Fellahin Musketeers (ETW Unit)
These musketeers are a useful addition to any force, even if they lack the fire discipline of regular soldiers.
Overview
For all its smoke and noise, handling the smoothbore, muzzle-loading musket can be taught to all but the most stupid of men. Once the basic skills of loading have been mastered, it is simply a matter of pointing the loud end at the enemy and pulling the trigger. It is in God's hands as to what happens next!
Even the most inexperienced or cack-handed of peasants can be useful with a musket in his hands. The noise of a volley is often enough to frighten, and any casualties in the enemy ranks are a bonus.
Historically, such units of irregular musket men would arrive at a battlefield with all kinds of weapons, from ancient matchlocks handed down from father to son, to modern government-issue weapons looted from the enemy dead. This lack of standardisation did not matter much, as it was the ability to fire at all that made the unit a useful force.
Details
The Fellahin Musketeers are a unit available to the North African muslim nations. They are a cheap and plentiful militia that can be used effectively early on without worrying whether they survive. Best used in conjunction with a higher morale unit to ensure they don't break, they can do an adequate job. You will quickly find that they become outclassed once Fire By Rank is researched. Once that happens these units can be assigned to garrison duty.