How did the British Army Cope with American Winters?

[@robertrobert7924]

As an American Fur Trade re-enactor for 25 years, I made my own Capote from a Royal blue Whitney Horse Blanket. I had enough left over to make Leggings to wrap around my panteloons. And made mittons too. I would wear a red wool Liberty Cap under my blue hood. At Ft. Frederick, MD the mountain weather would fluctuate between 25 F at night to 80 F during a bright sunny day during our April Rendezvous. I slept under Whtney blankets at night and wore my capote on chilly cloudy mornings. To this day I only wear natural fiber clothing of cotton, linen, and wool. I also own snowshoes like the ones shown in this video. I really enjoyed this video which brought back fond memories.

[@GorillaWithACellphone]

Due to living in a place with virtually no snow I almost forgot it existed. thanks brandon for reminding me of reality and for another amazing video!

[@BrandonF]

I wish there was proper snow for the event! Would have made the photos that much better.

[@itshenry8977]

I get it every morning, aswell as the cold winds it's not fun...

[@owgdj]

It exists and it sucks to shovel

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

The last place we lived in New Jersey was Sussex County up in the Skylands. I miss the Skylands, some beautiful and historic country up there but man, I don't miss the snow, up to two feet or more on more than one occasion in the worst winters! OK, a little snow at Christmas time for tradition's sake was fine, but that's all!

[@declanjones8888]

In ETX it doesn't snow, everything just kinda ice's over.

[@jfu5222]

In the mid-eighties I was an infantry scout in the US Army Reserve, 205th Arctic Light Infantry. Before GPS, we found our way (on snowshoes or skis) with distance, direction, and dominant terrain features on the topographical map. In some ways closer to these colonial soldiers than the soldiers of today. The soldiers load always goes up in the winter with extra clothing and calories. We used sleds with at least two guys pulling and one behind as a brake man for the downhills. I wonder if there is evidence of early military toboggan use in the Americas.

[@somegirlnamedisla]

You might be interested in Robert Rogers and his Rangers in the 7 Year's War!!

[@jfu5222]

@@somegirlnamedisla We learned Robert's rules for ranging along with US Army Rangers Rules, I had an enlightened platoon sargent!

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@somegirlnamedisla You beat me to it! Let me add Osprey Publications has a fantastic book on Roger's Rangers if you want to learn the most important things about them without "majoring" in the subject, just like all the other Osprey books. The book's title is "American Colonial Ranger- The Northern Colonies." Being the most famous Roger's Rangers predominates in the book.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@jfu5222 I'm not surprised, Roger's Rules for Ranging are so straight-forward and full of common sense they're timeless.

[@woltews]

can confirm all equipment still in use

[@lucasmatiasdelaguilamacdon7798]

My peruvian unit uses capotes too, however we compliment them with very heavy blankets or ponchos. Weather in Peru is so varied that you can go from extreme cold to extreme heat in less than 50 miles. One thing soldiers used to do, specially in the Intermediate Ports Campaign of 1823 was to dig small holes in desert sand, wrap themselves with their blankets and sleep inside them. While during the day tempetures can reach up to 35 C• in the pacific desert, night temperatures could drop below zero. It was also common to uso ponchos for the same reason. Another common thing was to roll the heavy capotes and the blanket. The blanket would then be wrapped around the belly, and the capote would hang around the torso from the shoulder. Supposedly the blanket wrapped around the stomach would serve as defense against enemy bayonets, while the capote rolled and wrapped around the torso would protect against cavalry sabres.

[@melonhead82]

A thought came into my mind of a possible future video idea for you: What was life onboard ship like for British Troops being transported to the Americas? What would their daily lives be like over the long journey? How were they quartered? Etc.

[@Fusilier7]

I remember seeing British soldiers wearing capotes in paintings for the battle of Quebec 1775, which was the first American invasion of Canada, unfortunately for the Yanks, the battle took place in December, during a snowstorm without proper logistics or winter gear, I also recommend the Osprey publishing book, Quebec 1775, this too has some interesting facts on British winter warfare.

[@JohnyG29]

How were you alive in 1775?!

[@blacktemplar2323]

@@JohnyG29 You don't have to be alive back then in order to look at a painting portraying that time.

[@anuraagbagepalli1903]

@@blacktemplar2323 I think you might’ve missed his joke…

[@Ian_Bungy]

Brandon! You should come back to the fort in the summer for the French and Indian war reenactment!

[@BrandonF]

I'd love to some time!

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Speaking from personal experience with a capote, a Hudson's Bay blanket version I owned 40 years ago, layering up with a wool sweater and wearing a capote over it keeps you amazingly warm, I was VERY surprised. Outside in below 30F temeratures I hardly felt the cold at all. Great presentation Brandon! And I remember Chris's delightful video. Oddly enough, I thought that red coat in the snow and evergreens had a Christmasy effect on the scene!

[@The_Honourable_Company]

Can you please make a video explaining the origins of the Honourable East india company? Potentially a new series lol

[@BrandonF]

That'd be an interesting topic, but I'd have to do a lot of research for it. Maybe one of these days!

[@The_Honourable_Company]

@@BrandonF Alr, i am prepared to wait for eternity or beyond till you do that

[@dmhiix]

I visited the same fort in the winter a few years back with snow everywhere. I live in Virginia, so it was quite a shock to see how cold it gets up there.

[@ostrowulf]

Fun looking at snow shoes in this video that, other than mine being metal, are almost exactly like what I was issued in the Canadian army until about halfway through my carreer when we changed styles.

[@OlaftheFlashy]

Very appropriate timing for this video as it currently snowing quiet heavy in many part of the uk - including where I live.

[@baraxor]

Prior to the nineteenth century, winter clothing was not given very much thought in Europe, outside of providing watchcoats for sentries and those who had the task of doing rounds in the cold, apparently because winter warfare was practically unheard of during the age of open pan firearms, as winters in Europe tended to be wet more than cold and dry. In North America, on the other hand, not only were the winters themselves colder, there were periods of severe cold but minus freezing rain or sleet, so light forces could often continue operations without risking getting their gunpowder wet. Hence, troops stationed there during war had to be prepared for at least defensive action in the winter, and so much greater emphasis was given to creating decent winter protection for the soldiers.

[@rwbrown1904]

Great video, Brandon! I recall my service to the Crown Forces on the snow covered Assunpink Creek and Princeton battlefields during the Bicentennial. Very cold but great fun. Knowing we had hot food and warm hotel rooms waiting for us at battle’s end was a comfort.

[@BrandonF]

Thanks so much for your generosity! It is very much appreciated. And glad you enjoyed the video! Yeah, the hot food is always a relief. Something I'm sure the men back in the day would often dream of!

[@KingTiggerTank]

Your videos should be used in history classes. Always so well put together and I have learned tons from you. Keep up the good work.

[@The_Honourable_Company]

If you think about it, Britain was always alone when the world was against them. In the American revolution, it was Great Britain that had to fight not only the rebels, but the French, Spanish, Dutch and tbh most of Europe, while nobody came to aid great Britain even in the slightest, not even their great allies Prussia and Portugal. During the Napoleonic wars, it was Great Britain against the entire europeon continent, maybe except for Russia, and, Britain again, was alone. They even had to fight against a foe an ocean away too, with the added pressure of Napoleon. By WW1, it was different tho By WW2, Europe was again conquered and against great Britain. This time, Britain was completely isolated (you can include the empire of you like, but tbh even the closest colony was far away from the mainland) What was the most depressing was all tho, were these things even tho the world seemed to be against them In Waterloo, most credit had been given to the Prussians, even though the British troops were the one who fought and lost the most, in WW2, when Britain was holding off the German divisions in Africa, and around the world, all of the credit has been given to the USSR or the USA (yes, Britain and her empire has been given credit, but not near enough as much as the Soviets or Americans) And what did Britain get for helping a lot during the liberation of Europe during napoleon and Hitler? What did Britain get for spreading its culture around the world, and creating the most ethnicity diverse empire in the world? What did it get for ending slavery in the African continent and much of the world? What did it EVER get for the medical and social reforms and advancements it made throught it's existence? All of the empire gone Got its reputation tarnished by extreme nationalists Became the centre of evil in all the Hollywood and Bollywood films about history And a struggling economy Alas, we have to ask the question Was it all, all the conquest, tragedy, cruelty, glory, heroicness, darkness, advancements and much more Just in vain?

[@FiddleMiA]

Idk maybe it was the treatment of the colonies that made them villains

[@ae-jo5gc]

Amazing how you totally ignored all those 1000s of russians, french, spanish, germans portugese, indians , poles and others who died in those wars. But sure uk where alone with being safe on its island while had rest of Europe had to burn.

[@neilbuckley1613]

The Napoleonic Wars Britain was part of succesive coalitions against Napoleon, so many nations fought longsiide Britain besides Russia including; Portugal, Spain, Naples & Sicily, Austria, Prussia and Sweden. apologies to any I missed.

[@The_Honourable_Company]

I am talking from the perspective of Britain, you guys But TBH I should have worded it better ._.

[@Tareltonlives]

The Patriot debacle in Quebec and the exploits of Rogers Rangers come to mind. Great video.

[@melissamybubbles6139]

Those blanket coats seem fabulous, although for modern wear I'd prefer a darker color to hide dirt.

[@gornfrmn]

As a Canadian and a 18/19th century lover, I approve of this video

[@Alulim-Eridu]

I wish I had known you’d be at fort Niagara. I live so close and I love a good trip to old fort Niagara! I can’t wait until it warms up a bit & I can take my kids to see the reenactors firing off the cannons, when it’s not so darn freezing cold 🥶

[@ChristheRedcoat]

Eyy thanks for the shout-out Bman!

[@BrandonF]

[@saltyscotsman8319]

Yes Rob looks very nice doesn't he

[@BrandonF]

Best moustache on KZbin

[@saltyscotsman8319]

@@BrandonF Couldnt of said it better

[@amtmannb.4627]

The blanket coats of my unit many years ago (9e demi-brigade d'infanterie légère) were looking very similar. If I remember it right a unit had just enough of them for the man on watch duties. I was on so many events when it was very cold especially in the night lying in the open (as French infantry had no tents in the war of the 2nd coalition). But I survived obviously.

[@Soren015]

Great video! This is also a great reminder of just how *troublesome* it was (and continues to be) to fight a war in winter, hence why it was so rarely done. No matter how fierce your enemy is, old mother nature is usually the most pitiless of all.

[@Purple_694]

Brandon, I’m going to call it “The pillars of Ale-gebrah” now.

[@Purple_694]

It is I porple, but better.

[@SirFrederick]

Just in time for spring

[@marktopher2153]

Very nice video Brandon, love that you did a video on the snow, very wonderful job can't wait till your next video 👌

[@thejackal9834]

There is a modern equivalent of the garrison cap in the British Army, don't know the actual name of it but we just refer to them as Deputy Dog Hats

[@goldleadergaming340]

During the American Revolution one of the more over look theater was that of territory of what is now modern day Wisconsin(my home state), over control of the fur trade and allegiances of the Native Americans. And trust me Wisconsin gets cold. Many of the techniques you mentioned are certainly used along with simply not shaving, the biggest issue for us during reenactment isnt so much keeping ourselves warm however. It was keeping our equipment from getting to cold. One year it got so cold that during a skirmish we were doing one of our field artillery, I think it was a 6 pounder, ended up just exploding when fired due to how cold the metal was, this situation also occurred with afew our units "liberated" brown bess's, among so just not firing because of snow getting the powder wet.

[@Nikolai1939]

those forage caps are really similar to the ones the germans/finnish/austrians wore during ww1 and 2, the feldmutze series of forage caps as they were called by the germans

[@JenniferinIllinois]

Of course Rob is prancing about firing a musket while wearing snowshoes. What else would he be doing? Hehehe...

[@da90sReAlvloc]

The cold don't affect us Brits much as it's mostly cold or raining over here, so the cold doesn't affect us like it does the Americans,

Very interesting

[@davidh785]

A very cool video!

[@mihaimihai3483]

Good video mate !

[@MbisonBalrog]

All about layers and blocking wind

[@JariB.]

That forage cap really is a slightly simplified version of an earlier Montero Cap. Which was quite popular during the early to mid 17th century- well over a hundred years prior. On the glove matter: Although the fingerless gloves were indeed a thing in the 17th century, more popular for hunters in colder weather at that time were in fact so-called "three fingered gloves", which have the thumb and index finger separate from the other three fingers. (Even earlier three fingered gloves often had a 1-2-2 configuration for fingers, but those are not really usable with guns other than those that used a lever-trigger (arquebuses and the like, not muskets as such)).

[@davidfell9083]

I had a Montero cap for English Civil War Re enactment years ago. Spanish hunters cap. It was a good piece of kit which I kept for a long time.

[@jackdorsey4850]

nice job

[@micahistory]

interesting, i had never considered this before

[@nativegerry335]

There are so many paintings of the battle of Princeton depicting the British army dressed for ideal weather. In reality it was the dead of winter, they should be in blanket coats and fur.

[@WyomingTraveler]

That was interesting, it made me think, What uniform adjustments did British make in the south?

[@calvinaffinito8761]

Rodgers rangers used the snow shoes as early as the late 1750's in the French and Indian war

[@istvansipos9940]

07:36 that's weird. Smart enough to invent an manufacture ships of the line, but somehow not using scarves. It is the pocket story part 2.

[@johnmertens3022]

Hey Brandon by any chance will you be attending the battle of Monmouth reenactment

[@LeviTheNerd]

I learned alot from this video

[@sam_uelson]

Something the garrison in NSW never had to worry about

[@samwill7259]

Living in Maine, We're not marching in Siberia But we're not far off

[@GoGoVengo]

I would like to see a video about how line infantry survived gun battles.

[@thatsmabhoy]

Capote! Reminds me of the old joke about a man, living in France for many years with his wife; she dies! He needs something for the funeral, but his French is bad, his wife’s was better. So he pops into the clothes shop looking for a black overcoat, traditional British design if they have it. “Avez-vous une capote anglaise, noir?” He asks the member of staff? The shop assistant is somewhat surprised. “Une capote anglais!? Mais non, monsieur, nous n'en vendons pas ici, vous devez essayer le chimiste “Le Chimiste?” Asks the man, rather confuse. “Oui! Le Chimiste.” Replies the shop assistant. So, the man pops into the Chemists. “Avez-vous une capote anglaise, noir?” “Ah, oui!” Says the man in the Chemist. “Excusez-moi, mais pourquoi noir?” “Ma femme est morte!” “Ah,” says the Chemist. “les Anglais, quelle finesse !”

[@dick_richards]

The Canadian Army still uses snowshoes, B.

[@joeldiemoz9027]

As an aside, people from the Buffalo/Rochester area self identify as "Western New Yorkers." Upstate is more than the northern area of the state. Go Bills

[@chris.3069]

Hi

[@BrandonF]

Hi!

[@alansmithee8831]

Hello Brandon. No snow for months here in northern England, then one winter video and down it comes, just as I needed to pick up my girlfriend from work in the dark. At this rate you could make a fortune on White Christmas betting.

[@nowthenzen]

The US army issues a one finger mitten for cold weather: U.S. Military Surplus M65 Trigger Finger Mitten Shells

[@b1laxson]

Remember to warn the winter soldiers not to lick their icy barrels. Their tongue can stick to the metal!

[@kevinlove4356]

Three comments based upon my extensive winter experience as an officer in The Royal Regiment of Canada. 1. Canteens. I see in the video that the canteens are being worn on a belt outside the winter coat. The problem with this is that the water will freeze, making it rather hard to drink. I strongly suspect that the actual practice was to wear the canteen inside the coat, keeping the water nice and warm. Or at least not frozen. 2. Removing the trigger guard. There was some discussion in the video about the difficulty of firing a weapon while wearing mittens. The modern Canadian infantry solution to this problem is to have a removable trigger guard. Needless to say, this is somewhat dangerous; trigger guards exist for a very good reason. I do not know if this same solution was used in the 18th century, but it is common sense. 3. Scarves. The 104th (New Brunswick) Regiment of Foot snowshoed from Fredericton, New Brunswick to Kingston, Ontario in February and March of 1813. This was a very cold and snowy winter, and this march was a formidable achievement in which they went 700 miles in about 35 days while carrying or pulling all their supplies, ammunition and equipment. I have a source that says they were issued scarves. I can attest that scarves are obsolete in modern military kit, as they do not do anything that other kit does better. Thank you once again for a very good video. Where I live in Toronto, the provincial government pays people to be re-enactors of The 8th Reg't of Foot (The King's Regiment) at Old Fort York. At this time of year they are looking very much like the video! I will ask any commentator to restrain himself who feels inclined to say, "Hey! If people are being paid by a government to wear uniforms and do drill with weapons, doesn't that make them real soldiers and not re-enactors?" Canada's constitution forbids provincial governments from maintaining military forces, so these people are officially civilians who are not On His Majesty's Service. K40 592 576 Captain (retired) Kevin C. Love, CD, UE The Royal Regiment of Canada

[@williamromine5715]

What is the reason for no Provisional Militia in Canada? Is it because of a fear of an insurrection by a Providence? Being from the U.S., where every State has a Militia, called a National Guard, it seems unusual that Canada forbids them.

[@kevinlove4356]

@@williamromine5715 Very few countries allow their political subdivisions to keep military forces. One of the principles of war is "Unity of command." Also, Confederation was in 1867. Everyone was well aware that the US state military forces were a key enabler of the Second US Civil War of 1861-65. Avoiding that kind of civil war was seen as A Good Thing.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@williamromine5715 Strictly speaking the National Guard aren't miltia. Although permanently Federalized since 1940 and subject to call-up and deployment overseas (as we've seen recently) the NG are predominently the governor's permanently organized on-call "muscle" when emergencies dictate, either for civil unrest or natural disasters. But they're not milita. Militias were raised and organized by states during WW2 when NG units were deployed and para-military units were needed to take their place. Most were disbanded at war's end or kept informally as a stand-by reserve.

[@williamromine5715]

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 what ever they are called, why does Canada forbid them in the Providences?

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@williamromine5715 Beats me, you'd have to ask someone who's Canadian. I'm American, I can only tell you the situation down here to the best of my knowledge.

[@capnstewy55]

Snuggie Soldiers!

[@ducthman4737]

Was the bayonet belt worn under the cartridge belt in those days?

[@ChristheRedcoat]

I’ve actually made a video about this. Long story short: both configurations were used.

[@ducthman4737]

@@ChristheRedcoat found it thanks👍

[@pyry1948]

No Hobo Gloves!

[@danielomar9712]

I would sleep with Cthulhu that has the voice of a certain Brandon Fish

[@lankinator.]

0:35 - Utica or Albany?

[@bonelessvegetal818]

are you otto kissenberth?

[@thenoblemoonshiner4687]

why didn't the british army use skis. because they are much more efficient than snowshoes. or did they use skis?

[@jfu5222]

In the woods skis get hung up in the undergrowth. I spent much more time in snowshoes than skis as a scout in US Army Reserves light infantry brigade in Minnesota

[@neilbuckley1613]

I am not sure there was wide spread awareness of skis outside of Scandinavia at that time.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Skis are a skill that has to be learned well, or the only way you can stop is by crashing into trees! Trust me. Snowshoes are much easier to learn how to use.

[@jfu5222]

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 On snowshoes you use muscles that you never knew you had! Walking bow legged with a heavy pack requires quite a bit of stamina.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@jfu5222 Man, when I went in the Marines I found myself using muscles I didn't know I had. Those I didn't have I had to grow ASAP!

[@The_Honourable_Company]

Can you also make a review on the movie Manikarnika please

[@loveshack8172]

Just found your channel and watched the vid you made about the queen dying. Was just curious if it was satire or genuine? Couldn't tell lol

[@NYG5]

can you make a video on how the british army would train the new recruits they drunkenly signed out of taverns throughout the course of the war? I'm interested in knowing how the first half of Full Paper Cartridge would play out.

[@salty4496]

:)

[@aguadigger]

👍💂🏼‍♀️💂🏻💂🏻❄️

[@thebelfastvikingmartinbrow3603]

People Been wearing them hats for years lol

[@Average_GI_Joe]

what is the outro music?

[@BrandonF]

It's a channel theme that I commissioned a while back!

[@Average_GI_Joe]

@@BrandonF sounds nice, is there anyway i could find it?

[@BrandonF]

@@Average_GI_Joe Not at the moment- I don't have it uploaded anywhere on its own. Maybe something I should do some time.

[@Average_GI_Joe]

Good morning, and yea that would be cool

[@TyphoonJig]

Sortez couvert, jamais sans votre capote.

[@kevinlove4356]

Sauf a l'été.

[@callusklaus2413]

They didn't. They died. :) This post was made by America Gang.

[@elshebactm6769]

🗿👍🏿

[@bfr_military_history]

What an insightful takeaway from COVID Brandon😂 So true!

[@stamfordly6463]

You stole it from a man in the King's Regiment you say? Makes a change, it's usually the kingos that nick stuff.

[@brettano]

Are you related to Mark Felton?

[@tmoney007confederation7]

Brandon, Chris actually is more correct about blanket or overcoats. Your average Line Infantry normally only had Regimental Coat. The overcoat, great coat, blanket coats weren't really a thing in the REVOLUTIONARY WAR unless you were SENTRY. Chris I think did a better job in presenting that simple fact, but over all GREAT INFORMATION!

[@BrandonF]

Greatcoats, yes. But blanket coats were issued in their thousands to soldiers in Canada and there are many references to them being used far more regularly than just as sentry coats. I'd recommend watching Marcio's original lecture for all of the direct sources and quotes- you can find it linked in the description.