Could You Survive in the Duke of Wellington's Army?
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- čas přidán 11. 05. 2024
- 'Could You Survive in the Duke of Wellington's Army?'
During the Napoleonic Wars the British Army experienced a time of rapid change. At the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1793, the army was a small, awkwardly administered force of barely 40,000 men. By the end of the period, the numbers had vastly increased to over a quarter of a million soldiers by 1813.
Whilst the battlefields of the early 1800s looked similar to those of centuries gone by, with columns of infantry advancing slowly toward the enemy musket volleys, the British army was starting to diversify, adding specialised and elite units to its forces.
In this video, History Hit presenters Luke Tomes (@histluketomes) and Louee Dessent (@loueedj) join the Coldstream Guards 1815 and 95th Rifles - reenactment groups representing real units that served in the Peninsular War and helped to defeat Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo…
You can find out more about the groups here:
www.coldstreamguards1815.org....
www.95th-rifles.co.uk
Together, they'll find out how your regiment in the Duke of Wellington’s army would shape your experience on the battlefield and determine your chances of survival.
Taking up the role of a 'redcoat' line infantryman, Louee is thrown in the deep-end as he joins a marching drill crash course, before firing a brown bess musket.
Meanwhile, Luke is taken through the unique light infantry skirmishing tactics used by the green jackets during the Napoleonic Wars, before firing the famous baker rifle and learning how to make musket balls from scratch.
Will Louee survive his drill training? Will Luke be able to fire 3 rounds per minute? Watch the video to find out!
Filmed at the Living History UK Festival 2023.
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#historyhit #napoleonicwars #dukeofwellington
00:00 Introduction
02:37 The Coldstream Guards (equipment)
11:02 The 95th Rifles (equipment)
16:56 Drill training
21:25 Light infantry tactics
25:47 Rations and camp life
29:54 Making your own ammunition
34:47 The Baker rifle
41:12 The Brown Bess musket
44:29 Injuries and treatment
45:15 Battle demonstration
46:45 Final scores
Hope you enjoy guys! Which unit of Wellington's army would you rather serve in? 🤔
Could you, for a change, evoke the great French victories against the British throughout history? 🧐
None: 2:54, pekingese peed on my backpack, I'm out...
the foot guards or even better horse guards better pay better rations, better living conditions in general.
As an Irishman...probably, Sharpe and his chums...😅😅😅😅
PS ,generation upon generation of Irish and Scots took the King, s shilling..still do...Declan McManus aka Elvis Costello sang about it in Oliver, s army...dedicated to his Grandad...😊😊😊
Those green jacketed riflemen were so good of an elite unit, Sean Bean playing one of them didn't have to die for once :D
I always wanted to be a chosen man of the 95 rifles when I was a kid lol
@@kiely4561 same lol
still, got shot almost every episode :P
He did have his first wife die and life's savings stolen by his second wife, though.
Can't believe this I've just binge watched Sharpe. It's still great. Might have a go at Hornblower next week
Wow. This gave me such nostalgia back to television when I was a kid and there were actual history programs, not "Hitler's Aliens and Pyramids." The time and effort that must've gone into making this is truly incredible. That intro sequence of the foot marching to the rifles appearing through the bush is something else, man. The reenactors are awesome!
I'm literally 60 seconds in and can already tell this is going to be better produced than anything that's been on TLC or the History Channel in the last 20 years.
I owe you a beer or two. We'll said.
Those shows are so bad they make Sharps Rifles seem like a documentary.
Thanks a lot! No aliens on this channel 😀
In 1972 we marched to “There’s no use in looking down, there’s no discharge on that ground.” How true that was!
My half sister, when she married, was gifted 3 bottles of Champagne by her father. Looted by her great, great, great, grandfather at Badajoz.
That’s the least of the crimes at Badajoz but Police will add it to their list. Detectives’ 8x grand children are still combing through the scene.
Imagine welcoming your supposed allies liberating you from the French invaders only to be looted and pillaged by them.
Surviving in Old Nosey's Army? Now that's soldiering.
The ability to make it through a 51 minute video on the peninsular war without mentioning sharpe… now that’s soldiering
Old Wellington, he scratched his bum. He says, "Boney lad, thee's had thee fun.
My riflemen will win the day,
Over the hills and far away!
So, basically, recruiters talked as much BS then, as they do now.
I think even a Roman Legionnaire heard a recruiter's crap. LoL. Scares the Jesus out of them if you tell them what you're doing there. LOL! Cheers
Pretty much. “Join the Royal Navy he said, see the world he said” buuull sh-t I say
@@vectorbrony3473 lol I am american always wished I was british but even I wouldnt serve in the Royal Navy.
@@pilsplease7561 As a Brit, I don't know anyone who would
@@zaeroses1096 I would serve in the british army if i was british though. Nothing wrong with the army.
My 7th great grandfather, Giles Edmonds, served in the XIV Hussars in Spain... he served from November 1808 - July 1814, when he was pensioned out due to injury and became a Chelsea Pensioner... he lived out a good long life with his fifteen children.
Your great grandfather was alive during those times? Four generations spanned over 215 years?
@Zamiroh what's your problem?
@Zamiroh some people such as yourself are just "Internet Victims" incapable of believing anything. I'm not prepared to give you his discharge papers because you'd refuse to believe they're real. But, I don't believe YOU'RE Real.
@@Zamiroh I think they meant their "great great great great great great great grandfather" when they said "7th great grandfather" so 10 generations over 200+ yrs.
@@Zamirohlearn how to read
As an Ex-Rifleman of The Rifles it’s great seeing the core values and traditions of the 95th still being instilled into the Rifleman of today.
Also having been in the Rifles, it is clear to me that youre talking absolute shite. apart from a faster march and nonsense rhetoric, they are identical to every other infantry regiment
@user-bu4is9ii7u Tall cap and bolt action rifle. Devil soldier from the future!
Awesome...you served in a GREAT unit!
Over the hills and far away. 🇬🇧🇬🇧
Black and green , the finest colours ever seen.
Im an American US Army vet. I was doing my Genealogy and im thankful the UK record keeping is so good. I found the pension record for my 6th Great Grandfather he served in the 2nd Dragoons from 1799 to 1816.
You can still join these regiments today
@@dylancoombes for me it's cool as I had a 6th GGF in the British 2nd Dragoons a 3td GGF served in the 6th Michigan Cavalry under Custer and when I served my first unit was 1st Battalion 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. It's like I was fated to be in the Cav and didn't know it. I retired in 2011 and I wasn't until 2021 I started researching the Kennedy side of my family.
@@mikebrase5161 Damn the Cavalry Units were used to turn the tide of a battle, mad respect to the lads who would charge into column of musket fire with no show of fear but courage and determination.
It is so interesting to think of the various family members of yours, what hand they had in the history of both Nations, what lead some of them to boarding ship for the 1- 1.5 month voyage to the Colonies. And what their lives were like.
@@uncletiggermclaren7592 Oh it's even crazier, on my Fathers mother's side I had 3 relatives who fought in the German side in WW2 all the while her future husband my Grandfather was in the US Army and landed on D-Day.
The food, the drink, the flies, the heat, the mosquitos, the marches, the weather, the wives and the French. How did any of them come back?
Did they have anything to come back to in the first place?
Definitely a snow flake free zone.
A better question would be could you survive in Blücher’s army?
French across a bridge? Attack.
French on a fortified hill? Attack.
French outnumber us 7-1? Attack.
French have split the atom & devised a nuke? Attack.
I like the fact you put the French last. Natural place for Johnny Crapaud! (Joke, obviously).
By putting one foot in front of the other and repeating that 😂😂 it’s really that easy lol
Two of my Ancestors were in Wellington's Army. One Richard Rowe who served in the 2nd Foot Regiment for nearly 14 years.. He was at Vitoria. The second one William Taylor was in the 11th Dragoons and was at Salamanca and Waterloo.. William was in this Regiment for 15 years, both were Chelsea Pensioners in 1851.
One ancestor of mine served in Polish troops of the French army and fought against Wellington's army in Spain, maybe our Ancestors fought against each other…
God, there is A LOT of fighting in Europe's history! As far as I am able to go back in time through my "family tree", I am only the second generation that wasn't in a war, before that every single generation had to fight at some point (at least for us, the Poles, this is so).
Any proof mate?
how did they survive for so many years ?
@@matthewlo55 I have the discharge papers and medal awards. Also the 1851 census records 😁
@@iceberg789 just lucky, my Ancestor Richard Rowe was in the West Indies for 5 years 8 months. 250 of his regiment died of yellow fever..
"But it is wonderful what fine fellows we have made of them" , People always forget that bit of Wellington's statement. Which, to be fair, he made for the first time after the battle of Vittoria in 1814, when his victorious troops, after winning a decisive battle against the retreating French, stopped to plunder their baggage train, depriving Wellington of some much needed money, (Intended to actually pay the men with!), and allowing the French to escape to fight again in the Pyrenees. What with Gout, interferences from Whitehall, occasionally insane generals, and a rank and file who, (at least some of them), would drink anything liquid and nick anything not nailed down, I can kind of excuse Wellington's outburst a little bit. And let us not forget; Wellington may not have LIKED his soldiers, but he certainly tried to not throw their lives away.
As usual, the gold is in the comments
Suddenly I'm thinking of the interaction between wellington and the plundering soldier in the movie Waterloo "do you know what the punishment for plunder is?" "Uh, stoppage of gin sir?" "Damn your eyes, it's death"
@@throwback19841 And then he says to the officer next to him "I don't know what they'll do to the French, but by God, they frighten me!". Christopher Plummer was a brilliant Wellington. Underrated film.
Don't forget that back then the British Navy and Army were often alternatives to jail or imprisonment, others joined simply for a square meal and shelter not to mention food.
@@FelixstoweFoamForge if you like Waterloo, watch the soviet version of War and Peace made just a few years before. It was the same director (Bondarchuk) and the battle scenes are incredible, Waterloo was also made with nearly all russian extras and soviet backing.
My 3rd great Grandfather was in the 33rd Foot at Waterloo. He joined in 1811, when he was 16 years old, and had just gone 20 in June 1815. Out of 516 men of the regiment there were 280 casualties. Luckily fate was good to him and he survived to serve another 10 years in Ireland, Canada and Jamaica. He was honourably discharged from the Chelsea Hospital in 1824 and lived to 1853. He received a Chelsea Pension. All the survivors got 2 years service added towards the army pension along with the Waterloo medal.
Amazing, thanks for sharing
I could not survive in our local Boy Scouts Troop let alone the Duke Wellingtons Army
I've been in boy scouts, it's Lord of the flies stuff
Unlike the French army, the British army was mostly made up of slummers. They grew up living the ghetto life (without food), and would earn a dollar a day for most of their life, in today's money. The army would actually be a step up: Food was guaranteed, you travelled abroad, and the drippy uniform was unattainable in their childhood. Their lives were cheap anyway, so didn't always have to be impressed into the army. If Harlem didn't have food, that would be equal to East London in 1803
@@mrbearbear83 lol
the fuller on the bayonet is not a “blood groove” - popular misconception. its function is to simultaneously lighten and stiffen the blade
I think that 'fact' about the canteens not containing water but beer is also a popular myth. There were plenty of wells (or streams) with perfectly drinkable water, in almost every village
I was told that the blood channel in the SLR and SA80 bayonets was to counter the suction from the victims body as bayonets without this channel would get stuck
a classic case of Fudd Lore@@HUMPTYNUGGET
@@HUMPTYNUGGETyeah I would imagine it had that functionality as well, maybe it's a bit of both
@@hand587modern canteens however are more likely to contain dip spit. 😂
I luv these guys as hosts. How they split up and you get to see both sides a bit more in-depth than one normally would. Then when you see them again on the next adventure, they trade classes
I have enjoyed the Sharpe series of books from Bernard Cornwell. They discuss and illustrate this period with great accuracy and excellent stories with some historical latitude. It is great to see what Sharpe would have work as regular leg infantry and as an officer in the rifles. Thank you very much for your presentation, excellent resource.
Did you ever watch the TV show?
@Michael Hawkins I have seen bits and pieces, but never watched the series, I want to though.
I used to absolutely love the sharpe series as a kid
Now that's soldiering
🤘💯
Putting out a documentary on what it was like in Wellington's Army? Now that's soldierin'.
I served 12 years with 3 royal green jackets,my ancestor sgt. Samuel humble Lawson of the 95th rifles led the forlorn hope at badajoz and was promoted to lieutenant.We still own the only existing forlorn hope medal as only 4 were issued,his GSM with forlorn hope bar,and his crimea medal and star as he was a adviser to the Portuguese. I also had an ancestor in the artists rifles and my grandfather was a rifle brigade officer in both world wars.
S&b
Wow! Impressive! I served with 2 RGJ.
bros ancestor was sharpe
@@aaoaoaoaoaa ??
@Stanly Stud Any ex servicemen who says derogatory remarks about any other regiment, is the knob. You need to grow up mate and have some respect for your fellow soldiers!
Another top video guys this time showing a clear difference between the "Red Coats" and the "Rifles". along with the use case differences between the musket and the rifle users. It was also good to get an insight into the harsh life of the two regiments. Once again a great educational video guys. Many thanks for sharing. We still need to learn why we keep on fighting each other even now but I guess that is an issue that unfortunately I doubt will have a resolution and in my lifetime.
thanks Anthony!
Scalpel or Sledgehammer? Both are good at what they do..... Use the right tool for the job
*"They may* (or is it 'may not'?) *frighten the enemy, but by God they frighten me."*
- attributed to Wellington
And yet he's also quoted as saying "When other Generals make mistakes their armies are beaten; when I get into a hole, my men pull me out of it." so I'd wager he felt they had their qualities as well.
Ive said it once and I’ll say it again.. I’M ADDICTED TO THIS SERIES!!! Keeeeep them cominggggg history squire! 🤓💙
That was really well done! Balanced, informative, and genuinely enjoyable to watch. Will be back for more.
thanks Martin!
What incredible people recreating this unique history. I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Great work. I have wanted to know more about the armies of this time and found this very informative and entertaining. The British army although not the originators developed the light infantry concept into one of the widest accepted standard infantry practices in history. Even modern divisions still have similarities with the force make up from this time.
As a huge fan of Sharpe and military history in general, this was fantastic. Definitely my favourite video yet from this channel 😊👍
Thought they might have included something about floggings seeing as they happened on a daily basis
"The French system of conscription brings together a fair sample of all classes; ours is composed of the scum of the earth - the mere scum of the earth. It is only wonderful that we should be able to make so much out of them afterwards." Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
From serfs, to soldiers…& back to serfs.
Plowshares to swords and back again
What a noble cause. Remind me who the villain(s) is again in the Napoleonic Wars?
@@ddc2957 History rarely offers us black and white answers. A million different answers, a million different perspectives, heroes and villains depend upon who you ask.
That’s true. I can only judge the situation through my own moral compass. Britain were the worst of a very awful bunch of nations in this conflict where France fought for a grand cause. But opinions of course differ.
Excellent, informative and well produced presentation. The reenactors are wonderful!
Love this duo & series! So many knowledgeable reenactors, makes you want to go out there and experience it for yourself. I definitely wouldn't survive being in either unit haha
GREAT, great video!
BIG thanks to all the guys who keep those beautiful traditions ALIVE!! 🤩
I put this in to fall asleep to. Ended up watching the whole thing fully engaged. This was really well put together and a fascinating insight into the military at the time. Also a good bit of context for my viewings if Sharpe 😅.
Great program guys. It was good fun and an honour to take part in the filming and to meet you guys. I hope we get to do other projects with History Hit in the future...😎
Brilliant video, that opening sequence was phenomenal. Great work.
The carbines used by the French light infantry did have the significant advantage of rate of fire over the British rifles due to the tight fit needed for roundballs to engage the rifling. The later development of the Minie ball - which had a hollow back and therefore could be loaded loosely (and easily in fouled-up blackpowder barrels) while still engaging the rifling when the pressure expands the skirt outward - is what made the mass adoption of rifles practical for line infantry as seen in the American Civil War. Rifles had been around for a long time by the Napoleonic wars, but there's a reason why they still chose to equip mainly with smoothbores (there's also the cost of manufacturing at scale)
The French tended to prefer rate and fire over accuracy, which is a valid point because Napoleon was able to consistently beat most armies he fought against, the French usually deployed swarms of skirmishes who preferred to keep up higher rate of fire which gave better suppression value and psychological affect. There are merits to both methods of skirmishing, in my opinion it would be best to have 75% of your skirmishers armed with higher rate of fire carbines and have 25% with rifles who can more easily snipe high value targets whilst under cover from the higher fire rate out put, but I don’t know if this was ever the case
It’s crazy how so much has changed but yet so much is still the same. Pair fire and manoeuvre is still very present today.
Thank you for the outstanding presentation. All of the reenactors were fantastic. I learned a great deal!👍👍
Great video and nicely explained the differences between the line infantry and the rifles.
My great great grandfather joined the 40th of foot as a boy, and served on the Peninsula under Wellesley then New Orleans in 1815 then Waterloo and then as an occupational force in France. He died at aged 96. They made real bloody men then. Lest we forget
The 40th of foot was one of the regiment’s that became the regiment I served, The Queens Lancashire Regiment.
Quebec was a unique battle honour which the 40th took part in under Wolfe and we still celebrate it every year.
Never forgive , never forget British imperialism and colonialism and the hundreds of millions of massacred indigenous peoples.
Lucky hero surviving that lot
@@Freddy19677 biased
certains vous vous inventez des vies c'est incroyable.
Very interesting! Learned a lot and well shot. One of my great (however many) granddads went through the peninsula campaign, Austria, Russia and Waterloo and retired into similar conditions as those he left. Last record he appears in a workhouse type thing in cholet aged in his 80s..so a good long life!! With many stories to tell.
Outstanding video lads! I really enjoyed it. Quality content!
around the 19 minute mark.. see the young soldier... what a youthful look, and probably just the same as many who served, fought, and died in battle. RESPECT to those who serve(d)
I went to Waterloo on the 200th centenary and saw the reenactment and it was wonderfull , especially the camps with all the soldiers from different regiments and nationalities .
"...70 yards, then the vets start hanging a bit back because they aren't so sure about this."
Man, what an insane thing to feel.
Such a good combo to complement each other in history teaching haha I love this channel
I’m trying to pin down if a 5th great granduncle George Goodwin from New Brunswick, Canada fought at Waterloo. I’ve been able to prove that he and his brother Benjamin were in the 104th New Brunswick Regiment and fought in the War of 1812, as family legend said they did. The legend then said that they both fought at Waterloo, but I did prove that Benjamin, at least, did not-he stayed in Canada through 1817. George, however, was transferred to England in November 1814. I have lost him at that point, but have found that a George Goodwin was in the paybook for the 23rd Light Dragoons from December 25, 1814 through the end of 1816, and did fight at Waterloo.
I really need to find the paybook preceding that one to see if that George Goodwin is in it. If so, then he is not my relative. If he isn’t, then at least that man could be him. The only other option I can think of is seeing if he had an obituary published when he died in 1849, but I haven’t found one yet. The fact that the family legend is a long-lasting one, first published in 1900, does boost my confidence in it, but that’s not proof.
Hi ,Kathy parish records, Catholic and protestant might be a useful source, a few Goodwin's and Godwin's here on Merseyside, and Dublin..??.. I hope you succeed, best wishes from the wirral peninsula ,bounded by the mersey and the Dee and the Irish sea...geography and rhyme😊😊😊😊.
@@eamonnclabby7067 Thanks! I do know that George and Benjamin’s father Daniel was from Plymouth, England. He had emigrated to Massachusetts in 1754 and enlisted for the French and Indian War in 1755. He served until 1762 and settled in New Brunswick after the war, not far from where he had fought. My 1900 published source for the family legend also talked about Daniel’s military service, reinforcing my hopes that the legend for George’s Waterloo service is also based in fact.
Very underrated channel. Things like this are the reason I no longer have a tv subscription.
I’m a big fan of the Sharpe books so this video really helped to bring it to life❤
This was absolutely brilliant! And the 95th Sargent was brilliant! He played the role and had all the information. I bet they had a great time.
Thanks for another cracking vlog very interesting and informative
I never even knew of the green coats, that is really cool. It’s such a fascinating form of warfare cuz it’s one that us in the modern era can’t really comprehend with the fact of just standing and kneeling in an open field just firing at large ranks of the enemy. In modern warfare, no one would survive but then we’re not restricted to a few rounds a minute.
Thank you so much Luke and Louee for bringing history alive, rather than kept in a dark and dusty corner of a museum .After watching this i have to re watch Bernard Cornwell,s Sharpes Rifles starring the brilliant Sean Bean.❤
Hope you guys are still posting , Luke and louee your videos are so good , feels like you have stopped hope you haven't ,if you have you have left a high bar guys 😁😁😁♥️♥️
as always great presentation and information about this war
Great video guys and brining more light to my favourite period of history. Would love to see you guys maybe return to these boys one day if they are doing a proper reenactment against the frogs across the pond and showing your training out to use.
But also. We have to admit here, these two ain’t your average working class day millers. No, these two are your middle class semi-gentlemen lads.
Get them out of the infantry and get em into the cavalry sir and see they provide for their own horses too.
Loved this! 🤍 As someone obsessed with historical costume and uniforms this was a treasure trove of info and inspiration. Thank you!
My 3rd great grand uncle served in Bluchers Prussian Army at Waterloo. He was wounded there and died several years later from his injuries. Since I survived Parris Island over 50 years ago I believe I could survive being in Wellingtons Army.
One consideration is that many more soldiers died of disease and from wounds because surgeons did not practice sterile techniques. Even WWI had high death rates from the misnamed Spanish flu. So you might have survived combat but not these other threats
@@brucewindsor5257 yes, however more soldiers died of common diseases than wounds in battle. A lot of doctors were also incompetent and a lot more did not know anything about germs and common sanitation. I remember a quote from John Wayne in the movie, Horse Soldiers, when he told a colonel that coffee would taste a lot better if the latrines were built down stream from where they got the water for the coffee. Now, we take these common sanitation principals for granted but not so a couple of hundred years ago, especially before the enlightenment of Louis Pasteur.
@@brucewindsor5257
The field surgeons did not have the resources to create sterile environments the real game changer was antibiotics.
@@Art-is-craft Even before antibiotics, it was discovered that operating quickly and cleaning the table with soap and water, as well as washing hands with chlorinated lime massively increased the survival rates
@@charlesc.9012
None of that changed the landscape like antibiotics.
That's intro was a great little set piece, the transition from redcoats to green jackets was so smooth.
This is great,so interesting well done Luke and louee😊😊😊
Love this series, can always depend on the brits to produce banger docs!
Saw these 2 regiments of reenactors in april at Moira Furnace. Entertaining seeing them drill and shoot.
That is where this was filmed...it was a good event.
Another great piece of work chaps! Congratulations.
Absolutely well done and historically on target. Well-told, I think perhaps even for those less familiar with things. Thanks!
I love how the Brown Bess didn’t even have a sight. The manufacturer’s were like, “come on, who are we kidding…”😂
Since watching this I have a really strong urge to go back and read all the Sharpe novels again. Now that's soldiering!
Fantastic work. Really appreciated. Bless up 👊
Excellent documentary. Showing daily life of those from the past is the most interesting documentary which can be made.
My G.G.G.G Grandfather Joseph McFate, 72nd Seaforth Highlanders, was attached to the Experimental Rifle Corps at its formation in 1800, as Quarter Master Sergeant. His son, born in Hampstead, was named Stuart Manningham McFate, after the Colonel’s of the Regiment.
My Great great grandfather Murchadh was a soldier in the Freicaidean Dubh, eventually with Moore and afterwards with Wellesley in The Peninsula where he lost his arm at the siege of Burgos. Brought to the rear he was placed on stable doors on trestles in the rain in a farmyard, given rum and a belt to bite on. Orderlies lay on him and a cigar-smoking surgeon in high-hat and butcher's apron amputated the shattered arm and chucked it in the pile. Lots of men did not survive such amputations. Murchadh did.
Thank you History Hit for bringing out my inner Lydia Bennet - I do love a redcoat 😊
Early 19th Century is one of my favourite periods in history. Mainly for the social history, but hanging around with reenactors has definitely given me a better appreciation of the military side.
Also, I spy some of the 33rd Regiment of Foot amongst those redcoats!
You know why there are so many officers mentioned in the books of the time, because rich young gentlemen would get themselves a Commission in a Militia Regiment (or Yeomanry) so they had a nice uniform to go to parties in.
There is also at least one 5th/60th in with the grasshoppers
It was great seeing this online. Makes me still proud so have been a Chosen Man from the RGJ. S&B fellow Rfn near and far.
First in the field and last from the fray...
Love this video, theres something I love about the uniforms of the times.
Particularly in regard to recruits from ireland. many were from spalpín fánach class. The wandering labourers this was a a class of men who would have wandered the irish countryside from place to place seeking agricultural. employment.sleeping In barns or outhouses if lucky or in ditches if unlucky. To men like this the army even with all the harsh discipline of military life may have been a relatively attractive option.
I suppose terrible food and low pay beats no food and no pay.
@@thesnoopmeistersnoops5167 more like "beats the alternative". With the navy press gangin means you have no choice at all. At least with the army you choose to volunteered.
@Aetius the only people ever press ganged by the navy were civilian sailors. A guy who had never been to sea before was useless to the navies of the time.
Yep. Ireland had something of a large population for its size at the time and combined with an economic downturn this drove a lot of Irishmen to the army. A third of the army was Irish, which of course was second only to England, which provided half, in terms of sheer numbers. One of the popular songs at the time spoke of 'twining the shamrock with the rose' and ending up with the best body of fighting men in the world as a result of the recruitment from both countries.
Scotland and Wales too of course!
The Duke of Wellington knew Ireland well - he was from Ireland.
I might get shot for saying this, but, I always liked the line from Sharpe "You won't see a battle, but you'll bloody hear it!"
Shooting something 300 yards away sounds unbelievable in 1810. Makes me want to go to the range. Always learn something new with your videos.
Awesome introduction scene!! its even coreographed with the reenactors, very cool to see!
My great great great grandfather served with the 2nd regiment of lifeguards served in Spain, then at Waterloo where he was shot and received sabre wounds.
such a great feature to watch and absorb, thanks
Thankyou for this informative video 😊
I had no idea that the cartridge boxes also had a cleaning kit; I always assumed that they were contained in a soldiers pack, the form of a kit roll for the musket. Now I know. 🤷🏻♂️
I wasn’t even aware that the Baker rifle even had a flip sight - despite its effective range.
Wow, I always wondered why Sharpe wore a green uniform! Thanks for the explanation.
Not to ,mention the brown trousers
@@francisfisher328 Now that's soldiering..
I believe some US Civil War snipers (Union side) also wore green.
He literally makes a point of being a rifleman...
@@samsignorelliyou haven't seen Sharpe haven't you?
Fantastic history lesson, thank you.
Fantastic! Great re-enactors.
What an interesting time to recreate. Also, this reminds me of ‘The Black Adder’ Season 3.
TEEEAAAAA!!!!!!
Most modern people used to all the amenities like central heating etc would not survive many pre modern scenarios. They wouldn't survive as medieval farmers either.
I love it when the keyboard warriors get on here and claim that they'd kick ass in the past. All I'm thinking is "Bitch please, you'd be dead of pox before the first week is out." Of course they'd probably die of starvation or thirst before that. Wasn't like you could drive up to a Mac D's for a Big Mac Combo with a large drink.
@@hunterg24 There is also the language barrier the lingo we have now would be different then aswell as values and beliefs.
I agree with you both in principle, but to play Devil’s advocate, there is an old maxims
“You can do anything, if you have no other choice.”
Depends on how deep you get thrown in.
Many modern people could adapt with a little bit of training as long as they're not thrown into northern europe mid winter in the little ice age or something.
Most of the people from the time had Buckley's chances of survival. The whole idea that people were just built different in the past is wrong.
Had to watch this as I'm currently reading the Richard Sharpe series, very interesting!
Excellent video. Very interesting and educational ... and excellently presented. Thank you.
thanks so much!
Excellent, as a reenactor many wars, this is well done. I have done the War of 1812 in the US and Canada but would so like to try the Napoleonic Wars.
Come on over
Some of my family served for the British army around 1810. Both in Europe and British North America as infantry however I’m not sure which unit.
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Very informative.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This was very thorough and well done
in fact yes, we would have every chance of surviving in Wellington's army, because he was like Montgomery an excessively cautious general and took no risks, if he did not have an overwhelming numerical superiority and a strategic and tactical advantage confident he fell back, retreated, and did not fight. this is what makes all the difference with Napoleon who almost always fought in numerical inferiority and the fights were often imposed on him. Despite this the death toll was almost always lower on the French side, due to unyielding discipline, better tactics and excellent training.
What few people know is that Duke Welligton was so impressed by Napoleon that he turned his home into a Napoleonic museum for the rest of his life.
Interesting, cheers.
"If he did not have an overwhelming numerical superiority and a strategic and tactical advantage....." The facts hardly bear out such an assertion but in any case, you seem to be describing successful generalship.
"If you find yourself in a fair fight you have not planned the operation correctly."
Despite "unyielding discipline, better tactics and excellent training" the French were repeatedly defeated or repulsed in the field by forces under Wellington, (who certainly had a good eye for terrain as any successful commander should) and battle casualites in Spain tended either to be roughly equal or to the French disadvantage.
Regardless of that, you seem to be suggesting that Napoleon was a gambler whose winning streak finally ran out, leading to his ultimate defeat.
At Waterloo, he attacked a position he had allowed the enemy to choose and despite local superiority in numbers, failed to destroy Wellington's allied force before the Prussians came up. An outcome he had failed to allow for, having apparently assumed each opponent had already been defeated in detail. Not his best day.
(The souvenirs in Wellington's London residence were more a monument to himself as a major contributor to Napoleon's defeat. He always respected Napoleon as a commander- until Waterloo).
@@japhfo ......I do not agree ! Despite all your efforts, it is very likely that you will not succeed in mobilizing more men than the opponent, so you will have to do with it !
Wellington was always able to have a possible withdrawal, time was not an imperative factor, ...but not with Napoleon ! because the opposing forces were always superior in number he absolutely had to play with time to beat the armies independently, and almost at each time if he had refused the battle there is a strong chance that the opposing armies would have been able to come together and therefore offer a battle so unequal that winning it would have represented an impossible feat! this is why the Napoleonic “grognards” said that Napoleon won battles with their legs!
"If you find yourself in a fair fight you have not planned the operation correctly." I see the English mentality here, England being a difficult island to invade, throughout history the battles have almost always taken place on the continent, which gives the English an enormous advantage, that of having time, each time the conditions are not
favorable it is always possible to return to your boats and come back later, as Wellington did so well in Corunna. The continental mentality is not the same....you have to do with what you have, when an army presents itself in front of you along the border of your country it is not possible to say "hey stop, could you come back later I am not ready !".
Not at all, i'm not suggesting that Napoleon was a gambler, Napoleon was a tactician and a strategist, and surprise and fear are two weapons well known to the military, isn't the motto of the British SAS "who dares wins"....? For the battle of Waterloo Napoleon did not give Wellington the choice to choose his terrain, it was once again time that imposed itself on Napoleon, he could not wait for the two armies to reunite, after the "bataille des quatre bras" and the one of "Ligny" the English headed towards Brussels and Napoleon's interest was to attack Wellington's troops as quickly as possible, waiting would have been disastrous therefore, when Wellington proposed the battle and installing his army on a defensive position at Waterloo, Napoleon did not have the luxury of refusing it! Despite this I am sorry to tell you that the battle against Wellington was won, and Wellington knew it "give me the night or Blucher" he said at the end of the afternoon! because the attack of the french old guard was precipitated, it should never have attacked at that moment, but it was the arrival of Blucher's troops on his right flank which forced Napoleon to play his all. If Grouchy had done his job, and if he had chased the Prussians off the battlefield of Waterloo, Napoleon would have had all the time necessary to "quietly" complete the destruction of Wellington's army....there is no possible doubt that without the arrival of the Prussians Wellington would have been lost.
"An outcome he had failed to allow for, having apparently assumed each opponent had already been defeated in detail"...This is completely false! the meeting of the armies of Wellington and Blucher should never have taken place and Napoleon had made sure of that, he never considered that the Prussian army had been completely wiped out....but there are circumstances that arise and nothing happens as planned, ....I explain: Napoleon's aide-de-camp during all his battles was always Berthier....unfortunately Berthier was not at the Battle of Waterloo, because he died a few days before falling from a window. consequently he had been replaced by a much younger and much less experienced aide-de-camp. Well before the start of the battle, Napoleon had given this new aide-de-camp a written order intended for Grouchy, ordering him to pursue the Prussians, to follow them far from the battlefield to prevent the coalition armies from join and once the pursuit and removal of the Prussians was completed, he ordered Grouchy to reach the battlefield of Waterloo with his 20,000 men.....it was during the battle that Napoleon, being surprised not to see Grouchy's army arrived, turned to his aide-de-camp and asked him if he had indeed sent the written order intended for Grouchy....the aide-de-camp replied that yes, he had indeed sent a rider carrying the message to Grouchy! It was then that Napoleon exclaimed “but my poor friend, for such an order Berthier would have sent 100 horsemen!” and in fact, the only rider sent by the aide-de-camp fell from his horse during his race and broke his leg,..... the order never reached grouchy!
This is an example of the bad circumstances of the day which led to this defeat, but there are many others...it was a day when, as sometimes happens, everything goes wrong.
Concerning this "monument to himself as a major contributor to Napoleon's defeat."...here again it is completly false and to be convinced of this you have to read Wellington's memoirs. Furthermore, Wellington's fascination with Napoleon was corroborated by a large number of his visitors who often encountered him prostrate in front of the portrait of Napoleon, lost in his dreams and in contemplation.
@@gandigooglegandigoogle7202
As you wish.
I sense that you need this breathless mix of ignorance and fantasy to be true, so I will not trouble you further, except to point out that Wellington was never at Coruña; he never wrote any memoirs; and if "Napoleon's interest was to attack Wellington's troops as quickly as possible," it was unfortunate that on the 17th of June he should have allowed the Duke the leisure to retreat to the Mont St Jean position that he had noted a year earlier as good defensive ground - and which he had agreed to hold if Blucher would commit to joining him on his left; which he did.
The rest is history.
@@japhfo .....You're right, it was Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore who commanded the British army in Coruña, but he acted according to British custom and tradition, it was in the very nature of his command. Wellington would have done the same, as I'm sure you understood the intention of my remarks.
Concerning Wellington's memoirs, he himself did not write any work, but certain authors and history buffs have taken the liberty of collecting his notes, the accounts of those close to him, his declarations, etc. In an extremely precise study, the writer Henri Bernard has detailed the person and his intentions as faithfully as possible in his book "The Duke of Wellington" written in French. It is an excellent book which describes very precisely who the character was, borrowing his thoughts and intentions as they were retained and preserved during his life.
As far as I'm concerned, I don't distort history, because history is not malleable, it always ends up back in its original form, and I don't see why I should, I'm Swiss and completely objective on the subject.
"I feel you need this mixture of ignorance and fantasy to be true"... so your sentence is completely unfounded.
i like this duo !
This is so mad to think how many people died from disease in that time. Imagine how many young men with hopes and dreams perished after a year of hard training in some field because of disintery, or then on the battlefield because nobody bothered to help the wounded.
We just dont know how good we have it now...
Love watching your content!
It's sad that there were no good sides in the Napoleonic Wars. Many veterans of Wellington's army ended up destitute and lived out their days languishing in Britain's infamous workhouses, as their pensions were never sufficiently supplemented to keep up with inflation.
No good sides? What on earth do you mean by that?
@@dynamo1796 What were British soldiers fighting for? - To prevent Napoleon from replacing Britain’s aristocracy with his own elite, that’s it. British commoners were treated just as horribly as their French counterparts. Lord Wellington made his name India by conquering parts of it, thus subjecting India to a century of brutal occupation and wealth extraction. Wellington did not give two shits about freedom.
@@dynamo1796 well the French could say they were forced to conquer Europe when all of Europe turned on (and invaded) France for becoming a republic, all to keep the status quo of monarchy power in Europe.
It's all not so simple as good Vs bad.
I'm English. Not quite a Bonapartist but Iike/try to look at all sides of it.
There's never a good side. There are just sides. Each side has a reason. Each side does good things... and each side does many more bad things, as is the nature of war.
Interesting, inflation was virtually zero back then, but it was higher than in the 18th century.
These two handsome men are even more handsome in uniform. Great vid. A great look at the horrific lives these men endured.
Ok that bit about the diy rifling on the patch balls was fascinating!
Love your work, HH 👍
In a reenactment of the Battle of Fort Erie in Upper Canada I fired 80 rounds with my musket with no misfires. The flint was almost worn out. People say that the guns were not reliable. I thought I would correct this statement.
That’s good going my friend. We can achieve that with a modern reproduction musket that is well maintained. But as I am sure you know, the misfire rate comes with bad flints, they are very random in quality, bad powder, damp powder, messing up the loading in stressful battles etc etc, the list goes on. In Napoleonic times the misfire rate was extremely high.
A good looked after firelock can allow you that, that's for sure, and that is true now and them. Aiming and hitting your targets with a certain accuracy is a completely different story, and that is the main difference between accuracy and innacuracy to me
imagine if they did this but they were in cavalry and artillery regiments
Great video chaps, turned out great! Was awesome to host you at the Living History UK Festival. See you next year!
Thanks so much - we'll be back!
Wow that formation engagement and charge was awesome