British vs. American Musketry

[Semisane]

 

[tenngun]

I saw that, was much impressed.
I remember being at a WTBS demo and watching shooters preping to fire. It was early war and the confederates were known to have a lot of civilian arms. The union forces almost all had military guns. Much of the fighting took place at fifty yards or so, very bad ground for a WTBS battle.
I was thinking I would rather have a flinter fusil in the battle at the range the fight was going on then a cap lock.
One guy in the demo had a double barreled civilian shot gun. In that case I would want to use just one barrel at a time and save the second for an emergency.

 

[user 36911]

As slow as we are. We still beat them.

 

[RAEDWALD]

As slow as we are. We still beat them.

Not with Rifle Muskets, and Canada is still free.

 

[LawrenceA]

As slow as we are. We still beat them.

Perhaps you are getting your conflicts mixed up. It was the revolutionary war you fought the Brits and then again in 1812.
To the best of my knowledge you were not fighting them in the WBTS 40 add years later!
Just using their guns amongst others.
The Confederates famously used the British Whitworth Rifle and both sides used Enfeilds to some extent.
They even bought the Enfield cartridges but I do not know if they used the Enfield loading technique to any degree.

 

[yonderin]

I remember reading that one of the causes of the 1857 Indian Mutiny was the requirement to bite the end of the cartridge off when offended most of the Indian service members. The rumour it used beef tallow was offensive to the Hindus and the story it contained pork lard did the same to Muslims.

If that's the case; when did the Brits shift to snapping the cartridge off at the muzzle? Are the two drills being demonstrated from the same period?

Enquiring minds want to know.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Being a reenactor for the civil war period the one thing I did like was the cap box on the cartridge box sling vs. on the waist belt. Lots less movement to retrieve a cap. Wonder why the snapping of the cartridge paper case you still bite off the powder end.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Opps re-watched the video he tore the end off.

 

[TFoley]

I've taken this from Youtube -

These comments are awesome. Pretty sad how a fun comparison of musketry systems circa 1862 can trigger a bunch of whiny Americans who apparently need to start chanting "USA! USA!" and insult our British allies. The last time we fought was 205 years ago, we've been on the same side ever since. By the way, I am the "British" soldier in this video, and I am also a US Army officer.

1.5K

REPLY

I remain uncertain why you chose to portray the British SNCO as somebody from a Mack Sennet movie. BTW, I was in the British Army for almost 33 years, and there really wasn't much that was funny about it.







CANCELREPLY

 

[LawrenceA]

Not a historian by any stretch of the imagination but the sepoy revolt was in1857 with the introduction of the Enfield and its cartridges instead of the Brown Bess.
The normal method with a Brown Bess was use the teeth.
This was the in the British East India Company and lead to that company telling their troops to tear the cartridge with their fingers (didn't help).

So it would seem at least initially both methods were used in India by the British East India Company.

 

[appalichian hunter]

From my experiences there is nothing funny about being in any service regardless of ones service to their country.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Been there done that. If they wanted you to have a sense of humor they would have issued you one.

 

[user 36911]

Been there done that. If they wanted you to have a sense of humor they would have issued you one.

Where would the Brits find one?

 

[RAEDWALD]

As was often repeated to me in my service in the British Army - 'if you can't take a joke you shouldn't have joined up'
That went with 'It's only pain'. Also 'any fool can be uncomfortable' which is the soundest advice.

Yes the use of teeth was appropriate to the musket cartridge where the pan had to be filled before loading the charge from the cartridge. The complaints of Sepoys led to a change in the Enfield cartridge to hand tearing and was established across the British Army as it was superior in the case of the percussion rifle where the rifle is held at the muzzle anyway to load so the hand is free to hold the twist.

I would recommend buying a copy of Brett Gibbons new book 'The English Cartridge' which is $12.99 from Amazon. and pair it with his previous book 'The Destroying Angel' ($11.99) about the rifle musket itself. And no I am not he although he appears in this forum and I have received 'neither fear nor favour' to recommend them.

 

[RAEDWALD]

Where would the Brits find one?

They would borrow one from the Americans but then they would have to wait three years before it turns up.

BTW my mother was a Master Sergeant in the US Army in WW2. Well 1942 anyway, so four years after my father began his war service.

 

[user 36911]

The year I was born.

 

[mushka]

I was told to get comfortable with your discomfort. Somehow it worked.