A few items for you to enjoy during this fine fall weekend.
Tom Langhorne has built a way of life around exploring the lifeways of the Scottish Highlanders of the 17th/18th Centuries. His YouTube Channel is full of Frontier Partisan goodness.
I have spent a large part of my life exploring the wild landscapes of the Highlands and I have always been intrigued by the stories of warriors and the myths connected to the mountains, lochs and glens.
However, it was only when I learned about the multiple ways in which the Great Kilt (known as the plaid or Feileadh Mòr) was used in surviving the harsh Scottish environment did I develop the idea of exploring this part of my heritage in terms of “wilderness survival skills”. The more I researched the more fascinated I became and I realised this was a valuable route to explore not only past survival skills, but also culture, history, language, folklore, martial arts and mythology. I chose the time period around the 17th/18th Century for a few reasons. It is a well known period of Scottish history around the world for its famous stories of Jacobites and Rob Roy. It was also a very influential time for the culture and politics of Scotland today. Furthermore, despite being relatively recent in history, there were aspects of Highland culture that remained relatively unchanged for thousands of years compared to the rest of the UK and Europe. Therefore, there are threads of knowledge going way back to the Celts and beyond. Exploring the Gaelic language is also a big part of the series as it is gives insight on how our ancestors saw their reality.
I now teach and share what I have discovered from this research, in an effort to rekindle this knowledge and keep it alive for future generations.
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This is one that the Almighty Algorithm kicked up into my path…
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While this video is Eastern European in origin, it’s highly relevant to the 17th Century doings that I’m currently digging into. Some colonial militia was still using the matchlock in 1675 when King Philip’s War broke out — although the Indians had almost universally adopted the flintlock. This is a deep dive for firearms nerds — and a good un. I am revisiting the excellent book Thundersticks for its chapter on the impact of the gun trade on King Philip’s War, doing prep for the next podcast series.
John Maddox Roberts says
OT but Jerry Lee Lewis has died at 87. If anyone ever expanded the frontiers it was Jerry Lee. We shall not look upon his like again.
JimC says
He was a wild one.
Quixotic Mainer says
While reading some Metacomet related lore, I recall cringing in sympathy for the village shotte who were trying to manage matchlocks in a light infantry context amongst the puckerbrush and swamps. But I definitely want to watch that musketry breakdown.
I love the fandabi dozi channel! That guy is doing it right out in the hills and fens.
JimC says
Seems like a lot of Frontier Partisans are watching that channel — which is a cool thing.
Padre says
It’s from a little earlier era than most of FP’s normal fare, but Ian McCollum’s sometime collaborator InRangeTV just posted a youtube video on firing a reproduction 14-century handgonne, both with a fuse and as a matchlock. It looks like fun to play around with now, but back in the day you’d be hoping for a mighty patient game animal or adversary to stand around waiting for your shot.
JimC says
Lady Marilyn and I were just talking last night about cannon and the Turks (yeah, I know) and how long it took to develop effective individual gunpowder arms.
Quixotic Mainer says
I think the Turks likely shrugged at the early smoke poles for the same reason the Comanche did. With their really strong archery culture, single shots without rifling didn’t offer much beyond armor piercing capability.
My favorite Sackett; ole great granddaddy Barnabus, remained a proponent of tactical archery for the same reasons.
JimC says
Aye. The Scottish Highlanders held on to archery right up into the 18th Century.
As for the Turks, by the mid-16th century, they did become famous for the fire of the Janissaries seven-palm muskets. Archery and musketry co-existed among them for quire a while.
Joe says
Love the Scottish history, and also great Cap and Ball video on matchlocks. Interesting that by this point Natives preferred flintlocks, but I do think it makes sense. With a matchlock you’d need a match case or some way to light it, and the match itself. I’d think frontier use a flintlock would be particularly advantageous in that respect.
JimC says
Yep — and the Indians as customers were specific in what they wanted and were willing to pay for. If haven’t read Thundersticks yet, it’s right in your x-ring. Re-reading a chapter now for the King Philip’s War podcast, and I’ll probably just re-read the whole thing. So good.
James Craig says
It was the English and French Northwest trade gun that ingratiated itself to the Indian. There were many trade items that the major European traders/settlers, but none so appreciated than the trade gun. It offered firepower and prestige.