As a kid in the 70s I was taught in late elementary or middle school, that the reasons we "won" were logistical distance for the English and French support. The use of Kentucky Rifles and disordered troops was mentioned as being somewhat effective though.
I remember being a young kid in elementary school and being told well we're Americans were so much smarter than the British because we don't fight like that take a look at Concord Lexington you know we hide behind stone walls and trees because we're smarter to do an Indian style. But in real life we weren't professional enough to take them on on their level that's why we did that. Glad I'm not the only one to remember that it from my childhood
If there is a take away, it is that the American army learned to become professional enough and fight like a European army. Regulations for the Order & Discipline of the Troops of the United States Army -- th-cam.com/video/ETtTOgfI0j0/w-d-xo.html
I don't know about the Kentucky long rifles (designed around the German Jäger) role but the big supplier to the Revolutionary war fighters were the French with their effective well made 'Charleville musket' which I believe was copied by American based manufacturers and called the Springfield.
I live about 45 minutes from Saratoga battlefield and last month I stood on the spot where the marker stands where General Simon Frasier was supposedly shot by Timothy Murphy, one of Morgan's riflemen. The shot was supposedly somewhere around 300 yards. Murphy missed the first two shots and the third shot connected and Frasier was led off the battlefield and died later.
Wow…what a comprehensive video about light troops (including cavalry)! A quick historical note: the Seven Years War took place between 1756 and 1763. It was called the “French and Indian War” in North America. During the American Revolution, the Battle of King’s Mountain better fit the view of the Americans using light infantry tactics to fight a battle.The big difference was the lack of easy access to the British troops on the mountain. Riflemen working in pairs was an effective tactic because it took a lot longer to reload a rifle. The rifleman was extraordinarily vulnerable with an unloaded rifle. Great video…as always. A really good, in-depth look at tactics and the American Revolution. Thank you.
Kings Mountain is significant as its often viewed as the largest "all-American" battle, involving Loyalist and Patriot militias operating on the periphery of regular armies.
Very interesting. I must say that I enjoy your videos. I was never much of a history person, but these videos bring things to life for me and make them interesting. Thank you for doing them.
NJ guy here, and our Rev Alliance group is starting to take some old map and troop placement drawings and superimposing them over today's Google maps. FASCINATING to see this connection. It also makes it possible to physically visit a site and see how much of a role terrain played in battle. Thanks for this great video ... I will check your others.
Fascinating stuff. I grew up on the myth that the British fought in lines because their leadership was too proud and stupid to try new tactics when a bunch of American farmers had the bright ideas to "shoot for accuracy" and "take cover". The more I learn about how 18th century Linear Warfare actually worked, the more fascinated I am by it. It's this unique transitional period where gunpowder weaponry is clearly on the rise, but not quite to the point where you can completely throw out traditional weaponry and tactics (a musket with a bayonet from this period is basically a spear that occasionally shoots bullets, and an infantry line armed with those muskets operates a lot like phalanx of spearmen in the long intervals between shots).
This video was filmed just down the road from where I live. It is so interesting to think of the amount of American history that exists within a 30 mile radius of my house.
Campaigned for years as a Loyalist re-enactor in a green coat. Never found red coats stood out when in even a little green cover. During the fall, they were at were at their best in blending in.
Great video about a great topic to talk about and one I absolutely love. When explaining the whys and wherefores of linier tactics, I start with the Greek Hoplites and how the integrity of the team and the formation were more important than the pursuit of individual glory when it came to winning battles, and how the musket with the bayonet is the successor to the pike in an age before firearms were consistently effective. Then I urge them to denounce the NFL and start watching Rugby. But when it comes to the Light Infantry, skirmishers, etc, I direct them to the Sharpe series. Then I explain why "spit loading" a musket or rifle is a bad idea.
🤣 "smiled at a bayonet charge. yeah that made them a little crazy, but crazy is what they needed".... LOL.. that was priceless.. thanks for a good laugh in the morning...
During the American Revolution and the Napoleanic Wars, grenadier and light infantry companies were detached and formed into grendier and light infantry battalions. Grenadiers were most often chosen for size and strength, while Light infantry were usually chosen for their intelligence and ability to fight independently. Grenadier battalions were used as heavy shock troops in the assault while the light infantry battalions were used as skirmishes and screening troops due to the shortage of cavalry in the war.
Regarding the segment on Gen. Morgan, why would a museum show a loading block and short starter as part of their equipment, when there is no documentation of those items being used until well after the Revolution? These anachronisms just create confusion.
The British learned quickly after the Revolutionary War. Learning the value of small units of fast-moving rifleman. Leading to the creation of the 95th rifles, hand-picked men dressed in green valued for there field craft and marksmanship. Made to good use during the napoleononic wars.
flintlock Kentucky rifle, produced from about 1750 by American gunsmiths from Germany and Switzerland, provided great accuracy to 180 metres (200 yards), then a long range. Virtually every village and settlement had a shooting match on weekends and holidays, often attracting a hundred or more marksmen.…
The buck skin jacket and trousers also were of brown to earth color blended in well in the dense forests around main roads as a form of camouflage. It was copied by American frontiersmen from the American Indians and copied their tactics operating in small platoon sized units. Skirmish formations were not linier formations usually but 2-3 ranks with spaced intervals from front to rear and dispersed from left to right in the open or concealed in the wood line to avoid detection. Each rifleman should be able to see the man in front of him as well as to his rear on the move either in a file formation as to move faster or spread out in a general direction when enemy contact is most likely. It applies to this day of modern combat in the US Military from the Standing Orders of Roger's Rangers which is taught in today's US Army Ranger School which is also a leadership school for future officers and NCOs. Many Special Operations guys have gone to Ranger School and were former members of the Ranger Battalions to go on to Special Forces or Delta in the Army. Other Services like the Navy SEALs and other services who have special operations forces to Ranger School to bring back basic knowledge of small unit operations. The British Army Commandos from WWII fame formed under Prime Minister Winston Churchill helped the US in starting their Ranger units based on the British Commandos. Full circle has gone on through the progress and experience in warfare.
I’ve long suspected that the myth you used at the start of the video was more of a mirror of success. American light troops and guerrillas were often victorious against the British while the British regulars bullied Washington’s regulars almost into nonexistent.
Dude, the message is important. They didn't have most of what is in the video. Do those things need to be mentioned? History "community" is full of snoots. Insert sigh here
![True Size of Napoleon's Army - The Infantry [c. 1808] 3D DOCUMENTARY](/img/n.gif)
As a kid in the 70s I was taught in late elementary or middle school, that the reasons we "won" were logistical distance for the English and French support. The use of Kentucky Rifles and disordered troops was mentioned as being somewhat effective though.
Yes, let's not forget that French support.
I remember being a young kid in elementary school and being told well we're Americans were so much smarter than the British because we don't fight like that take a look at Concord Lexington you know we hide behind stone walls and trees because we're smarter to do an Indian style. But in real life we weren't professional enough to take them on on their level that's why we did that. Glad I'm not the only one to remember that it from my childhood
If there is a take away, it is that the American army learned to become professional enough and fight like a European army.
Regulations for the Order & Discipline of the Troops of the United States Army -- th-cam.com/video/ETtTOgfI0j0/w-d-xo.html
I learned that in the 90s too. ~JRH
I don't know about the Kentucky long rifles (designed around the German Jäger) role but the big supplier to the Revolutionary war fighters were the French with their effective well made 'Charleville musket' which I believe was copied by American based manufacturers and called the Springfield.
I live about 45 minutes from Saratoga battlefield and last month I stood on the spot where the marker stands where General Simon Frasier was supposedly shot by Timothy Murphy, one of Morgan's riflemen. The shot was supposedly somewhere around 300 yards. Murphy missed the first two shots and the third shot connected and Frasier was led off the battlefield and died later.
Read up on the Timothy Murphy myth. Fun story, but maybe not so accurate.
was there … for an “Irishman” to shoot a stodgy , elitist Brit off his horse at “300 yards” is absolutely true !!! … kinda sorta !!! LOL
Wow…what a comprehensive video about light troops (including cavalry)! A quick historical note: the Seven Years War took place between 1756 and 1763. It was called the “French and Indian War” in North America. During the American Revolution, the Battle of King’s Mountain better fit the view of the Americans using light infantry tactics to fight a battle.The big difference was the lack of easy access to the British troops on the mountain. Riflemen working in pairs was an effective tactic because it took a lot longer to reload a rifle. The rifleman was extraordinarily vulnerable with an unloaded rifle.
Great video…as always. A really good, in-depth look at tactics and the American Revolution. Thank you.
Kings Mountain is significant as its often viewed as the largest "all-American" battle, involving Loyalist and Patriot militias operating on the periphery of regular armies.
Thank you for addressing this (often overlooked and misunderstood) topic! Another interesting and informative video!
Thanks and you're welcome!
Very interesting. I must say that I enjoy your videos. I was never much of a history person, but these videos bring things to life for me and make them interesting. Thank you for doing them.
We're glad you like them and that you find them useful and interesting. We enjoy making them. You are so very welcome!
This is a really fantastic video! I definitely had a lot of WOW moments!
Glad you enjoyed it!
NJ guy here, and our Rev Alliance group is starting to take some old map and troop placement drawings and superimposing them over today's Google maps. FASCINATING to see this connection. It also makes it possible to physically visit a site and see how much of a role terrain played in battle. Thanks for this great video ... I will check your others.
Cool!
This is brilliant.
Thank you once again for a very enjoyable presentation!
Thanks again!
well done pard! *LIKED* the video --LT
Appreciated!
Great video! I would love to know more info of french regiments and uniforms in that era
Thanks!
Fascinating stuff. I grew up on the myth that the British fought in lines because their leadership was too proud and stupid to try new tactics when a bunch of American farmers had the bright ideas to "shoot for accuracy" and "take cover". The more I learn about how 18th century Linear Warfare actually worked, the more fascinated I am by it. It's this unique transitional period where gunpowder weaponry is clearly on the rise, but not quite to the point where you can completely throw out traditional weaponry and tactics (a musket with a bayonet from this period is basically a spear that occasionally shoots bullets, and an infantry line armed with those muskets operates a lot like phalanx of spearmen in the long intervals between shots).
This video was filmed just down the road from where I live. It is so interesting to think of the amount of American history that exists within a 30 mile radius of my house.
Hello neighbor!
Cover and concealment are two of the things we were taught in Advanced Infantry training, along with sight alignment and trigger squeeze.
Campaigned for years as a Loyalist re-enactor in a green coat. Never found red coats stood out when in even a little green cover.
During the fall, they were at were at their best in blending in.
Great video about a great topic to talk about and one I absolutely love.
When explaining the whys and wherefores of linier tactics, I start with the Greek Hoplites and how the integrity of the team and the formation were more important than the pursuit of individual glory when it came to winning battles, and how the musket with the bayonet is the successor to the pike in an age before firearms were consistently effective.
Then I urge them to denounce the NFL and start watching Rugby.
But when it comes to the Light Infantry, skirmishers, etc, I direct them to the Sharpe series.
Then I explain why "spit loading" a musket or rifle is a bad idea.
😁
Man you people are good! Thanks so much!
😎👍
You're welcome!
🤣 "smiled at a bayonet charge. yeah that made them a little crazy, but crazy is what they needed".... LOL.. that was priceless.. thanks for a good laugh in the morning...
During the American Revolution and the Napoleanic Wars, grenadier and light infantry companies were detached and formed into grendier and light infantry battalions. Grenadiers were most often chosen for size and strength, while Light infantry were usually chosen for their intelligence and ability to fight independently. Grenadier battalions were used as heavy shock troops in the assault while the light infantry battalions were used as skirmishes and screening troops due to the shortage of cavalry in the war.
I say, well done this was..!
Thanks!
Blimey, the trees are speaking American!
God's frontiersman the Scotch Irish in Boone N.C. Indian fighters fought at the battle of kings mountain NC and thier tactics made a difference.
Regarding the segment on Gen. Morgan, why would a museum show a loading block and short starter as part of their equipment, when there is no documentation of those items being used until well after the Revolution? These anachronisms just create confusion.
Put into question everything he had to say up to that point for sure.
That’s the way it was when I was in the Corps, you were promoted via merit not equity.
Very informative! Thank you!!
Thank you and you're welcome!
General Light Horse Harry Lee was thee father of that great American, General Robert Edward Lee.
The British learned quickly after the Revolutionary War. Learning the value of small units of fast-moving rifleman. Leading to the creation of the 95th rifles, hand-picked men dressed in green valued for there field craft and marksmanship. Made to good use during the napoleononic wars.
I spy, with my little eye... a short starter. 😮
Colonel Bouquet and Bushy Run
The British found out about Pennsylvania long rifles. The hard way. And they are still being hand made here in Pennsylvania to this day. 😊
Yes, and the Americans found out about the German jaeger and British fusil the hard way as well.
It was hard to follow the gentleman speaking about Daniel Morgen, not sure if I have heard that many “uhhs” in my entire life.
10:11) I am an EXPERT EXPERT with a rifle.
19:08)Reloading, with the bayonets on, could cause some very bad cuts if sharpened.
flintlock Kentucky rifle, produced from about 1750 by American gunsmiths from Germany and Switzerland, provided great accuracy to 180 metres (200 yards), then a long range. Virtually every village and settlement had a shooting match on weekends and holidays, often attracting a hundred or more marksmen.…
The buck skin jacket and trousers also were of brown to earth color blended in well in the dense forests around main roads as a form of camouflage. It was copied by American frontiersmen from the American Indians and copied their tactics operating in small platoon sized units. Skirmish formations were not linier formations usually but 2-3 ranks with spaced intervals from front to rear and dispersed from left to right in the open or concealed in the wood line to avoid detection. Each rifleman should be able to see the man in front of him as well as to his rear on the move either in a file formation as to move faster or spread out in a general direction when enemy contact is most likely. It applies to this day of modern combat in the US Military from the Standing Orders of Roger's Rangers which is taught in today's US Army Ranger School which is also a leadership school for future officers and NCOs. Many Special Operations guys have gone to Ranger School and were former members of the Ranger Battalions to go on to Special Forces or Delta in the Army. Other Services like the Navy SEALs and other services who have special operations forces to Ranger School to bring back basic knowledge of small unit operations. The British Army Commandos from WWII fame formed under Prime Minister Winston Churchill helped the US in starting their Ranger units based on the British Commandos. Full circle has gone on through the progress and experience in warfare.
1. Shave. 2. Light Infantry wouldnt be considered Spec Ops.
I’ve long suspected that the myth you used at the start of the video was more of a mirror of success. American light troops and guerrillas were often victorious against the British while the British regulars bullied Washington’s regulars almost into nonexistent.
Chassoors😂
11:59 Man, those French troops are kinda feminine! No wonder they surrender all the time!
Funny that it shows everyone skipping ahead as well lol
Dude, shave. The continental army standard was to be clean shaven, just like the British Army.
With all due respect, shut the fuck up. Very weird comment on such an informative video.
But that not cool lol
Dude, the message is important. They didn't have most of what is in the video. Do those things need to be mentioned? History "community" is full of snoots. Insert sigh here