The army is in great spirits, and full of rage and ferocity at the rebellious rascals, who both poisoned and chewed the musket balls, in order to make them the more fatal. — Lt. John Waller, British 2nd Marine Battalion, Bunker Hill What now? Chewed musket balls? Yes, this was a thing — though what kind if thing it actually was is still a bit of … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Chewed Balls, The Furiosa & The Great Highland Pipes
Working The Trapline — Tomahawks & Groggy Dogs
Matt Easton of Scholagladitoria is an expert on melee weapons. Mostly he focuses on medieval themes, for obvious reasons. Penetration of plate armor and suchlike. But here we have a deep dive into period sources on the combat application of the tomahawk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or0AoV1NQt8 Matt is a tad puzzled at the reference to a … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Tomahawks & Groggy Dogs
Rogue Heroes, Line Riders & Canadiana
Rogue Heroes is available in the U.S. now on Epix. It’s worth running down. Based on Ben McIntyre’s outstanding narrative history of the founding of the British Special Air Service (SAS). The casting is spot-on, especially the guy who plays Paddy Mayne. This is the work of Steven Knight, who brought us Taboo and Peaky Blinders. As with Peaky, … [Read more...] about Rogue Heroes, Line Riders & Canadiana
Firearms Of The Frontier Partisans — The Edward Marshall Rifle
“It is doubtful whether any other firearm in existence has shed so much human blood as this old rifle.” — W.W.H. Davis, Bucks County Historical Society If you ever have a yearning to follow obscure tracks into dense thickets where you might get turned around and lost for days (or weeks, or years) at a time, you could do worse than … [Read more...] about Firearms Of The Frontier Partisans — The Edward Marshall Rifle
Yellowstone 1923
The Yellowstone saga will have another origin story chapter in December — this one set in the Roaring 20s. From Cowboys & Indians Magazine: This latest installment of the Dutton family origin story focuses on a new generation of Duttons led by patriarch Jacob (Harrison Ford) and matriarch Cara (Helen Mirren), and explores a fateful early … [Read more...] about Yellowstone 1923
Working The Trapline — Deep In The West
There’s plenty of Frontier Partisan drama to be had over the next few weeks, with an East India Co. Amazon Prime limited series and the return of My Cowboy Soap Opera. The English drops today, November 11, on East India Co. Amazon Prime. Lady Marilyn and I will be watching this weekend... An Englishwoman arrives into the West in 1890 … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Deep In The West
A Corrido Of Dust & Dreams
Let me tell you a story about a bandit named Vasquez... The final podcast in the series Once Upon A Time In Los Angeles, recounting the capture of the legendary bandit Tiburcio Vasquez is now up. You can find it here or on Spotify and most other podcast platforms. Vasquez is second only to Joaquin Murietta in California bandit lore. … [Read more...] about A Corrido Of Dust & Dreams
Line ’Em Up! It’s ELECTION DAY!
It’s Election Day! We tend to treat the process of voting with a gloss of civic piety, but the true, virile American tradition is willful, rowdy — and often drunk. I am resolved to embrace the antics that are about to ensue in that spirit. * George Washington was a noble man who set important precedents for conduct in office that we could … [Read more...] about Line ’Em Up! It’s ELECTION DAY!
Birthday Smoke & Dreadful Wind And Rain
Clan Cornelius executed as perfect a birthday as I ever expect to enjoy this weekend. Yeah, I turned 57 as of November 6. I got a rather stark reminder of this when I upgraded the tracking device phone and the tech feller urged me to sign up for AARP to get all the discounts membership provides. I’ve been ignoring that outfit for some time, but a … [Read more...] about Birthday Smoke & Dreadful Wind And Rain
Firearms Of The Frontier Partisans — The Guns Of King Philip’s War
Delving into the reading for the upcoming podcast series on King Philip’s War that ravaged New England in 1675-76, it is striking how central firearms were to the conflict. That seems axiomatic: guns tend to be a factor in wars, right? But I’m not talking solely about the waging of war. I’m talking about the economics and diplomacy of the gun … [Read more...] about Firearms Of The Frontier Partisans — The Guns Of King Philip’s War
