Midlist Writer: Military History Photo Friday: A four-barrelled flintlock pistol and Napoleon's bed

Friday, 6 June 2014

Military History Photo Friday: A four-barrelled flintlock pistol and Napoleon's bed

Here are some more photos from my trip to Belgium, the Battlefield of Waterloo to be exact. One of the many sights to see is Maison Le Caillou, the house where Napoleon slept 17&18 June 1815, during the battle. There are several interesting displays, including the odd four-barrelled flintlock pistol.

Note that there are actually only two flintlock mechanisms to ignite the powder. One or two barrels could be fired at a time, and then the whole barrel assembly would be turned so that the next two loaded barrels would be in a position to fire.

Here's another view.

And here's Napoleon's bed! Looks comfy, doesn't it?

That's all for today. I'm busy writing my next novel. Oh, and I've posted another travel article over at Black Gate. This one is about hiking Hadrian's Wall.

3 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...: Interesting gun.; 6 June 2014 at 04:42
D.G. Hudson said...: So I'm assuming while the enemy reloaded their guns, the owner of this one did too? The slower paced days before automatic weapons. . .I love museum photos, Sean. And no, that bed looks basic to me, but as an army bed, maybe it's the most comfortable one around. Military men can't look too pampered. . .; 6 June 2014 at 07:43
Sean McLachlan said...: D.G.: It must have been pretty tense when the battlefield fell silent and both sides were hurrying to reload first.
From what I've heard about Napoleon, he was a hardcore insomniac who learned to live with about two hours of sleep a night. Must have been a lot on his mind.; 6 June 2014 at 12:18

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Friday, 6 June 2014

Military History Photo Friday: A four-barrelled flintlock pistol and Napoleon's bed

3 comments: