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A '''Matross''' was the lowest rank in the [[Artillery]] and the term for a [[Private]] in a train of artillery (a gunner's mate). One of the soldiers who assisted the gunners in loading, firing, and also sponging the guns to stop them overheating. "They carried flintlocks and marched with store wagons, acting as guards" <ref> ''A Tug on the Thread'' by Diana Quick pub. 2009 </ref>
In muster rolls, Matross was generally the only term used until about 1800 when the term [[Gunner]] also started to be used. The term matross discontinued in about 1820 and from then onwards only the term [[Gunner|gunner]] is used. One of the meanings of the term '''Classy''', or '''Clashy''' is Matross.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/hobsonjobsonbein00yuleuoft#page/223/mode/1up "Classy, Clashy"] page 223 ''Hobson-Jobson'' by Col.Henry Yule and AC Burnell. New edition edited by William Crooke 1903 Archive.org</ref>
==Historical books online==
*[http://archive.org/stream/hobsonjobsonbein00yuleuoft#page/562/mode/2up "Matross"] pages 562-563 ''Hobson-Jobson: the being a glossary of Anglo-Indian Dictionarycolloquial words and phrases, and of kindred terms; etymological, historical, geographical, and discursive'' by Henry Yule, and Arthur Coke Burnell, . New edition edited by William Crooke "New Edition" 1903 Archive.org
==References==
