The Brown Bess The fully functional Short Land Service Musket (New Pattern) used by the 64th Regiment of Foot replicates the firearm issued by the British Army as a result of the 1768 Clothing Warrant. This musket came to be affectionately called the "Brown Bess". While the exact origin of this nickname has become obscured over the years, one explanation states that the name came from the colour of the walnut stock. Prior to the "Brown Bess", stocks were painted black. The predecessor of the Short Land Service Musket was the Long Land Service Musket, developed during the late 1720s....