Great video. I am a Civil War reenactor and I notice that they had a lot more counts to the firing of their weapon. We had 9, I counted 15 from your video.🤔
This was absolutely beautiful! In dept explanations of the minute men formations, safety measures, fastest and safe use of the rifles, the loading process all of it was just beautiful! Very educational and informative!
Been listening to the History That Doesn't Suck podcast lately so I'm learning about the wars and such. I never would've imagined as a kid I'd be interested in Flint lock weapons and Cavalry
I'm going to give you tip of advise, Muskets are inaccurate do to the "smaller than bore" caliber ball load with a paper cartridge used by line infantry... However light infantry used larger caliber balls, measured powder loads, and patch 'n' ball methods as opposed to paper cartridges though having a slower rate of fire.... So saying muskets are inaccurate isn't totally correct, just depends on the load used and method of load....
Yes. The light infantry were equipped with powder horns and ball pouches, usually in addition to either a cartridge box or pouch. Marksmanship was also encouraged among the light infantry more so than battalion companies. We addressed the fact that you could achieve more accuracy with a tighter-fitting ball near the beginning of the video.
Superb, and very informative. One of the best I`ve seen. I can only imagine the terror in the minds of men slowly marching towards a storm of lead hurtling towards them at 700mph.
Thanks a lot guys now I want to buy a Brown Bess lol ! One thing I would add about tactics is that often only one volley was delivered and then they would be ordered to close with the bayonet.
I saw a vid on rifles and muskets used in the war. They showed loading muskets exactly as you did, but when loading a rifle they showed that a small horn with a small amount of priming powder was used. Whats the difference? A rifle OR a musket wouldnt notice a difference between the fire coming in the barrel from the pan through the touch hole regardless of what powder was used to prime the weapon with. As best I remember, as long as I was being shot at, and I returning the compliment with hopefully better accuracy, I wasnt tired. Now, once the battle ended, then I felt I could sleep for a week.
Powder horns (at least the ones the British Riflemen used) had a much finer powder in them. Since Riflemen were primarily a skirmish unit (that is, they did not engage in battles as lines and columns, but rather as thinly organized groups with pairs of two men) they could afford to load slower. On top of that, since the rifle had rifling and musket balls weren't made to fit in rifle barrels, the loading process was much slower. While it is still essential for them to fire as fast as possible, if one chose to do so, they could use much finer powder in order to ensure a better hit on an enemy officer.
For those of you that don't study history - or, do any research at all and just accept whatever you are told - "well regulated" means well trained and functioning properly, NOT controlled by or having anything to do with laws or mandates. Just like the rangers are demonstrating in the video above, training (or drilling) in the handling and usage of firearms is a vital component of a properly fuctioning militia.
In Massachusetts during the Colonial, Revolutionary and Early Republic periods, militia service was actually mandated by law. All men between 16 and 60 were required to keep a specific set of arms and equipment "as according to law" and to appear for company-level training (muster days) two days in April, two days in October, and one day each in May and June "for instruction and inspection." The law also specified fines for not providing oneself with various pieces of equipment or arms or failing to appear at muster. Militia service was a solemn civic obligation much like jury duty is today.
Good for you guys explaining that the training steps would not be used in battle. I've seen so many presentations over the years where the many steps are heavily emphasized, with living historians getting very dramatic in their lectures and presentations about the looooong process these people had to go through to use fire arms, and then they just left it at that. Leaving the audience to walk away thinking that commands were given for each and every step during the heat of battle, or every time the weapon was used. I know because I've heard people say it as they walk away at the conclusion of the demonstration, including comments on how strange, silly, or ignorant these 18th century people were. I've seen this many times. One of the cringiest things at living history events, IMO.
It is very very loud when this thing goes off. And I'm watching at home with my phone. How on earth did it sound when 100s went off at once? What happened to their ears?
Suggest that you attend at least one re-enactment of a Revolutionary War or Civil War battle. Then you can understand the loudness (as well as the enormous amount of smoke) first hand. I suggest taking ear plugs along. The roar of a cannon is particularly awe inspiring and will literally rattle you.
I was only going to comment that British required fifteen shots in three and three quarters minutes…. Three minutes and forty five seconds. That’s four shots a minute I watched Ted Spring author of several books on the French and Indian wars get twenty two shots from a short brown bess in that time frame
I have seen in movies that the enemy was slowly walking into musket and cannon fire. Is this true and why did they do it, isn't it suicide ? Great video, thanks!
It has alot to due control of large numbers of soldiers and the limitations of the weapons in use at that time to maximize the effect of fire and manuver.
Armies did do that, however: 1. You gotta get in range to attack them man. 2. The Napoleonic column was a tried and true form of assault, and was used with great success by the French in breaking through armies despite the fact that it was, y'know, a column. 3. Irl, they would've gone a lot faster than that.
Melee combat among infantry was rare in this period. However, while in Europe commanders were relying more and more upon firepower, the British Army fighting in North America went in the opposite direction early in the war and placed greater emphasis on the bayonet. When the Continental Army was still in its infancy they had a hard time withstanding a bayonet assault and would break and run very quickly. They were, however, as the British commanders learned after Bunker Hill, much better in a firefight. This would, of course, change as they war continued and the Continental Army increased in training and discipline. A good book on the subject is "With Zeal and With Bayonets Only" by Matthew Spring.
hi sir. great video but i have a question. why didnt minuteman use 2 lead balls to load their musket? in theory they would have twice the firepower and the only drawback would be a having a more expensive and heavier musket. seems like a good strategy. why didnt the do it?
As the war progressed both sides used a type of load called "buck and ball" which was one musket ball and three or four buckshot. Loading with two full-size musket balls would require more powder, which was a precious commodity, and would not necessarily be more destructive.
Thank you for your comment! The Kentucky Long Rifle is a very different weapon from a musket. We did not cover it in the video because of our focus on the Massachusetts Militia in 1775. They were armed exclusively with smoothbore weapons, either military muskets or, very commonly, fouling pieces used for bird hunting.
Not trying to nitpick here I promise, but Kentucky was scarcely settled wilderness at the time, Daniel Boone was only beginning to make his way into the area with his trail blazers. The long rifles that are so iconic would actually be Pennsylvania rifles. I also don't believe that rifles were nearly as common among the militia as we think. I live near and grew up near Kings Mountain, where the common idea is that a bunch of colonial militiamen in the "overmountain men" used their rifles to pick off the British as they surrounded them. While it's true that the overmountain men were probably armed with a higher percentage of rifles than most colonial settlers at the time, I think we'd all be surprised at how many of them were carrying smoothbore muskets. It's also important to realize that not every patriot militiaman at Kings Mountain was an Overmountain man. Many were local farmers and tradesmen well on the east side of the Blue Ridge, and some of them probably carried rifles, but the majority probably used smoothbore muskets. Likewise with the "British" forces at Kings Mountain, who were all American colonial loyalist militia, who looked and dressed just like their patriot militia opponents, and were literally family and neighbors of each other, save for one unit of red coats, who were still loyalists trained as regulars.
Of course not. We were firing powder only. Visitors were on the trail, 50 yards off to the side, with a physical barrier and range safety officer keeping them out of the firing range. We had 200 yards clear in front.
Smoothbore muskets have a sight, usually of iron, sometimes of brass, mounted near the muzzle. On military arms this also serves as a lug for the bayonet. They do not have a rear sight.
@@MinuteManNPS ok thank you. I’m building a replica Brown Bess musket out of some wood and a pipe. I just purchased the flint lock trigger gaurd and the striker thingy
Many Militiamen would bring their private hunting rifles when mustered for militia service, if they couldn’t afford or otherwise acquire a military musket. However instead of Line soldiers they would act as Skirmishers, harassing the enemy at the flanks or picking off officers. Cartridges too were well established by this point, however due to supply issues many colonial forces were unable to keep supplied with mass issued cartridges. Though that isn’t to say they weren’t available to larger Regular forces.
I want add some food of thought... normally a 100 to 150 yards the killing abilities of the MUSKET decreases & after 150 yards tremendously. There was good chance at those distances that if the powder was low quality or charge wasn't enough the rounds could get stuck in layers of clothing or bounce off.
I want add some food of thought... normally a 100 to 150 yards the killing abilities of the MUSKET decreases & after 150 yards tremendously. There was good chance at those distances that if the powder was low quality or charge wasn't enough the rounds could get stuck in layers of clothing or bounce off.
