Green Jackets (ETW Unit)
Game Description
Organized and equipped as light infantry with rifles, not smooth-bore muskets, riflemen have every right to see themselves as an elite. Chosen for initiative and intelligence, they fight without close supervision from their officers. Their uniforms set them apart in an age when soldiers dress like peacocks: they deliberately blend into the landscape so that they can stalk their prey.
Historically, the most famous riflemen, the British Green Jackets, carried infantry rifles designed by Ezekiel Baker. This muzzle-loading flintlock used a small ball from a tightly rifled barrel to give superb accuracy. There are accounts of riflemen holding targets for each other at hundreds of paces! It was a slow business to load the piece properly, as high-quality powder was carefully measured out and the bullet wrapped in a leather patch then tapped down the barrel to engage with the grooves. All of this could take a minute or more to do properly, but the resulting shot was deadly over astonishing ranges. Baker even carefully supplied a long “sword bayonet” so that the overall length of his rifle plus bayonet matched that of a line infantryman’s bayonet-tipped musket.
Overview
Green Jackets are long-range light infantry with slightly superior defense and charge bonuses to Ferguson Riflemen, but since light infantry are not meant to engage opponents in close-combat, this is not particularly important. They are also cheaper to train and maintain than the Ferguson Riflemen. Finally, an unlimited number of Green Jackets can be trained, while only one regiment of Ferguson Riflemen are available at any time.