevrin and arquebus (in Rus' - "squeakers") did not always make their way. The armor itself also became stronger, so that arquebus bullets of 18-22 grams, fired from relatively short barrels, were ineffective when firing at an armored target.

Matchlock musket and everything needed to load and fire it

Thanks to the manufacture of granular gunpowder, it became possible to make long barrels. In addition, granular gunpowder burned more densely and evenly. The caliber of the musket was 18-25 mm, the weight of the bullet was 50-55 grams, the barrel length was about 65 calibers, the muzzle velocity was 400-500 m / s. The musket had a long barrel (up to 150 cm) and a short butt with a cutout for thumb in the neck. The total length of the weapon reached 180 cm, so a stand was placed under the barrel - a buffet table. Musket weight reached 7-9 kg.
Due to the high recoil, the butt of the musket was not pressed to the shoulder, but was kept on weight, only leaning against it with the cheek for aiming. The recoil of the musket was such that only a physically strong, well-built person could withstand it, while the musketeers still tried to use various devices to soften the blow to the shoulder - for example, they wore special stuffed pads on it.

Loading was carried out from the muzzle of the barrel from the charge, which was a wooden case with a dose of gunpowder measured for one shot. These charges were hung on the shoulder harness of the shooter. In addition, there was a small powder flask - natruska, from which fine powder was poured onto the seed shelf. The bullet was taken out of a leather bag and loaded through the barrel with a ramrod.
The charge was ignited by a smoldering wick, which was pressed against the shelf with gunpowder by the trigger. Initially, the descent was in the form of a long lever under the butt, but from the beginning of the 17th century. he took the form of a short trigger.
It took an average of two minutes to recharge. True, already at the beginning of the 17th century there were virtuoso shooters who managed to make several aimless shots per minute. In battle, such high-speed shooting was ineffective, and even dangerous due to the abundance and complexity of loading the musket: for example, sometimes the shooter in a hurry forgot to pull the ramrod out of the barrel, as a result of which he flew away in the direction of enemy battle formations, and the unlucky musketeer was left without ammunition. In the worst case, in case of careless loading of the musket (an excessively large charge of gunpowder, a loose fit of a bullet on gunpowder, loading with two bullets or two powder charges, and so on), barrel ruptures were not uncommon, leading to injury to the shooter and others. In practice, the musketeers fired much less frequently than the rate of fire of their weapons allowed, in accordance with the situation on the battlefield and without wasting ammunition, since with such a rate of fire there was usually no chance of a second shot at the same target.

Matchlock musket

The low rate of fire of this weapon forced the musketeers to line up in rectangular squares up to 10-12 rows deep. Each row, having fired a volley, went back, the next rows came forward, and the rear rows were reloaded at that time.
The firing range reached 150-250 m. But even at such a distance, hitting individual targets, especially moving ones, from a primitive smooth-bore musket, devoid of sights, was impossible, which is why the musketeers fired in volleys, providing a high density of fire.

Improving matchlock muskets

Meanwhile, in the 17th century, the gradual withering away of armor, as well as general change the nature of hostilities (increased mobility, widespread use of artillery) and the principles of manning troops (gradual transition to mass recruit armies) led to the fact that the size, weight and power of the musket eventually began to be felt as clearly redundant.

In the 17th century lightened up to 5 kg muskets with a rifle stock appeared, which were pressed against the shoulder when fired. In the 16th century, the musketeer was supposed to have an assistant for carrying a bipod and ammunition, in the 17th century, with some relief from the infantry musket and a decrease in the caliber and length of the barrel, the need for assistants disappeared, then the use of bipods was also canceled.
In Russia, muskets appeared at the beginning of the 17th century during the creation of "foreign regiments" - the first regular army, formed on the model of European musketeer and Reiter (cavalry) regiments and, before Peter I, existed in parallel with archery army armed with squeakers. The muskets in service with the Russian army had a caliber of 18-20 mm and weighed about 7 kg. At the end of the 17th century, for use in hand-to-hand combat (which still remained the decisive type of infantry and cavalry combat), a baguette was attached to the musket - a cleaver with a wide blade and a handle inserted into the muzzle. An attached baguinet could act as a bayonet (the name "baguinet" or "bayonet" remained behind bayonets in various languages), however, it did not allow firing and was inserted into the barrel immediately before the shooters entered into hand-to-hand combat, which significantly increased the time between the last volley and the ability to act with a musket as a melee weapon. Therefore, in the musketeer regiments, part of the soldiers (pikemen) were armed with long-armed weapons and engaged in hand-to-hand combat while the arrows (musketeers) adjoined the baguettes. In addition, with a heavy musket it was inconvenient to deliver long stabbing attacks, which were necessary in a battle with a mounted enemy, and when attacking a cavalry, pikemen provided the shooters with protection from saber attacks and the ability to shoot point-blank at the cavalry.
In the second half of the XVII century. this type of weapon throughout Europe is gradually being replaced by military rifles (fuzei) with a flintlock.

Characteristics:
Weapon length: 1400 - 1900 cm;
Barrel length: 1000 - 1500 cm;
Weapon weight: 5 -10 kg;
Caliber: 18 - 25 mm;
Firing range: 150 - 250 m;
Bullet speed: 400 - 550 m/s.

Story

Initially under musket understood the heaviest variety of manual firearms, designed primarily to defeat armor-protected targets. According to one version, the musket in this form originally appeared in Spain around 1521. The main reason for its appearance was that by the 16th century, even in the infantry, plate armor had become widespread, which did not always break through from lighter culverins and arquebuses (in Rus' - “squeakers”). The armor itself also became stronger, so that arquebus bullets of 18-22 grams, fired from relatively short barrels, turned out to be ineffective when firing at an armored target. This required an increase in caliber to 22 or more millimeters, with a bullet weight of up to 50-55 grams. In addition, muskets owe their appearance to the invention of granular gunpowder, which dramatically facilitated the loading of long-barreled weapons and burned more completely and evenly, as well as the improvement in technology, which made it possible to produce long, but relatively light barrels. best quality, including Damascus steel.

The length of the musket barrel, usually faceted, could reach 65 calibers, that is, about 1400 mm, while the muzzle velocity of the bullet was 400-500 m / s, which made it possible to defeat even a well-armored enemy at long distances - musket bullets pierced steel cuirasses at distances up to 200 meters. At the same time, the aiming range was small, about 40-45 meters for an individual live target - but the lack of accuracy was compensated by maintaining salvo fire. As a result, by the beginning of the 16th century, the musket had practically replaced the arquebus in the armament system of the European infantry. Also, muskets were very fond of sailors for their ability to pierce a two-inch wooden ship's bulwark at short distances.

Combat use

The musket of the 16th-17th centuries was very heavy (7-9 kg) and, in fact, was a semi-stationary weapon - it was usually fired from an emphasis in the form of a special stand, bipod, reed (the use of the latter option is not recognized by all researchers), the walls of the fortress or sides of the ship. Bigger and heavier muskets out hand weapons there were only fortress guns, the fire of which was already fired exclusively from a fork on the fortress wall or a special hook (hook). To weaken the recoil, the arrows sometimes put a leather pillow on the right shoulder or wore a special steel armor. Locks were in the 16th century - wick or wheel, in the 17th - sometimes flintlock, but most often wick. In Asia, there were also analogues of the musket, such as the Central Asian multuk.

The musket was reloaded on average for about one and a half to two minutes. True, already at the beginning of the 17th century there were virtuoso shooters who managed to fire several non-aimed shots per minute, but in battle such shooting at speed was usually impractical, and even dangerous due to the abundance and complexity of musket loading techniques: for example, sometimes the shooter in a hurry forgot pull the ramrod out of the barrel, as a result of which he flew away towards the enemy battle formations, and the unlucky musketeer was left without ammunition. In practice, the musketeers fired much less frequently than the rate of fire of their weapons allowed, in accordance with the situation on the battlefield and without wasting ammunition, since with such a rate of fire there was usually no chance of a second shot at the same target. For example, in the battle of Kissingen (1636) for 8 hours of battle, the musketeers fired only 7 volleys. But their volleys sometimes decided the outcome of the entire battle: killing a man-at-arms from 200 meters, even at 500-600 m, a musket bullet retained sufficient lethal force to inflict wounds, which at the then level of medicine were often fatal. Of course, at such a distance, hitting individual targets, especially moving ones, from a primitive smooth-bore musket, devoid of sights, was impossible; that is why the musketeers fired in volleys. Other reasons for this were the desire to inflict maximum damage on a fast moving group target (cavalry unit) for a very a short time, which he is in the sector of fire, as well as, last but not least, a strong psychological impact organized volley fire at the enemy.

For comparison, one archer fired up to ten arrows accurately in two minutes. The experienced archer of the musketeer also excelled in accuracy of shooting: it is mentioned, in particular, that under ideal conditions, out of 20 arrows fired at 100 yards (91 m), 16 hit the target, while the musket in the same conditions at best had only 12 hits out of 20. Meanwhile, when firing from bows, it was considered a very good result if at least one out of a hundred fired arrows hit a target protected by plate armor, since an arrow could only pierce it if it hit at a certain angle, preferably in the softest area of ​​​​the plate with a heat treatment defect (armor steel was very heterogeneous in carbon content and hardened with “spots”) or at their junction, the probability of which was small. A heavy musket bullet almost did not ricochet, besides, it did not get stuck in shields, it was impossible to defend against it with freely hanging panels of fabric in which arrows got stuck. The crossbow was also usually inferior to the musket in terms of penetrating power, and heavy siege crossbows with a mechanical cocking did not exceed it in rate of fire either. Both the bow and the crossbow were already firing for a hundred meters along a hinged trajectory, while the musket, with its relatively high initial speed bullets made it possible to shoot direct fire, which made it easier to take corrections and significantly increased the likelihood of hitting a group target in a salvo in constantly changing battle conditions. Archers and crossbowmen could show amazing accuracy in competition, firing at a target located at a predetermined distance, but when shooting at a moving target, even the most experienced of them experienced difficulties due to the low speed of projectiles thrown by these weapons. This also made it difficult to shoot accurately in windy weather (in fairness, it is worth noting that it was not very convenient to load a musket in a strong wind, and in the rain it was practically useless; mounted shooting from bows and crossbows was sometimes useful for hitting a target located behind a relief fold or other obstacle). In addition, the musket shooter spent much less energy during the battle than the archer or crossbowman, so the requirements for his physical fitness were significantly lower (to conduct more or less intense fire from a crossbow, good general physical fitness is required, and for an archer - even and special, since successful archery requires good development of specific muscle groups, achieved only by many years of training).

Transition to guns

Meanwhile, in the 17th century, the gradual withering away of armor, as well as a general change in the nature of hostilities (increased mobility, widespread use of artillery) and the principles of recruiting troops (gradual transition to mass recruit armies) led to the fact that the mass and power of the musket began to be felt over time. as clearly redundant. Already at the beginning of the 17th century, the Swedish king Gustav Adolf ordered that the musket be significantly lightened - up to about 6 kilograms, as a result of which the stand became redundant; Swedish musketeers fired from their hands, which significantly increased the mobility of their battle formations. By the end of the XVII - early XVIII centuries, muskets began to be replaced with lighter weapons weighing about 5 kg and caliber 19-20 millimeters or less, first in France, and then in other states. At the same time, flintlocks began to be massively used, more reliable and easy to use than the old matchlocks, and bayonets - first in the form of a baguette inserted into the barrel bore, later put on the barrel, with a tube. All this together made it possible to equip the entire infantry with firearms, excluding the previously necessary pikemen from its composition - if necessary, the Fusiliers engaged in hand-to-hand combat using guns with a dressed bayonet, which acted in the manner of a short spear (with a musket it would be very difficult due to its weight) . At the same time, at first, muskets continued to be in service with individual soldiers as a heavier variety of handguns, as well as on ships, but later they were finally supplanted in these roles.

In Russia, this new type of lightweight weapon was first called fusee- from fr. fusil, apparently through the Polish. fuzja, and then, in the middle of the 18th century, it was renamed into gun .

Meanwhile, in some countries, in particular - in England with colonies, including the future USA - in the transition from muskets to guns there was no change in terminology; the new lightweight weapons were still called muskets. Thus, in relation to this period, English. muscle corresponds to the Russian concept "gun", since it denoted this particular type of weapon, - by that time, real muskets in the original sense had not been made for a long time; whereas for the 16th-17th centuries, the term “musket” would still be its correct translation. The same name was later transferred to muzzle-loading shotguns with a primer lock.

Moreover, even the all-army rifled weapons that appeared in the middle of the 19th century, which in Russia until 1856 were called "screw guns", and later - "rifles", in the official English language originally denoted by the phrase "rifled musket"(English) rifled muscle, see also ). This is exactly the case, for example, in the United States during civil war called mass-produced army muzzle-loading rifles such as the Springfield M1855 and Pattern 1853 Enfield. This was due to the fact that before that the infantry was armed with two types of weapons - relatively long guns - "muskets" (musket), faster-firing, suitable for hand-to-hand combat, and shorter for easy loading of the rifle (rifle), which shot much more accurately, but had a very low rate of fire due to the need to “drive” the bullet into the barrel, overcoming the resistance of rifling, and were also of little use for hand-to-hand combat. After the advent of special bullets, such as the Minier bullet, as well as the development of technology, it became possible to combine positive traits former guns-"muskets" (rate of fire, suitability for hand-to-hand combat) and rifles (combat accuracy) and equip all infantry with them; this sample was originally called the "rifled musket" (more precisely, rifled muscle literally can even be translated as "rifle musket" or "rifle musket"). final word muscle disappeared from the active vocabulary of the British and American military only with the transition to breech-loading rifles.

It should also be remembered that in the Italian official military terminology "musket" - moschetto- called a weapon corresponding to the Russian term "carbine", that is, a shortened version of a gun or rifle. For example, the Carcano carbine was in service as Moschetto mod. 1891, and the Beretta M1938 submachine gun - as Moschetto Automatic Beretta Mod. 1938, that is, literally, "Beretta automatic musket mod. 1938"(the correct translation in this case is "automatic carbine", "automatic").

In the word musket for many, romance is heard. Duels, the honor of a beautiful lady, incredible adventures. All this comes from childhood, when battles between the "king's musketeers" and the "cardinal's guardsmen" were still being held in the courtyards. Today, all this is in the past and muskets are primarily of historical value, but once muzzle-loading guns were the latest weapons, through which the outcomes of battles were decided and even the course of history turned.

According to most historians, the first muskets began to be made in Spain in the early 20s of the 16th century. The use of muzzle-loading guns at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 is documented, during which a Spanish corps of 3,000 men defeated an 8,000-strong French army, consisting mainly of knights. What was the beginning of the end of the power of knightly orders in Europe.

By by and large knightly ammunition and became the reason for the appearance of muskets. By the beginning of the 16th century, plate armor appeared even among infantrymen, who were good protection from arquebus (squeakers).

The increase in the destructive power of muzzle-loading weapons also led to an increase in its mass. During the XVI-XVII centuries. muskets weighed about 9 kg, and the barrel length could reach one and a half meters. The muzzle velocity of the bullet ranged from 400-500 m/s. Shooting from such heavy weapons was carried out from the stop, as a rule, a special stand was used for this, as well as the sides of the ship or the walls of the fortress.

The rate of fire depended on the agility of the musketeer, how quickly he would have time to fill up the gunpowder, insert a bullet with a wad into the muzzle and set fire to the fuse. On average, this took 1.5-2 minutes, but there are cases when soldiers fired several shots per minute, however, one cannot even speak of accuracy with such a rate of fire. Yes, and did not require such a rate of fire. For example, it is known for certain that in the battle of Kissingen in 1636, during the battle, which lasted as much as 8 hours, the musketeers fired only seven volleys. Such intensity, by modern standards, is comparable only to air raids. The comparison is quite correct, since a shot from a musket pierced infantry armor at a distance of 200 meters, and the striking force was 500 meters at all, for the 16th century a real superweapon.

A general change in the tactics of warfare required, over time, a new small arms. In addition, the armor was gradually becoming a thing of the past.

The first modernized muskets appeared in the Netherlands at the end of the 16th century. And in 1624, the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus signed a decree on the production of new-style muskets with a barrel length of 115-118 cm, they weighed about 6 kg. After another hundred years, the muskets already weighed 5 kg with a caliber of 19-20 mm. At the same time, bayonets and silicon locks began to appear, which were much more effective than matchlocks. Well, the last "battlefield" of muskets was the Austro-Prussian campaign of 1866, after which there was a final transition to guns and cartridges loaded from the treasury.

Muskets are growing in popularity these days. And it happens - this is not so much at the expense of collectors and connoisseurs who see in weapons mostly a work of art. More and more men who are passionate about weapons want to test themselves in the place of a medieval musketeer. Today, several companies produce muskets. Of course, they differ significantly from their prototypes in terms of the quality of aiming and lethal force, but the principle of their work is absolutely the same and they are performed in a skillful “antique” manner.

To a large extent, the growth in popularity of muzzle-loading weapons is facilitated by simplicity in design. Since the weapon is historical, no documents are required to purchase it.

Of course, even rare weapons require compliance with security measures. It must be stored in hard-to-reach places, in a dry place, for muzzle-loading weapons - this is especially important.

For shooting it is necessary to use smoke powder (GOST 1028-79), the use of smokeless powder can lead to injury to the shooter.

In order to properly load the musket, first you need to put the trigger on the safety platoon. Then remove the grease inside the barrel. Then, pointing the barrel in a safe direction, put the primer on the brand pipe, cock the trigger and fire. Repeat several times, to dry the hole of the brand pipe and the barrel from the inside, with the flame of the primer. After making sure that the trigger is in the neutral position, powder should be poured from the dispenser (it will be useful to make sure that it is smoky). Then oiled wad, put on the muzzle and push the bullet into the muzzle. It remains, using a ramrod, to lower the bullet until it is in full contact with the gunpowder. It is important that there is no empty space between the bullet and the powder, and strong pressure with the ramrod should be avoided. It is best to make three marks on the ramrod that will measure the correct levels: gunpowder, wad and bullets.

The "kingdom" of muzzle-loading weapons lasted for several centuries, it is not surprising that they are in great demand among various historical clubs for reconstructions that are gaining more and more followers and fans.

For many, this will be a revelation, but muskets are increasingly seen in the hands of modern hunters. New technologies and materials have turned muskets into good weapon with a high-quality sight and firing range, and probably there is something musketeer in this too - only one shot if there is no miss on the second attempt, because - by the time you reload the gun, the prey will be far away.

Famous video blogger and satisfied owner of a flintlock musket Mish Ganshared with us video reviews on shooting and maintenance of the musket.

Probably, there is no such person who has not heard the word musket at least once, and even the word “musketeers” derived from this weapon, and even more so. By the way, this word has introduced historical confusion into the ranks of mankind. Thanks to the writer Dumas and his musketeers, mankind has taken root in the delusion that France is considered the birthplace of muskets, but it was not the French who invented this firearm at all, although later they put their hand to the musket in terms of its improvement.

How did the first muskets appear?

In the middle of the 16th century, a firearm called the arquebus appeared, which can be considered the progenitor of the classic musket. For some time, the arquebus was considered a formidable weapon, but it soon became clear that the arquebus was an unreliable weapon. The bullets fired from the arquebus due to their low weight (no more than 20 grams), as well as their modest caliber, were powerless against enemy chain mail and armor, and it was a long matter to charge the arquebus. It was necessary to invent new, more effective firearms.

And such a weapon was invented. History assures that the first long-barreled gun with a wick-lock, later called a musket, appeared in Spain. History has preserved the name of the gunsmith who invented the musket. This is someone Mokketo, who lived in Spanish city Veletra.

The first musket had a long barrel - up to 150 cm. Due to the long barrel, the caliber of the musket also increased. The new gun was able to fire new charges with more gunpowder, which allowed the bullet to fly further and with greater speed, resulting in a bullet with more stopping power. Such a bullet could no longer be stopped by chain mail with armor.

The first samples of muskets were quite heavy (up to 9 kg), and therefore it was difficult to carry them with oneself - muskets were fired from pre-prepared positions. And still, shooting from them was not an easy task: when firing, the musket had a strong recoil, and charging required time and skill. Armed with muskets, the soldiers of the European armies (first of all, Spain, Germany and France - as the most powerful powers of the Middle Ages) represented a formidable force.

How to load a musket

Each of us, probably, saw in the films exactly how muskets were loaded. It was a long, complicated and tedious procedure:

  1. The musket was loaded through the muzzle;
  2. Gunpowder was poured into the barrel in the amount necessary for a shot (according to the shooter). However, in order not to make a mistake in the dose of gunpowder during the battle, the powder doses were measured in advance and packed in special bags called chargers. These same chargers were attached to the shooter's belt during firing;
  3. First, coarse-grained gunpowder was poured into the barrel;
  4. Then finer gunpowder, which ignited faster;
  5. With the help of a ramrod, the shooter pushed the bullet into the table;
  6. The charge was pressed against a constantly smoldering wick;
  7. The ignited gunpowder threw a bullet out of the barrel.

It was believed that if the entire charging procedure is no more than two minutes, then this is wonderful. In this case, it became possible to fire a volley first, which was often a guarantee of victory in the battle.

Features of combat with muskets

A warrior armed with a musket was called a musketeer. A bullet fired from a musket could win a battle, which, in general, happened. When firing from muskets in one gulp, it was possible to lay down a whole line of the enemy at a distance of up to 200 meters. The weight of musket bullets could be 60 grams. Musket bullets knocked out armored knights from their saddles.

Still, firing a musket was no easy task. It took a long time to load the musket. The recoil when firing was such that it could knock the shooter off his feet. To protect themselves, the shooters put on special helmets, and also tied a special pillow to their shoulders. Due to the complexity of shooting, there were two people with the musket: one loaded the weapon, the other fired, and the loader supported it so that the shooter would not fall.

In order to be able to shoot muskets faster, the armies of many countries came up with various tricks. One of these tricks, which history has preserved, was as follows. Musketeers lined up in a square, consisting of several lines. While the first rank fired, the rest loaded their muskets. Having fired, the first line gave way to another, with loaded guns, and that - to the third, fourth, and so on. Thus, musket fire could be carried out constantly.

In the 16th century, during the battle, it was musket shooting that was the decisive condition for victory. Often the side that first managed to fire a volley at the enemy won. If the first volley did not give a decisive result, then there was no time to shoot again from the musket - everything was decided in close combat.

Double-barreled musket: the history of its appearance

In order to get out of the situation, it was necessary to somehow increase the rate of fire of the musket. However, rapid firing of matchlock muskets was impossible. The matchlock musket, by virtue of its design, simply could not fire quickly. It was necessary to invent some new musket, from which it would be possible to shoot faster.

The double-barreled musket was invented. The advantage of a double-barreled musket over a single-barreled one was obvious: instead of one shot, it could fire two, that is, shoot twice as fast. It was a kind of weapons revolution, but for unknown reasons, the double-barreled musket in the infantry units of the European powers could not take root. By the way, it is the double-barreled musket that is the progenitor of our hunting rifle - continuity through the centuries.

Pirate musket - the prototype of the modern pistol

But the double-barreled musket, like the single-barreled one, aroused the interest of the pirates of the 16th century. In subsequent centuries, up to the 19th century, when muskets were replaced by more advanced weapons, and the pirates themselves for the most part sunk into historical oblivion, pirate enthusiasm about this did not decrease at all. It was the pirates who, in the first place, had a hand in improving muskets and contributing to the appearance of the first pistols.

Unlike the army, the "knights of fortune" were the first to fully appreciate what a firearm is and what an advantage it gives to those who own it and know how to handle it. Heavy musket bullets could easily put a merchant ship out of action, as a result of which it became an easy prey for filibusters. In addition, in hand-to-hand combat, a pirate armed with a musket was a very formidable combat unit.

To make it more convenient to shoot from a musket and carry it with you, the pirates thought about improving it. Most of all, the French sea robbers succeeded in this. They were the first to think of making the musket barrel shorter, reducing its size and caliber, and equipping the weapon with a pistol grip. The result was an easy-to-handle musket, which became the forerunner of modern pistols and revolvers.

Separate versions of the shortened musket were nicknamed by the pirates as musketons. They differed from ordinary muskets in their shortened appearance, as well as the extension at the end of the barrel. Blunderbuss could fire shot and hit several opponents at once. In addition, the blunderbusses had a very loud sound when fired, which produced a frightening psychological effect on the enemy. By the way, not only pirates, but also peaceful ships of that time were equipped with muskets and musketons to suppress mutinies on ships.

Further improvement of the musket

Meanwhile, the authorities of the leading European powers did not doze off either. Their master gunsmiths also thought about improving the musket. Several European powers at once achieved impressive results in this matter.

The Dutch succeeded first. Their craftsmen designed lighter muskets. The troops armed with such muskets were more mobile, and it became easier to shoot from the muskets themselves. In addition, the Dutch improved the barrel of the musket by making soft steel musket barrels. As a result, musket barrels no longer burst when fired.

German craftsmen also made a significant contribution to the improvement of the musket. They improved the firing mechanism of the musket. Instead of the wick method of firing, the flint method appeared. The flintlock gun, which replaced the matchlock, was a revolution in the development of weapons in medieval Europe. The lever in the wick mechanism was replaced by a trigger, when pressed, the spring with flint was released, the flint hit the flint, as a result of which a spark was struck and ignited the gunpowder, which, in turn, ejected the bullet from the barrel. It was much easier to shoot from a flintlock gun than from a matchlock.

The French were not far behind. First, they changed the stock of the musket: it became longer and flatter. Secondly, they were the first to equip muskets with bayonets, as a result of which muskets could be used as melee weapons. Thirdly, they adapted a battery lock to the gun. Thus, the French musket turned into the most advanced firearm at that time. As a result, the flintlock gun replaced the matchlock. In fact, it was French flintlock muskets that Napoleon's army was armed with, as well as the Russian army that opposed it.

The main parts of the musket until the very end of its existence remained unchanged. Some individual details different time was modified, but the principle of operation itself did not change. This applies to such parts as the stock, stock, working mechanism.

Musket as part of history and culture

By and large, it was with the musket that the development and improvement of small arms all over the world began. On the one hand, the musket gave rise to guns, rifles, carbines, machine guns and machine guns, and on the other hand, to short-barreled weapons like pistols and revolvers. That is why these ancient weapons exhibits are part of history.

On the other hand, muskets are a cultural and collectible value. The presence of an old model of weapons can be the pride of a true amateur collector. In addition, some samples are decorated with precious metals and stones, which further increases their cultural significance.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Musket(from fr. Mousquet, more likely - from him. Muskete listen)) is a type of ancient handgun. The specific meaning of this term may vary depending on the historical period and the peculiarities of national terminology.

Story

Initially under musket understood the heaviest type of hand weapon, designed mainly to defeat armored targets. According to one version, the musket in this form originally appeared in Spain around 1521, and already in the Battle of Pavia in 1525 they were used quite widely. The main reason for its appearance was that by the 16th century, even in the infantry, plate armor had become widespread, which did not always break through from lighter culverins and arquebuses (in Rus' - “squeakers”). The armor itself also became stronger, so that arquebus bullets of 18-22 grams, fired from relatively short barrels, were ineffective when firing at an armored target. This required an increase in caliber to 22 or more millimeters, with a bullet weight of up to 50-55 grams. In addition, muskets owe their appearance to the invention of granular gunpowder, which dramatically facilitated the loading of long-barreled weapons and burned more completely and evenly, as well as the improvement in technology, which made it possible to produce long, but relatively light barrels of better quality, including Damascus steel.

The length of the musket barrel, usually faceted, could reach 65 calibers, that is, about 1400 mm, while the muzzle velocity of the bullet was 400-500 m / s, which made it possible to defeat even a well-armored enemy at long distances - musket bullets pierced steel cuirasses at distances up to 200 meters. At the same time, the aiming range was small, about 50 meters for an individual live target - but the lack of accuracy was compensated by salvo fire. As a result, by the beginning of the 17th century, the musket had practically supplanted the arquebus in the armament system of the European infantry. Also, muskets were very fond of sailors for their ability to pierce a two-inch wooden ship's bulwark at short distances.

Combat use

The musket of the 16th-17th centuries was very heavy (7-9 kg) and, in fact, was a semi-stationary weapon - it was usually fired from an emphasis in the form of a special stand, bipod, reed (the use of the latter option is not recognized by all researchers), the walls of the fortress or sides of the ship. Larger and heavier than muskets from hand weapons were only fortress guns, the fire from which was already fired exclusively from a fork on the fortress wall or a special hook (hook). To weaken the recoil, the arrows sometimes put a leather pillow on the right shoulder or wore a special steel armor. Locks were in the 16th century - wick or wheel, in the 17th - sometimes flintlocks, but most often wick. In Asia, there were also analogues of the musket, such as the Central Asian multuk.

The musket was reloaded on average for about one and a half to two minutes. True, already at the beginning of the 17th century there were virtuoso shooters who managed to fire several non-aimed shots per minute, but in battle such shooting at speed was usually impractical and even dangerous due to the abundance and complexity of methods for loading a musket, which included about three dozen separate operations, each of which it was necessary to carry out with great care, constantly monitoring the smoldering wick located near the flammable gunpowder. For example, sometimes the shooter in a hurry forgot to pull the ramrod out of the barrel, as a result of which, at best, he flew away towards the enemy battle formations, and the unlucky musketeer was left without ammunition. In the worst case, when the musket was carelessly loaded (the ramrod was left in the barrel, an excessively large charge of gunpowder, loose fit of a bullet on gunpowder, loading with two bullets or two powder charges, and so on), barrel ruptures were not uncommon, leading to injury to the shooter himself and those around him. . It was difficult to accurately measure the charge in battle, so special bandoliers were invented, each of which contained a pre-measured amount of gunpowder per shot. Usually they were hung on the uniform, and in some images of musketeers they are clearly visible. It was only at the end of the 17th century that a paper cartridge that increased the rate of fire was invented - a soldier tore the shell of such a cartridge with his teeth, poured a small amount of gunpowder onto the seed shelf, and poured the rest of the gunpowder along with the bullet into the barrel and tamped it with a ramrod and wad.

In practice, musketeers usually fired much less frequently than the rate of fire of their weapons allowed, in accordance with the situation on the battlefield and without wasting ammunition, since with such a rate of fire there was usually no chance of a second shot at the same target. Only when approaching the enemy or repelling an attack was the opportunity to make as many volleys as possible in his direction appreciated. For example, in the battle of Kissingen (1636) for 8 hours of battle, the musketeers fired only 7 volleys.

But their volleys sometimes decided the outcome of the entire battle: killing a man-at-arms from 200 meters, even at a distance of 500-600 m, a bullet fired from a musket retained sufficient lethal force to inflict wounds, which, at the level of development of medicine at that time, often turned out to be fatal. Of course, in the latter case, we are talking about accidental hits of "stray" bullets - in practice, the musketeers fired from a much shorter distance, usually within 300 steps (about the same 200 m). However, even at such a distance, confident hits on an individual target, especially a moving one, from a primitive smooth-bore musket, devoid of sights, were impossible: even modern smooth-bore guns are capable of providing effective range bullet firing of the order of 50-75 m, only in some cases - up to 100 m. That is why the musketeers were forced to fire in volleys, compensating for low accuracy with the amount of metal released into the air. Other reasons for this were the desire to inflict maximum damage on a fast-moving group target (cavalry detachment) in the very short time that it is in the firing sector, and also, not least, the strong psychological impact of organized volley fire on the enemy.

For comparison, one archer fired up to ten arrows accurately in two minutes (however, in the case of both a crossbow and a firearm, the low rate of fire of a single shooter was largely compensated by the use of multi-line formations, caracoling). The experienced archer of the musketeer also excelled in accuracy of shooting: it is mentioned, in particular, that under ideal conditions, out of 20 arrows fired at 100 yards (91 m), 16 hit the target, while the musket in the same conditions at best had only 12 hits out of 20. Meanwhile, when firing from bows, it was considered a very good result if at least one out of a hundred fired arrows hit a target protected by plate armor, since an arrow could only pierce it by chance, hitting at a certain angle, preferably in the softest area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe plate with a defect in heat treatment (armor steel was very heterogeneous in carbon content and hardened with “spots”) or in their unprotected joint, the likelihood of which was low, especially in the case of late armor, in which all joints were well covered. A heavy musket bullet practically did not ricochet, did not get stuck in shields, and it was impossible to defend against it with freely hanging panels of fabric that stopped arrows. damaging effect on living target soft, capable of flattening in the wound channel and effectively transferring its energy to its tissues, a large-caliber lead bullet was incomparably stronger than a relatively slowly flying pointed arrow. Moreover, attempts to increase the lethality of arrows by increasing the width of the tip almost completely deprived them of their penetrating ability, making them suitable only for hitting an enemy not protected by armor, while the bullet combined a high lethality against a live target and a stopping effect with high armor penetration. The crossbow was also usually inferior to the musket in terms of penetration and lethality, and heavy siege crossbows with a mechanical platoon did not exceed it in rate of fire either.

Both the bow and the crossbow were already firing along a hinged trajectory for a hundred meters, while the musket, with its relatively high initial bullet speed, made it possible to shoot direct fire (in fact, precisely in relation to firearms, aimed shooting at modern sense words), which made it easier to take corrections and significantly increased the likelihood of hitting a group target in a salvo in constantly changing combat conditions. Archers and crossbowmen could show amazing accuracy in competitions, firing specially prepared arrows at a target located at a predetermined distance, but when shooting at field conditions on a moving target, even the most experienced of them experienced difficulties due to the low speed of projectiles thrown by these weapons, especially when, instead of a relatively small supply of their arrows, they began to use mass-produced ammunition from the general convoy. Is the same low speed arrows also made it difficult to shoot accurately in windy weather (in fairness it should be noted that loading a musket in strong winds was not very convenient, and in the rain it was practically useless; mounted shooting from bows and crossbows was sometimes useful for hitting a target located behind relief fold, low wall or other obstacle). In addition, the musket shooter spent much less energy during the battle than the archer or crossbowman, so the requirements for his physical fitness were significantly lower, and he could fire for much longer without rest breaks. To conduct more or less intense fire from a crossbow, good general physical preparation is required, and for an archer it is also special, since successful archery requires good development of specific muscle groups, which can only be achieved by many years of training. These requirements made the creation of massive armies of archers from recruits impossible, while soldiers without special physical training could fire from a musket.

Transition to guns

Meanwhile, in the 17th century, the gradual withering away of armor, as well as a general change in the nature of hostilities (increased mobility, widespread use of artillery) and the principles of recruiting troops (gradual transition to mass recruit armies) led to the fact that the size, weight and power of the musket over time began to be felt as clearly redundant. The appearance of light muskets is often associated with the innovations of the Swedish king and one of the great commanders of the 17th century, Gustav II Adolf. However, in fairness it should be noted that most of the innovations attributed to him are borrowed from the Netherlands. There, during the long war between the United Provinces and Spain, Stadtholder Moritz of Orange and his cousins ​​John of Nassau-Siegen and Wilhelm-Ludwig of Nassau-Dillenburg fundamentally changed military system, having made a military revolution . So, John of Nassau-Siegen wrote back in 1596 that without heavy muskets, soldiers would be able to move forward faster, it would be easier for them to retreat, and in a hurry they would be able to shoot without a bipod. Already in February 1599, the weight of the musket was reduced by the Dutch charter and amounted to approximately 6-6.5 kg. Now, such muskets could be fired if necessary without bipods, but this was still a rather cumbersome process. It is often claimed that it was the Swedish king who finally abolished bipods in the 1630s, but records in the Swedish arsenals of that time indicate that he personally placed an order for the production of bipods for muskets from the Dutch entrepreneur Louis de Geer who moved to Sweden as early as 1631. Moreover, their mass production continued even after the death of the king, until 1655, and the bipod was officially abolished in Sweden only in the 1690s - much later than in most European countries.

Later, already in 1624, the Swedish king Gustav Adolf by his decree ordered the production of new matchlock muskets, which had a barrel of 115-118 cm and a total length of about 156 cm. These muskets, which were produced until 1630 in Sweden, weighed approximately 6 kilograms, which indicates that they were still not very comfortable, and the long barrel similar to the old ones did not greatly increase their effectiveness when shooting. Lighter and more comfortable muskets were produced around the same year 1630 in the German city of Suhl, which was achieved by shortening the barrel. Such a musket had a barrel of 102 cm, a total length of about 140 cm and a weight of about 4.5-4.7 kg. . They initially fell into the hands of the Swedes, most likely after the capture of the German arsenals. In May 1632 in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, only a few Swedish soldiers were seen carrying such Suhl muskets without bipods.

By the end of the 17th - the beginning of the 18th century, muskets began to be massively replaced with lighter weapons weighing about 5 kg and a caliber of 19-20 millimeters or less, first in France, and then in other states. At the same time, flintlocks began to be massively used, more reliable and easy to use than the old matchlocks, and bayonets - first in the form of a baguette inserted into the barrel bore, later put on the barrel, with a tube. All this together made it possible to arm the entire infantry with firearms, excluding the previously necessary pikemen from its composition - if necessary, the Fusiliers engaged in hand-to-hand combat using guns with a bayonet on, which acted in the manner of a short spear (with a musket this would be very difficult due to its weight) . At the same time, at first, muskets continued to be in service with individual soldiers as a heavier variety of handguns, as well as on ships, but later they were finally supplanted in these roles.

In Russia, this new type of lightweight weapon was first called fusee- from fr. fusil, apparently through the Polish. fuzja, and then, in the middle of the 18th century, it was renamed into gun. Meanwhile, in some countries, in particular - in England with colonies, including the future USA - in the transition from muskets to guns there was no change in terminology; the new lightweight weapons were still called muskets. Thus, in relation to this period, English. muscle corresponds to the Russian concept "gun", since it denoted this particular type of weapon, - by that time, real muskets in the original sense had not been made for a long time; whereas for the 16th-17th centuries, the term “musket” would still be its correct translation. The same name was later transferred to muzzle-loading shotguns with a primer lock.

Moreover, even the all-army rifled weapons that appeared in the middle of the 19th century, which in Russia until 1856 were called "screw guns", and later - "rifles", in official English were originally denoted by the phrase "rifled musket" (eng. rifled muscle). That is how, for example, in the United States during the Civil War they called mass army muzzle-loading rifles, such as the Springfield M1855 and Pattern 1853 Enfield. This was due to the fact that before that the infantry was armed with two types of weapons - relatively long guns - "muskets" (musket), faster-firing, suitable for hand-to-hand combat, and shorter for ease of loading a rifle (rifle; in Russia they were called fittings), which shot much more accurately, but had a very low rate of fire due to the need to “drive” a bullet into the barrel, overcoming the resistance of rifling, were of little use for hand-to-hand combat, and also cost several times more than smoothbore guns. After the advent of special bullets, such as the Minié bullet, and the development of mass production technologies, it became possible in one mass weapon to combine the positive qualities of the former "musket" guns (rate of fire, suitability for hand-to-hand combat) and rifles (combat accuracy) and arm them with all infantry; this sample was originally called the "rifled musket." final word muscle disappeared from the active dictionary of the English and American military only with the transition to breech-loading rifles, in relation to which a more easily pronounceable word was finally "legalized" rifle.

It should also be remembered that in the Italian official military terminology "musket" - moschetto- called a weapon corresponding to the Russian term "carbine", that is, a shortened version of a gun or rifle. For example, the Carcano carbine was in service as Moschetto mod. 1891, and the Beretta M1938 submachine gun - as Moschetto Automatic Beretta Mod. 1938, that is, literally, "Beretta automatic musket mod. 1938"(the correct translation in this case is "automatic carbine", "automatic").

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  • during the Civil War in England - loading and shooting.

An excerpt characterizing the Musket

"Dinner, it's dinner time!" Here come the gypsies! - Indeed, with their gypsy accent, some black men and women were already entering from the cold and saying something. Nikolai understood that everything was over; but he said in an indifferent voice:
"What, you won't?" And I have a nice card prepared. “As if he was most interested in the fun of the game itself.
"It's over, I'm gone! he thought. Now a bullet in the forehead - one thing remains, ”and at the same time he said in a cheerful voice:
Well, one more card.
- Good, - answered Dolokhov, having finished the summary, - good! 21 rubles are coming, - he said, pointing to the number 21, which equaled 43 thousand, and taking a deck, he prepared to throw. Rostov obediently turned back the corner and instead of the prepared 6,000, he diligently wrote 21.
“I don't care,” he said, “I just want to know if you kill or give me that ten.
Dolokhov seriously began to throw. Oh, how Rostov hated at that moment these hands, reddish with short fingers and hair visible from under his shirt, which had him in his power ... Ten was given.
“You have 43 thousand behind you, Count,” Dolokhov said and stood up from the table, stretching. “But you get tired of sitting for so long,” he said.
"Yes, and I'm tired too," said Rostov.
Dolokhov, as if reminding him that it was indecent for him to joke, interrupted him: When will you order me to receive the money, count?
Rostov flushed and called Dolokhov into another room.
“I can’t suddenly pay everything, you will take the bill,” he said.
“Listen, Rostov,” Dolokhov said, smiling clearly and looking into Nikolai’s eyes, “you know the saying: “Happy in love, unhappy in cards.” Your cousin is in love with you. I know.
"ABOUT! it’s terrible to feel so at the mercy of this man,” thought Rostov. Rostov understood what a blow he would inflict on his father and mother by announcing this loss; he understood what happiness it would be to get rid of all this, and understood that Dolokhov knew that he could save him from this shame and grief, and now he still wanted to play with him, like a cat with a mouse.
“Your cousin…” Dolokhov wanted to say; but Nicholas interrupted him.
“My cousin has nothing to do with it, and there’s nothing to talk about her!” he shouted furiously.
So when do you get it? Dolokhov asked.
“Tomorrow,” said Rostov, and left the room.

It was not difficult to say "tomorrow" and maintain a tone of propriety; but to come home alone, to see sisters, brother, mother, father, confess and ask for money to which you have no right after the given word of honor, it was terrible.
Haven't slept at home yet. The youth of the Rostovs' house, having returned from the theatre, had supper, sat at the clavichord. As soon as Nikolai entered the hall, he was seized by that loving, poetic atmosphere that reigned that winter in their house and which now, after Dolokhov's proposal and Yogel's ball, seemed to thicken even more, like the air before a thunderstorm, over Sonya and Natasha. Sonya and Natasha, in the blue dresses they wore at the theatre, pretty and knowing it, were happy and smiling at the clavichord. Vera and Shinshin were playing chess in the living room. The old countess, expecting her son and husband, was playing solitaire with an old noblewoman who lived in their house. Denisov, with shining eyes and disheveled hair, was sitting with his leg thrown back at the clavichord, and clapping his short fingers on them, he took chords, and rolling his eyes, in his small, hoarse, but true voice, sang the poem he had composed "The Enchantress", to which he tried to find music.
Sorceress, tell me what power
Draws me to abandoned strings;
What kind of fire did you plant in your heart,
What delight spilled over the fingers!
He sang in a passionate voice, shining at the frightened and happy Natasha with his agate, black eyes.
- Wonderful! Great! Natasha screamed. “Another verse,” she said, not noticing Nikolai.
“They have everything the same,” thought Nikolai, looking into the living room, where he saw Vera and his mother with an old woman.
- A! here's Nikolenka! Natasha ran up to him.
- Is daddy at home? - he asked.
- I'm glad you came! - Without answering, Natasha said, - we have so much fun. Vassily Dmitritch stayed another day for me, you know?
“No, dad hasn’t arrived yet,” said Sonya.
- Coco, you have arrived, come to me, my friend! said the voice of the countess from the living room. Nikolai went up to his mother, kissed her hand, and, silently sitting down at her table, began to look at her hands, laying out the cards. Laughter and cheerful voices were heard from the hall, persuading Natasha.
“Well, all right, all right,” Denisov shouted, “now there is nothing to excuse, barcarolla is behind you, I beg you.
The Countess looked back at her silent son.
- What happened to you? Nikolai's mother asked.
“Ah, nothing,” he said, as if he was already tired of this one and the same question.
- Is daddy coming soon?
- I think.
“They have the same. They don't know anything! Where can I go? ” thought Nikolai and went back to the hall where the clavichords stood.
Sonya sat at the clavichord and played the prelude of that barcarolle that Denisov especially loved. Natasha was going to sing. Denisov looked at her with enthusiastic eyes.
Nikolai began to pace up and down the room.
“And here is the desire to make her sing? What can she sing? And there is nothing funny here, thought Nikolai.
Sonya took the first chord of the prelude.
“My God, I am lost, I am a dishonorable person. Bullet in the forehead, the only thing left, not to sing, he thought. Leave? but where to? anyway, let them sing!”
Nikolai gloomily, continuing to walk around the room, looked at Denisov and the girls, avoiding their eyes.
"Nikolenka, what's wrong with you?" asked Sonya's gaze fixed on him. She immediately saw that something had happened to him.
Nicholas turned away from her. Natasha, with her sensitivity, also instantly noticed the state of her brother. She noticed him, but she herself was so happy at that moment, she was so far from grief, sadness, reproaches, that she (as often happens with young people) deliberately deceived herself. No, I'm too happy now to spoil my fun with sympathy for someone else's grief, she felt, and said to herself:
"No, I'm sure I'm wrong, he must be as cheerful as I am." Well, Sonya, - she said and went to the very middle of the hall, where, in her opinion, the resonance was best. Raising her head, lowering her lifelessly hanging hands, as dancers do, Natasha, stepping from heel to tiptoe with an energetic movement, walked across the middle of the room and stopped.
"Here I am!" as if she were speaking, answering the enthusiastic look of Denisov, who was watching her.
“And what makes her happy! Nikolay thought, looking at his sister. And how she is not bored and not ashamed! Natasha took the first note, her throat widened, her chest straightened, her eyes took on a serious expression. She was not thinking of anyone or anything at that moment, and sounds poured out of the smile of her folded mouth, those sounds that anyone can produce at the same intervals and at the same intervals, but which leave you cold a thousand times, in make you shudder and cry for the thousand and first time.
Natasha this winter began to sing seriously for the first time, and especially because Denisov admired her singing. She sang now not like a child, there was no longer in her singing that comic, childish diligence that had been in her before; but she did not yet sing well, as all the judges who heard her said. “Not processed, but a beautiful voice, it needs to be processed,” everyone said. But they usually said this long after her voice had fallen silent. At the same time, when this unprocessed voice sounded with incorrect aspirations and with efforts of transitions, even the experts of the judge did not say anything, and only enjoyed this unprocessed voice and only wished to hear it again. There was that virginal innocence in her voice, that ignorance of her own strengths and that still unprocessed velvety, which were so combined with the shortcomings of the art of singing that it seemed impossible to change anything in this voice without spoiling it.
“What is this? Nikolay thought, hearing her voice and opening his eyes wide. - What happened to her? How does she sing today? he thought. And suddenly the whole world for him concentrated in anticipation of the next note, the next phrase, and everything in the world became divided into three tempos: “Oh mio crudele affetto… [Oh my cruel love…] One, two, three… one, two… three… one… Oh mio crudele affetto… One, two, three… one. Oh, our stupid life! Nicholas thought. All this, and misfortune, and money, and Dolokhov, and malice, and honor - all this is nonsense ... but here it is real ... Hy, Natasha, well, my dear! well, mother! ... how will she take this si? took! God bless!" - and he, without noticing that he was singing, in order to strengthen this si, took the second third of a high note. "My God! how good! Is this what I took? how happy!” he thought.
ABOUT! how this third trembled, and how something better that was in Rostov's soul was touched. And this something was independent of everything in the world, and above everything in the world. What losses here, and the Dolokhovs, and honestly! ... All nonsense! You can kill, steal and still be happy ...

For a long time Rostov had not experienced such pleasure from music as on that day. But as soon as Natasha finished her barcarolle, he remembered reality again. He left without saying anything and went downstairs to his room. A quarter of an hour later the old count, cheerful and contented, arrived from the club. Nikolai, hearing his arrival, went to him.
- Well, did you have fun? said Ilya Andreich, smiling joyfully and proudly at his son. Nikolai wanted to say yes, but he could not: he almost sobbed. The count lit his pipe and did not notice the state of his son.
"Oh, inevitably!" Nikolay thought for the first time and last time. And suddenly, in the most careless tone, such that he seemed disgusting to himself, as if he was asking the carriage to go to the city, he said to his father.
- Dad, I came to you for business. I had and forgot. I need money.
"That's it," said the father, who was in a particularly cheerful spirit. “I told you that it won’t. Is it a lot?
“A lot,” said Nikolai, blushing and with a stupid, careless smile, which for a long time later he could not forgive himself. - I lost a little, that is, even a lot, a lot, 43 thousand.
- What? To whom?... You're kidding! shouted the Count, suddenly blushing apoplectically on his neck and the back of his head, as old people blush.
“I promised to pay tomorrow,” Nikolai said.
“Well!” said the old count, spreading his arms and sank helplessly on the sofa.
- What to do! Who hasn't this happened to? - said the son in a cheeky, bold tone, while in his soul he considered himself a scoundrel, a scoundrel who whole life could not atone for his crime. He would like to kiss his father's hands, on his knees to ask for his forgiveness, and he casually and even rudely said that this happens to everyone.
Count Ilya Andreich lowered his eyes on hearing these words of his son and hurried, looking for something.
“Yes, yes,” he said, “it’s hard, I’m afraid, it’s hard to get ... with anyone! yes, with whom it has not happened ... - And the count glanced at his son's face and went out of the room ... Nikolai was preparing to fight back, but did not expect this at all.
- Daddy! pa ... hemp! he shouted after him, sobbing; excuse me! And, seizing his father's hand, he pressed his lips to it and wept.

While the father was explaining himself to his son, an equally important explanation was taking place between the mother and her daughter. Natasha, excited, ran to her mother.
- Mom! ... Mom! ... he made me ...
- What did you do?
- Made an offer. Mother! Mother! she shouted. The Countess could not believe her ears. Denisov made an offer. To whom? This tiny girl Natasha, who until recently played with dolls and now still took lessons.
- Natasha, full of nonsense! she said, still hoping it was a joke.
- Well, nonsense! “I’m talking to you,” Natasha said angrily. - I came to ask what to do, and you tell me: "nonsense" ...
The countess shrugged.
- If it is true that Monsieur Denisov proposed to you, then tell him that he is a fool, that's all.
“No, he’s not a fool,” Natasha said offendedly and seriously.
- Well, what do you want? You are all in love these days. Well, in love, so marry him! said the Countess, laughing angrily. - With God blessing!
“No, mother, I am not in love with him, I must not be in love with him.
“Well, just tell him that.
- Mom, are you angry? Don't be angry, my dear, what am I to blame for?
“No, what is it, my friend? If you want, I'll go and tell him, - said the countess, smiling.
- No, I myself, just teach. Everything is easy for you,” she added, answering her smile. “And if you saw how he told me this!” After all, I know that he did not want to say this, but he accidentally said it.
- Well, you still have to refuse.
- No, you don't have to. I feel so sorry for him! He is so cute.
Well, take the offer. And then it’s time to get married, ”the mother said angrily and mockingly.
“No, Mom, I feel so sorry for him. I don't know how I will say.
“Yes, you don’t have anything to say, I’ll say it myself,” said the countess, indignant at the fact that they dared to look at this little Natasha as a big one.
“No, no way, I’m on my own, and you listen at the door,” and Natasha ran through the living room into the hall, where Denisov was sitting on the same chair, at the clavichord, covering his face with his hands. He jumped up at the sound of her light footsteps.
- Natalie, - he said, approaching her with quick steps, - decide my fate. She is in your hands!
"Vasily Dmitritch, I'm so sorry for you!... No, but you're so nice... but don't... it's... but I'll always love you like that."
Denisov bent over her hand, and she heard strange sounds, incomprehensible to her. She kissed him on his black, matted, curly head. At that moment, the hasty noise of the countess's dress was heard. She approached them.
“Vasily Dmitritch, I thank you for the honor,” said the countess in an embarrassed voice, but which seemed strict to Denisov, “but my daughter is so young, and I thought that you, as a friend of my son, would first turn to me. In that case, you would not put me in the need for a refusal.
“Mr. Athena,” Denisov said with downcast eyes and a guilty look, he wanted to say something else and stumbled.
Natasha could not calmly see him so miserable. She began to sob loudly.
“Mr. Athena, I am guilty before you,” Denisov continued in a broken voice, “but know that I idolize your daughter and your entire family so much that I will give two lives ...” He looked at the countess and, noticing her stern face ... “Well, goodbye, Mrs. Athena,” he said, kissed her hand and, without looking at Natasha, left the room with quick, decisive steps.

The next day, Rostov saw off Denisov, who did not want to stay in Moscow for another day. Denisov was seen off at the gypsies by all his Moscow friends, and he did not remember how he was put into the sledge and how the first three stations were taken.
After Denisov's departure, Rostov, waiting for the money that the old count could not suddenly collect, spent another two weeks in Moscow, without leaving home, and mainly in the young ladies' room.
Sonya was more tender and devoted to him than before. She seemed to want to show him that his loss was a feat for which she now loves him all the more; but Nicholas now considered himself unworthy of her.
He filled the girls' albums with poems and notes, and without saying goodbye to any of his acquaintances, finally sending all 43 thousand and receiving Dolokhov's receipt, he left at the end of November to catch up with the regiment, which was already in Poland.

After his explanation with his wife, Pierre went to Petersburg. There were no horses at the station in Torzhok, or the caretaker did not want them. Pierre had to wait. Without undressing, he lay down on a leather sofa in front of a round table, put his big feet in warm boots and thought.
- Will you order the suitcases to be brought in? Make a bed, would you like some tea? the valet asked.
Pierre did not answer, because he did not hear or see anything. He had been thinking at the last station and still kept thinking about the same thing - about such an important thing that he did not pay any attention to what was going on around him. He was not only not interested in the fact that he would arrive later or earlier in Petersburg, or whether he would or would not have a place to rest at this station, but all the same, in comparison with the thoughts that occupied him now, whether he would stay for a few hours or a lifetime at that station.
The caretaker, caretaker, valet, a woman with Torzhkov sewing came into the room, offering their services. Pierre, without changing his position of his raised legs, looked at them through his glasses, and did not understand what they might need and how they could all live without resolving the issues that occupied him. And he was occupied with the same questions from the very day he returned from Sokolniki after the duel and spent the first, painful, sleepless night; only now, in the solitude of the journey, they took possession of it with particular force. Whatever he began to think about, he returned to the same questions that he could not solve, and could not stop asking himself. It was as if the main screw on which his whole life rested was curled up in his head. The screw did not go further in, did not go out, but spun, without grabbing anything, all on the same groove, and it was impossible to stop turning it.