Pictures of the Illinois Ranger firing his Brown Bess.

Here's some pictures of the Illinois Ranger firing his Brown Bess.

In the picture below, the hammer with flint had just slammed against the frizzen​, to throw sparks into the flashpan.

In this second picture, the powder in the flashpan exploded, driving flames into the touch-hole to ignite the powder and ball inside the barrel.

In this third picture, flames and smoke on both ends, and the ball has already left the barrel.