[Pharmboy]

Not absurd at all...the Welsh bowmen could reload--as you know--much quicker than an infantry musketman. Also, the musket's effective range was about 50 yards, while the arrow had a much longer range. The 18th century soldier had, of course, no armor (although the arrows could pierce plate armor) and no shield so the massed array of bowmen would have been devastating. And what about the cross bow for close-in fighting?

Alas, as you say, there was no one skilled in either long bow-making or arrow-shooting.

Thought-provoking point issue...thanks!

[ZULU]

It took YEARS of training to make a good longbowman. Some of those bows had over a 150 lb pull, based on reconstructions of bows taken from the Mary Rose.

On the other hand, you could create a decent shot with a musket in a few weeks training and perhaps a good rifleman in manybe a few months of heavy practicing.