Well, because if you stand around loading your musket for two minutes between every shot....you're liable to get killed! Remember the time period, after all. (And to be fair, there was one scene in the book where they were involved in a conventional battle, hiding behind a building or in a trench and shooting at....Either the Brittish or the Spanish, its been a while since I read it...) Muskets were high tech. You're eliet tropps are going to be named after the best weapon you've got, even if its only thier secondary weapon... What, you think they should be called? They're not going to pick up barmaids like that. ;)

Oh yeah, the drawing... Pretty interesting. Congrats on pulling off the riffle-on-both-shoulders pose.