The first guy the the row of units comes with a rifle, a bayonet attached to it, and 11+1(in musket) shells(which you mostly won't be able to run out before you become a corpse.)
Pick this guy when in doubt. It's always available, nobody makes a fuss about it even if you f**k up(no FF in this game which is helpful)
remember, this is Napoleonic war, your musket is a *musket*.
It's not your supreme noobmurder machine 98k from PUBG.
It has terrible accuracy(expect to miss at pointblank range) and reload(long enough to get you bayoneted for at least 5 times).
if you miss your shot(usually) and your enemy is either charging at you with a bayonet or a one handed weapon, brace yourself for a bloody melee duel.
Correction, the damage remains unchanged no matter how fast you are, usually it takes two strikes to make a kill or a head stab,so just press C and unleash your inner skirmisher
Okay, so here we're using a spear against a sword, your bayonet has longer melee reach but less arc, so if he closes in onto you you're usually dead, keep your distance and play it carefully, try to lure him into your teammates so you can gangbang him(which is effective)
Don't kneel down, it's useless for you, only the sniper class gains exra precision for it.
press Q to ADS and be more accurate.
Stand still, this is important to minimize your spread
wait for your enemy to close in enough(too far and you'll miss it)
then press left click.
if you succeed you'll see a small cross pop up and your opponent now dropped.
if you miss it, press Q and refer to the guidelines above.
Pro tip: press C to get a buff from sir Washington/His majesty and your country.
tip: avoid grenades, these little black bastards don't care who you are and hits you like a truck if you strand too close.
Brit Grunt:

Murica Grunt: