Christian Parkinson of Redcoat History has launched a collaboration with Osprey Publishing called The British Army Versus… which measures how his beloved Redcoats stack up against an array of foes across the centuries of British imperial warfare.
The first video lands squarely in the Frontier Partisans x-ring:
British Light Infantryman, 1758
In this video, we explore how the British Army learned to fight in North America during the French and Indian War, facing a completely different kind of warfare against Native American warriors in the American wilderness.
From the shock of early encounters like the Battle of Monongahela to the gradual adaptation of redcoat tactics, this is the story of how British soldiers were forced to rethink everything they knew about war. Fighting in dense forests against an elusive enemy who used ambush, concealment, and mobility, the British Army had to evolve or fail.
This video breaks down the clash between European linear warfare and irregular woodland fighting, and explains how the redcoats adapted, improved, and ultimately became effective in one of the most challenging theatres of war in British military history.
Hoary old stereotypes persist about the British Army in North America: That they were a set of over-disciplined automatons led by arrogant blockheads, lining up shoulder-to-shoulder in the open to be slaughtered by foes who cannily took to the trees to combat them. In fact, the British Army in North America adapted to forest warfare conditions, adopted “the Ranging Way of War,” and created highly effective light infantry capable of meeting and beating their French & Indian enemies on their own terms. Ask Quintin Kennedy.
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From the woodland frontier to the maritime frontier…
Gold & Gunpowder continues to serve up in-depth pieces on pirate history. The most recent video looks at ship-to-ship combat — a dramatic trope of pirate lore, but a scenario the sea rover tried to avoid if at all possible in real life. The reasons are apparent; even the winner was a loser in close-quarters slugging matches.
Christian Parkinson says
Hi Jim, thanks a lot for sharing. I have no doubt experts on this period will be able to shoot holes in the video but I hope I did those brave warriors of both sides justice and my explantion made sense. It’s a conflict that I am only in the early stages of learning about so Ill take anohter crack at some different events and stories from it in the future.
The Black Tyrone says
For Pirates, the fight was indeed savage as defeat or rather capture meant the noose. I have read many nonfiction works on these pernicious people. I have always marveled at their adherence to semi-democratic methods of aboard ship rule. For those wanting a fictional read for adults, I suggest ‘The Requiem Shark by Nicholas Griffin published by Berkley. Bartholomew Roberts kept a small fleet for his activities.
Jim, A most interesting video. Thankyou
JimC says
G&G is good stuff.
deuce says
Youtube suggested ‘Tomahawk vs Musket” to me literally an hour ago.