| Father Grigori | 14 Oct 2016 10:50 p.m. PST |
Watching the battle scenes from Barry Lyndon, Last of the Mohicans, The Patriot, etc. I'm struck by how C18th tactics get reduced to a single unit volley, after which everyone reloads (or charges as a mob at the enemy). Has there ever been, either on film or in a large re-enactment group, an attempt to reproduce the different firing drills of C18th armies? I'm thinking in particular of the Anglo-Dutch platoon firing system, and the French rank firing. I'm not familiar with the historical re-enactment scene in the US, and suspect that some groups may have recreated von Steuben's drills for the Continental army, but I don't know for sure. If they hav, is there ay film available? |
stecal  | 14 Oct 2016 11:37 p.m. PST |
In Rev war the best we can usually do is a rolling platoon fire from right to left. Proper platoon fire into 3 firings seems way too complicated to maintain after the first few volleys. |
| Gunfreak | 15 Oct 2016 2:40 a.m. PST |
Didn't the French in Barry, use some sort of rank fire (even tho by the 7YW French used platoon fire) Not exactly battle, but in the 4th episode i think of Hornblower. You see small scale fire and movement tactics. |
| Father Grigori | 15 Oct 2016 8:00 a.m. PST |
I think in Barry Lyndon the French were firing the whole unit. @stecal: That would make sense from the perspective of battle accounts. The account at Dettingen of volleys degenerating after the first few is well known. It also made me think about Morgan's instruction to the militia at Cowpens – two volleys and their work would be done – makes a deal of sense when considering how difficult it would be to maintain fire control. |
| Hafen von Schlockenberg | 15 Oct 2016 8:58 a.m. PST |
Frederick the Great on platoon fire: "An excellent system, if only it could be made to work". |
| Gunfreak | 15 Oct 2016 11:09 a.m. PST |
Platoon fire seem to work for a period of up to 10 minutes mabye 15. Then it just becomes fire at at will. Same goes for volleys after 3-5 volleys it becomes fire at will. |
| attilathepun47 | 15 Oct 2016 10:20 p.m. PST |
There was a miniseries about George Washington on American television in the early 1980's. As I recall, it came closer to proper period firing and tactics than anything else I have seen depicted, but I am not saying that everything was perfect. I don't recall the exact title, but Barry Bostwick played Washington. |
| daler240D | 16 Oct 2016 2:53 a.m. PST |
The Barry Bostwick series was this: link |
| Retiarius9 | 16 Oct 2016 5:10 a.m. PST |
Barry Lyndon used fire by rank |
| Father Grigori | 16 Oct 2016 5:41 a.m. PST |
@Retarius9 I looked at the battle scene again. We're both right.
the first couple of volleys, the French are firing by ranks, but the final fire, just before contact, is the whole unit. YouTube link |
| Supercilius Maximus | 16 Oct 2016 9:15 a.m. PST |
@ Father Grigori, In response to your original post:- 1) I doubt that film directors, at least those working on films for public consumption, would bother with such minutiae. Whatever looks good – preferably a mass volley – gets the nod. 2) The speed of re-loading (don't forget that 15-20 seconds is a LONG time in a movie) would be deemed too tedious for the general public. 3) Unfortunately, it is rare for enough re-enactors to be in one place at one time – let alone wearing identical uniforms – to replicate a proper battalion volley (ie c.300 muskets). |
| Gunfreak | 16 Oct 2016 1:16 p.m. PST |
They get decent volleys in the alamo. At least sevral hundred at a time. I'm guessing at the final battle some 350 texans give a volley. |
paints brigs for the British fleet.
