"The 1764 Manual Exercise," - The British Army's Revolutionary War Era Drill Manual | Brigade.org

The 1764 Manual Exercise was the basic 'drill manual' of the British Army during the American War of Independence. This instructional video, featuring HM's 54th Regiment of Foot, will lead you through it! Thank you to my friend Chris, / mm60745 for his excellent narration!
What about the Continental Army? Find them here!
• The Continental Army's...
This video is a part of the Brigade of the American Revolution's Annual School of Instruction, which this year was entirely digital! This is only one episode out of twelve! You can find the others at:
/ brigadeoftheamericanre...
and learn more about reenacting the American War of Independence at www.brigade.org/ -
This video was made in support of The Native Oak. Learn more about our educational mission here:
www.nativeoak.org/
If you'd like to support the channel, please consider giving on Patreon,
/ brandonf
You can follow me on social media too!
/ thenativeoak
/ brandonfisichella

[@BrandonF]

This is only one video of twelve for the Brigade of the American Revolution's Virtual School of Instruction! Learn more at Brigade.org and facebook.com/Brigadeoftheamericanrevolution Thank you to Chris the Redcoat for helping me with his excellent narration, and in getting all of these images and videos together! He does a lot of work similar to my own, and you can find him here: kzbin.info There is also a video just like this one for the American Rebels: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIi7n2CVd5lkesU

[@fourtyfivefudd]

Could you perhaps explain or mention in a future video why the procedure calls for the pan to be primed first , then the barrel loaded? I feel like that was an accident waiting to happen and there were many accidental discharges and heads blown off on the past. I ask this because now here in the US at least, muzzle loading hunters for example load the barrel FIRST, then fill the pan so if there is an accident, the ball goes down range or into the ground rather than up in the air where it will come back down, or just straight into the shooters head. Was that ever a documented issue if an issue at all?

[@dvdmr9981]

Could you do more livestreams? i was your opponent on the last Napoleon battle, we find your live streams very entertaining because you are not faking it and are yourself and thats what makes the livestream very cool

[@ChristheRedcoat]

Hm, that narrator sounds familiar.

[@thypeculiardoctor8550]

Yes, quite familiar indeed.

[@Rango37]

Hey Chris! I’ve been watching lots of your videos lately.

[@BrandonF]

Just some loser I got for it, no need to worry about him...

[@Rango37]

@@BrandonF hi brandon

[@renngretsch]

I always thought Loyalists interpreted every comma or period as an indication to say 'eh'. Maybe you should rerecord? eh

[@juk-hw5lv]

Thanks, I'm poor and have no work, so I took the King's shilling and i'm sailing to the colonies tomorrow morning. This video will be very useful once I get to my regiment. I hope I will manage to avoid at least some lashes by learning the drill beforehand. Drinking my advance away in the pub right now, I asked one of my mates to write this comment for me, cause I can't read myself.

[@GoofySillyGuy]

Average Bri'ishman in 1775

[@VentiVonOsterreich]

Teacher: "the test won't be that complicated" The test:

[@admiralsnackbar2811]

Secure your Quills !

[@italktoomuch6442]

It's interesting that written English in that period capitalised all the nouns, like German does today.

[@lornabaker4079]

Well, it is a Germanic language with Romance influences

[@anonim-8572]

The older English you get the less of a linguistic melting pot it gets and the more similar it is to vanilla flavored German it seems.

[@paulmanson253]

The period was after all during the third German Prince as King. And even before that there had been a Dutchman. One William. Did the period Dutch do the same ? No idea. Most likely various parties seeking the Favour of the Crown did Capitalize upon Capitolization. Was it Brown-Nosing, or was it the same sort of thing that happened after AD 1066 ? A sort of Natural Progression ? English is a borrowing language after all. And Queen Victoria, if I'm not mistaken,did the very same thing in her Hand Written Documents. So it continued long after 1764.

[@raylast3873]

A more civilized age.

[@maksytheslav]

im about to misspronounce huzzah and you can't stop me

[@joeyduncan9478]

Well done this made me chuckle.

[@BrandonF]

Please don’t

[@Adam-yk5pl]

Wait no, you can't do that! Your Majesty, get down!

[@maksytheslav]

@@Adam-yk5pl not if i have anything to say about that, and i do, i'm gonna misspronounce huzzah

[@presidentlouis-napoleonbon8889]

You are not permitted to give the three shouts to the King.

[@jungefrau]

Chris has a great voice. He could totally do voice work on video games and as an audiobook reader.

[@lornabaker4079]

I'd read an audiobook read by him

[@user-pj3ic6qw2p]

1 Dislike... I can't believe George Washington traveled through time just so he could dislike this video...

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Not George Washington, more likely Frederick the Great! "My guys do it better!" Well, Old Fritz did think his way was the only way!

[@bobjk3455]

actually proabbly louis xvi. proabbly bummed about the revolution too and blames king george iii.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@bobjk3455 Maybe Louis XV, now that I think about it. I mean, the Brits DID beat the hell out of him in the Seven Years/French and Indian War! I can understand why 100 years later Otto von Bismarck warned the young Kaiser Wilhelm: "Stay on the good side of the English! Don't anger them, don't frighten them, and for the love of God don't EVER go to war with them!" Kaiser Bill didn't listen, and look what happened to him!

[@bobjk3455]

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 then again maybe its louis xiv, he proabbly still hates the duke of marlborough for beating him several times during the war of spanish succession. well bismarck also threatend to send police to arrest the british if they intervened in the 1864 war with denmark, so i am not sure he was really that concered about them that much, proabbly more trying to keep kasier wilhelm out of messy colonial entanglements and upsetting the the ever looming bear on the eastern border and not antagonizing too much the usa and the upstart empire in the far east.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@bobjk3455 Oh yeah, I forgot about Louis XIV, the Brits beat the hell out of him too, although they did have a bit of help from Prince Eugene of Savoy. Too many European wars to keep track of! I'd forgotten about that comment of Bismarck's in 1864, but then Palmerston was PM in Britain and I don't think Otto had much respect for him. Then again, when Bismarck warned Kaiser Bill about the Brits it was 24 years later and Bismarck was older and wiser. There's something else Bismarck said when Kaiser Bill fired him as chancellor, but not to Bill: "Well, as long as he has the old officer corps around him they'll keep him out of trouble, but when they're gone, God help him!" Turned out to be true, Otto was quite a prophet. There's another story about Bismarck. He was speaking to the British and French ambassadors once, and they were bragging about their African colonies. Bismarck walked across the room and pointed to a map of Europe. "That's MY Africa," he said, "That's all I'm concerned about."

[@BrokenIET]

0:00 - 0:30 Introduction etc 0:30 - 1:23 Position of a soldier under arms 1:28 - 1:57 Poise Firelocks 1:57 - 2:15 Cock Firelocks 2:15 - 2:36 Present 2:36 - 2:58 Fire 2:58 - 3:09 Half Cock Firelocks 3:09 - 5:06 Reloading 3:09 - 3:24 Handle Cartridge 3:24 - 3:34 Prime 3:34 - 4:00 Shut Pans 4:00 - 4:16 Charge With Cartridge 4:16 - 4:30 Draw Rammers 4:30 - 4:50 Ram Down Cartridge 4:50 - 5:06 Return Rammers 5:06 - 5:18 Shoulder Firelocks 5:18 - 6:03 Rest Firelocks 6:03 - 6:46 Order Firelocks 6:46 - 7:38 Ground Firelocks 7:38 - 8:02 Take up Firelocks 8:02 - 8:26 Rest Firelocks (Repeated) 8:26 - 8:45 Shoulder Firelocks (Repeated) 8:45 - 9:16 Secure Firelocks 9:16 - 9:34 Shoulder Firelocks (Repeated) 9:34 - 9:59 Fix Bayonets 9:59 - 10:20 Shoulder Firelocks 10:20 - 10:29 Present Arms 10:29 - 10:59 Right Face 10:59 - 11:01 Right Face (Repeated) 11:01 - 11:10 To The Right About Face 11:10 - 11:25 Left Face 11:25 - 11:31 Left Face (Repeated) 11:31 - 11:39 To The Left About Face 11:39 - 11:49 Shoulder Firelocks (Repeated) 11:45 - 11:06 Charge Bayonets 11:06 - 11:22 Shoulder Firelocks (Repeated) 11:22 - 12:47 Advance Arms 12:47 - 13:00 Shoulder Firelocks (Repeated) 13:00 - 13:23 Outro

[@athomicritics]

the "quit the left hand" made me laugh as i pictured an officer saying to the soldier : "hey quit that shit with your left hand !"

[@acrylicsuperstar]

Thank you for posting this, I will be taking part in the school of the soldier on April 17th at Thornbury farm near chadds ford. I will be representing the 43rd regiment of foot under the command of Major Paul Loane. God Save the King!

[@maxwellclark6992]

Waiiiiiittttt a rebel killing minute..... Video on Brandon’s channel-Chris narrating-and glourious colton as the demonstrator............ **Glourious the triple entente has risen again**

[@corrat4866]

I swear to god I will divide the god damn empire again.

[@jasonvolekas3983]

Awesome video. Great production. Thanks 54th foot

[@keithorbell8946]

I can’t get over the hymn at about 5 minutes: “Thine be the Glory, risen conquering Son; endless is the vict’ry thou o’er Death hast won.”

[@Bearsmith23]

Interesting to see a lot of similarities with this drill and the drill taught today, at least in the cadet corps in Canada. You can definitely see the lineage in the general movements. Lol. Guess there's only so many ways to move a large rifle like object around your body somewhat efficiently.

[@grendelgrendelsson5493]

I first learned drill with a Lee Enfield as an Army Cadet in England in the very early 1970's. Later on I drilled with an SLR after I'd joined up. The drill I learned was like the many times great grandchild of these movements! I'm glad I never had to drill with the SA80 ( even though it's a decent weapon........now!) ; it just doesn't look right to me!!! The Guards should've retained the Lee Enfield for Trooping the Colour and suchlike in my humble opinion.

[@jacksonmcdaniel3250]

Only 8.6 k to go. 👍👍🇬🇧

[@RickBrode]

Make it 8.5 now

[@lordwunglerbeckett]

"Quit the left Hand and place it strong upon the Butt" is one hell of a quote, mister Jolly good video as always, cheers!

[@historypunkwargames4760]

Thank you for the content as always, makes my day a little bit better

[@thetimeywimeycornerofhisto4954]

Oh this is going to be so helpful in future for re-enacting. Thanks!

[@mg_claymore8611]

Excellent work, men. I always enjoy your stuff.

[@davidschaadt5929]

I practiced some with my Brown Bess ,a reproduction of course .Without firing it .But ,my Doctor told me to get more excersize .

[@davidschaadt5929]

However ,a ragtag undisciplined militia may be more to my liking .

[@user-jq8wr8ru2s]

Great video. Thank you.

[@heiihaze-9142]

Great content as always.

[@youmommmmm]

Awsome videos always waiting

[@historypunkwargames4760]

Great stuff

[@daithinolanskl1977]

As a huge fan of the Sharpe series of books, I love this kind of content.

[@Albukhshi]

This is very lovely to watch! @ 2:15 I was under the impression the swell is that rounded area of the stock a few inches forward of where you guys are holding it in the pictures. It's certainly labelled that way in William Windham's treatise in 1759. The drill from that era (manual manual of 1757 and Windham's treatise) also specifies putting the left hand on the swell, and Windham's treatise (which uses the firing drill unchanged from the 1757 exercise), shows the hand at that area. If there is some other source explaining this, I'd be happy to see it!

[@EdwardJamesKenway...]

I love your videos, very informative.

[@_0_restart_0_]

He mocked your grandchild, do you know that?

[@EdwardJamesKenway...]

@@_0_restart_0_ haha yes

[@sethchiaroproductions2171]

So much has changed within a few months :(

[@Marshall1816]

Perfect Drill

[@27blanx]

Meanwhile the American militia... >FIRE!!!!!!!!! >RUN!!!!!!!!!

[@shulzyyy9024]

great vid

[@thekingshussar1808]

Pedantlord has blessed us again with more bountiful historical content

[@stevenpiper970]

There is a lot of nice content on Mackinac State Historic Parks. They have been portraying the 8th Regiment of foot.

[@Nebula1146]

I can’t believe i watched an entire video about late 18th century British drill at 11:48 at night

[@Notagoodgoalie35]

Brandon f won’t pin this or heart it just watch

[@HistoryBoy]

He fell for it lol

[@lufr_7511]

lmao brandon fell for it you got him

[@patstrzeszewski3240]

can you do a video about about gear like uniform,guns,bayonets,swords,flags,drums,fifes,bearskins and what not

[@patstrzeszewski3240]

and it would benefit all of those who wanna get into reenacting

[@charlesassman8751]

nice vid

[@Splodge542]

This was just beautiful to my 18th century brain.

[@Polonium2.10]

nice

[@danielmobley1]

Any chance we could have one for the WWII British Lee-Enfield?? :)) 🇬🇧

[@glucky9046]

Best crossover known to man

[@redfirebomb5873]

Question: How do you reenact bayonet charges?

[@joshuadunford3171]

Nice to see a training video from 1776 colorized

[@wanimajugaming9777]

Hey, where you got the background fife music? I want to listen to it.

[@milkduds1001]

All these years, not much has changed in Army Manuel's. The technique may be different, but the extreme attention to detail is as important then as it is today.

[@History_Hall]

Kinda random but I took a picture with the guy in the thumbnail (or just someone else who looks EXTREMELY similar).

[@najdiredcoat148]

What was the name of the march at 4:00, after the duke of york march?

[@FieldMarshallNey]

What's the point of putting the musket on the ground and picking it back up?

[@tridentanimation2981]

This is how it was done.

[@szelau3383]

Why is 23 still "shoulder your firelocks"? Shouldn't the firelock with bayonet fixed be referred to as an "arm" as in "present your arms" immediately subsequent?

[@AlexSDU]

12:25 Corporal Upham, is that you?

[@jackmurphy3940]

Well this type of re-enacting seems a bit more difficult then the re-enacting I do...

[@Sp0tthed0gt]

AKA fighting by numbers

[@TheFarOffStation]

I suppose you can now be forgiven of your previous misgiving of giving rebels a public forum.

[@BrandonF]

Thank you! I figured we could show the lesser version, first...

[@TheFarOffStation]

@@BrandonF mmm yes, quite a good plan, old boy! Gives them a little extra time to feel comfortable and relax, let their guard down a bit, make them feel they’ve had the day. Meanwhile preparing to route them, and show them who they truly belong to!

[@charlesvitanza8867]

@@BrandonF With all due respect; last I checked, the lesser military beat your military twice. First in the AWI and second in the war of 1812.

[@arwing20]

@@charlesvitanza8867 1812? The same war that had some of the most embarrasing defeats in American history? The war where despite having the numbers advantage they would still go on to lose multiple times to the outnumbered British Army and Canadian militias, that one right? P.S. stop stealing credit for the AWI from the French, they did most of the heavy lifting afterall.

[@charlesvitanza8867]

@@arwing20 at no point did I take away from the French contribution in the AWI, my apologies if my wording gave that impression. Those humiliating defeats in the war of 1812 matter very little in the results of the conflict.

[@historypunkwargames4760]

Would this musket drill be the same in the napoleonic era or does it change?

[@BrandonF]

It changes a pretty good deal actually! There were a lot of military reforms in the 1790s and early 1800s both, including new drill manuals. One day I’ll make one of these for Napoleonic drill, too!

[@historypunkwargames4760]

@@BrandonF ok interesting thanks

[@presidentlouis-napoleonbon8889]

@@BrandonF Can you make a drill video from the mid-18th century up to WWI if you can?

[@patstrzeszewski3240]

i really wanna get some "non farby"equipment

[@RandyDrayton]

Cock your firelocks! He couldn't help but almost laugh lol 2:00

[@michaelsommers2356]

I didn't know that King George's army had BARs. You'd think that with that kind of firepower, they'd have won the war.

[@jesseestrada8914]

What is with the strange adverbs? Why must you move your body "nimbly"? does anyone think that doing it clumsily a likely choice?

[@BrandonF]

Welcome to the 18th Century! Where there are only run on sentences and nothing is ever said simply.

[@LaneMphoto09]

@@BrandonF agreed

[@charlesjermyn5001]

Brandon you can make the most boring thing interesting ^^

[@Notagoodgoalie35]

Have u got an editor yet

[@BrandonF]

Lot of applications that I’ll be going through this upcoming week.

[@Rango37]

47!!!

[@puma2334]

Early again

[@krzysztofstolarczyk7773]

English used capital letters as german does today?

[@lornabaker4079]

Probably because it's a Germanic language with Romance influences

[@cecilyerker]

Who’s that handsome bearded redcoat?

[@samwill7259]

My god I knew stuff in this era was full of hot air but it seems like this drill never uses one word when it can use 15. It's a wonder the British army ever got anything done.

[@everett3862]

COLTONNNN

[@coltonfalletti6360]

EVERETTTTTT

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Very interesting indeed! I can't help but wonder, many of the drill movements seem unnecessary and repetitive, but maybe that was a form of physical conditioning, specifically for the upper body? And certainly then and now, drill was a way of "programming" the soldier to instant obedience of orders.

[@nicholasbenjamin3826]

Keep in mind that this guys aren't fighting in open order as individuals. They're fighting in closed order, surrounded by each-other, and trying to fire all at once. Everyone, in every position of the line, has to be able to bring their piece from their sides to firing position, loaded, using the exact same set of motions, without hitting anyone else, at exactly the same time. Some of the motions are probably there to look pretty ("My company comes to attention in perfect unison, what about yours?") but I doubt any of the motions is actually wasted.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@nicholasbenjamin3826 What you say is absolutely true, but compared to the Steuben drill, and in fact today's drill movements it still strikes me as just a little too complex. But it DOES look cool, I'll grant you that!

[@NYG5]

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 well in today's drill its all for show/programming how to follow orders. We only use it for parade, not for a bunch of different formations and movements to cover all aspects of the battlefield.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@NYG5 As a veteran myself (USMC) what you're saying is true, it's no use on the modern battlefield, but it's still useful for moving large bodies of men, whether platoon or company size in an orderly manner from one point to another. And as we said in the Corps well done drill makes you look good and feel good and also gives you pride in your particular unit.

[@patstrzeszewski3240]

and what are those spear thingys that NCO's used

[@BrandonF]

An espontoon or a halberd, although they were not used in North America by the British.

[@patstrzeszewski3240]

@@BrandonF why and i know the prussians used them a lot in the seven years war

[@patstrzeszewski3240]

@@BrandonF and i thought they also used partizans

[@patstrzeszewski3240]

@@BrandonF one last question can you make a video about gear and where to get it

[@tilasole3252]

I do not know if the modern US military manuals are the same way for the most basic drills, but if I had to follow a book to learn Infantry, I would have never joined.

[@trevdestroyer8209]

This book is only for officers and NCO's that will be training the enlisted as the majority of privates probably couldn't read or write

[@tilasole3252]

@@trevdestroyer8209 I know modern US military has guidance from manuals, but they always add or change things to suit their needs.

[@pfcparts7728]

The thumbnail dude looks like a 1764 version of Private Pyle from FMJ

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

But I'll bet he didn't need a "blanket party" to get his act together like Pyle did. Of course, Pyle went nuts later but that's another story!

[@coltonfalletti6360]

I’m gonna take that as a compliment

[@Banzai_-xn8ip]

God save the King and Brandon (and Chris) of the 54th Regiment of Foot! (why am I doing this)

[@salty4496]

:)

[@joshIuvsu2]

Haha, musket go brrrrrr.

[@maksytheslav]

musket go boom

[@Havermeyer7908]

Musket go ShhCrack

[@fz0913]

Lmao damn that's fire. Imma make that the intro to every one of my music videos that I'll totally make some day... 😂😂😂

[@NYG5]

Can you do a video on what training was like for new recruits who signed drunken contracts in the tavern?

[@ChristheRedcoat]

Well, for starters, let’s do away with the notion that recruits were drunk at the time of enlistment or otherwise coerced into service. This was a professional army of volunteers, much like the army today.

[@wayn1753]

OMG

[@SirFrederick]

dude at Fort Griswold was way too brisk.

[@thetimetravelingfbi7626]

I was just trying to find rap

[@mr.kiddo6721]

E

[@SNAFUD-DAY1944]

Hey Colton, you gonna surrender again?

[@coltonfalletti6360]

Nope

[@presidentlouis-napoleonbon8889]

Bonjour bonjour hon hon hon~ Are Frenchies welcomed?

[@SonsOfLorgar]

Probably only as targets ;)

[@charliecharliewhiskey9403]

The best part is that as with all armies, the men won't have read this. They'll have learnt by being screamed at by some jumped up corporal or other NCO.

[@ITSMRFOXY]

The ammount of instructions and specificity is barbaric. I feel bad for all of those soldiers.

[@TheAquadian]

This is why they lost lmao. Ain't nobody got time for that! Everyone else was ducking and weaving thru the trees and they were thinking, "oh god what was step 8??"