Sentence:  He thought of Simms Purdew , who once had risen at the edge of a cornfield , a maniacal scream on his lips , and swung a clubbed <WSD>musket</WSD> like a flail to beat down the swirl of Rebel bayonets about him . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a muzzle-loading shoulder gun with a long barrel; formerly used by infantrymen