Rifleman

Common card · No. 402196

A rifleman is an infantry soldier armed with a rifled long gun. Although the rifleman role had its origin with 16th century hand cannoneers and 17th century musketeers, the term originated in the 18th century with the introduction of the rifled musket. By the mid-19th century, entire regiments of riflemen were formed and became the mainstay of all standard infantry, and as rifles became standard infantry weapons, the earlier distinction between specialist riflemen and ordinary line infantry largely disappeared. In modern usage, rifleman can denote a basic infantry soldier, a specific billet or military occupational specialty, or in some armies, the equivalent of the rank of private.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Ezekiel Baker (1758-1836), Public domain