Loading & Firing a Civil War Musket

[@ChaoticBattles]

That's some pretty impressive speed on the reloading and firing, dude was as fast as historians say the soldiers were.

[@chrismc410]

Enough repetition develops the muscle memory and the fact one can do this in the most stressful situation there is: combat also demonstrates that fine motor skills don't go away in combat contrary to what some modern instructors have said and taught.

[@victortrevino3934]

@@chrismc410 I found that to be interesting considering that following some of these battles, the rifles that were picked up were sometimes loaded with 2 to 3 rounds or were otherwise loaded improperly. Goes to show you how much training plays into the real thing.

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

@@victortrevino3934 They didn't get much training until about the 20th century.

[@AapVanDieKaap]

@@victortrevino3934 I think in this war training was quite important. Following officer's instruction and consistent reloading was critical

[@bobsmith8094]

That last shot was done in 18 seconds, very impressive!

[@tedharris1742]

Much respect for all re enactors. So much work and devotion goes into what you do.

[@austinbevis4266]

Yeah, but it doesn’t really accomplish anything

[@wvbygraceofgod5508]

@@austinbevis4266 it doesn’t accomplish anything. It teaches people history. You heard the saying if you forget history your doomed to repeat it? It may not accomplish anything for you but it does for other people.

[@austinbevis4266]

@@wvbygraceofgod5508 everyone learns about the civil war in school. The weaponry and outfits don’t matter

[@wvbygraceofgod5508]

@@austinbevis4266 that’s where your wrong pal. Nobody can ever learn enough. When it comes to the civil war, everything comes to play with the history. What a soldier wore determined if he would have survived a march in good or bad weather. You ever tried to march over long periods with no shoes?It happened in the civil war. A weapon that one military uses as its basic infantry weapon maybe inferior to its combatants. It happened in the civil war. Saying what they wore and the weapons they used isn’t important is about one the stupidest things I’ve ever heard. That’s what wrong with kids today, all they can say is that the civil war was fought between the north and south and that the north won, if they even know that. They don’t know why it was fought, how it was fought, and who fought for who. That’s why all these racism rioters and protests are causing so much destruction to monuments and historical places. For one, they don’t know the history and two, they don’t care to learn the history. Just as long as whatever they’re doin fits the “social justice narrative”, they don’t care why they’re causing destruction and who it’s to.

[@poop464]

@@wvbygraceofgod5508 I mean, let's be honest. Humans were kind of fucking retarded when it came to warfare from like 1200-1700, they would line up across from each other and shoot until one side was dead, or wounded enough to not want to fight. Then, during the revolutionary war, the Colonists used guerilla warfare tactics which was what gave them the upper hand. Only to turn around and less than 100 years later do the same dumb shit, that's why casualties in war were so high, this is also evident in WW1 with the trenches, and once again happening in Ukraine. Which is what makes America the best. We left trench/line warfare behind.

[@120masterpiece]

Wow, for being around 280 years old you sure do look young. What detergent do you use to keep your clothes so clean for over a century?

[@raptorm8242]

MeatHook no body can live that long dumb ass he’s just dressing up like that he is not 280 years old ur stupid cuz he would be dead

[@ZK-ff2ru]

RaptorM82
HOW FUCKING BADLY CAN YOU MISS A JOKE?

[@scatmanbird3415]

RaptorM82 r/ woooosh

[@spencerconway5468]

RaptorM82 no shit Sherlock.

[@SamuelTrademarked]

@@raptorm8242 r/wooosh

[@mattmccune3143]

If any of you are wondering how 100s of thousands of men could die when you're only firing 2 or 3 rounds per minute - they had a LOT of men, in OPEN fields, with NO cover, advancing on one another - with cannons in the rear

[@mikailnoraini9284]

Line infantry yea

[@RalphLindsen]

+Matt McCune I still don't understand how many men, both high and low ranks, kept doing this and not try to find a better way.

[@mikailnoraini9284]

Ralph Lindsen two head are better than one. If you know what i mean

[@asukamist2288]

+Matt McCune Well they had no choice. Because of the technology of the era, it demanded close-quarter combat.

[@Stonemask5]

This was the better way for the majority of the war. Eventually, as weapons became faster and more accurate, the preferred tactic was creating defensive positions and digging in. This planted the seeds of what would become trench warfare.

[@BenBomb5]

That was some fast firing, well done!

[@sande360]

your my 4th grade teacher you were so fun

[@gonkdroid6301]

sande360 wtf

[@sebavasko6304]

Wtf 3x

[@tombutterworth4511]

he didn't teach you the difference between 'your' and 'you're' though...

[@AnonymousTr0ll]

sande360 wtf x4

[@QuickerJoey]

wtf x6

[@pinnedthrottle7690]

Counting the first shot, that’s 4 shots in about one minute 4 seconds. Not too shabby at all!

[@SeattleRex]

That is fascinating! I always wondered what they had to go through to load those guns. Thank you so much for this demonstration. Very educational.

[@illusionszz1513]

all you have to do in 2016 is press square to reload

[@TheSteam02]

I press "R"

[@sneakycactus8815]

iLLusionsZz press X

[@rapedanina5952]

You don’t have to press anything in total war! Game of the future lol

[@chrismc410]

The magazine release button on most rifles of the AR/M16 family, ironically is kind of square-ish.

[@ukopnauykgu3700]

You are a very well trained soldier 👍

[@GusenBacower]

especially in the 1860s!

[@GIGroundNPound]

HOLY COW SIR WELL DONE! That is SERIOUSLY IMPRESSIVE! You have that drill DOWN! Great video!

[@Mestari1Gaming]

This was very informational video about how to load and fire a American civil war musket. Good video!

[@blessedbeliever8725]

Awesome demonstration, young man. Thank you.

[@elquapo24]

Wow! Very impressed with your speed! Well done! Thank you for this video!

[@jamesfarmer6004]

Following the end of the Civil War in 1865 many of these 1861 Springfield and 1853 Pattern British Enfield rifle-muskets went
West. Too, a certain number including the 1863 Springfield were converted to breech loaders. For the Springfield it was the
Allin conversion, named after E.S. Allin: Master Armorer of the Federal Installation at Springfield, Massachusetts. These
included in .50-70 center-fire chambering the Springfield Models 1866: 2nd Allin conversion, *1868 Springfield: 3rd Allin
conversion, and Model 1870: 4th Allin Conversion. The Model 1873 "Trapdoor" Springfield chambered in .45-70 wasn't
a conversion as were those that followed: Models 1879, 1884 "Buffington rear sight" and 1890. The Pattern 1853 British Enfield "breech loading" conversion was designed by Jacob Snider, an American ,and chambered a .577 Boxer metallic cartridge. The
Snider was the stop gap between the 1853 Enfield and latter .577/450 Martini-Henry (officially adopted in 1871). These
became standard military issue arms for the Commonwealth: Britain, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, India, and including
too Australia and New Zealand. Bear in mind too the 1859, 1863, and 1865 .52 caliber percussion Sharps carbine conversions.
The former became the Model 1867 and ^1868 chambered also in .50-70 center-fire metallic cartridge. Naturally going
West after 1865 by the thousands these became vintage arms utilized by pioneers, settlers, and post Civil War wagon
train emigrants. Though seeing extensive use on the 19th century Western Frontier era (1850-1890), these arms weren't
limited to just see action during the Indian campaigns, and for protection against outlaws, predatory criminals, etc. No. Many
provided fresh meat (especially venison or deer meat). Even buffalo (bison), elk, and in the north (Canada) moose.
* The Model 1868 Springfield saw extensive use during the Modoc Indian War of 1872-1873 in the Lava Beds at south
end of Tule Lake. These were issued primarily to U.S. Army troops, and Oregon/California Volunteer Infantry in the
campaign against Captain Jack. Same for the ^1868 Sharps carbine conversion. Both the Model 1868 "Trapdoor"
Springfield and 1868 Sharps carbine conversion were chambered in .50-70 center-fire. Warm Springs Army Indian
scouts were primarily issued Civil War vintage Spencer repeating carbines. The Modoc Indian war lasted for six
months from November 1872 though May 1873; this conflict deserves far more remembrance and recognition it has received.
Bear in mind this is the only Indian Campaign in history where a U.S. Army General (Edward Canby) was killed. Too, 1873
was the year of a severe economic depression. Today the Lava Beds National Monument straddles the Siskiyou/Modoc County Line in Northeastern California about 15 mile south of the Oregon State Line via Highway 139. Check it out at You Tube.
So much for post 1865 conversions of Springfield and Enfield rifle-muskets, and percussion Sharps carbines.
Jim Farmer
Merrill, Oregon (Klamath County)

[@bill3085]

James Farmer nicely written and very informative a rare quality today where one hardly cracks a book.

[@PrimeCaesar]

My fascination for muskets never ceases.

[@penjenta]

thank you, that was very helpful to see how much work it took

[@smug8567]

After this video I can see why casinos are so addicting. It's so visually appealing- straight psychological appeal.

[@Alex-ej4wm]

I was waiting for Matthew Broderick to come up from behind him with a pistol and say....faster!

[@europeanpizza7444]

Imagine reloading a musket while the enemy line shoots back, artillery rounds coming at you, bajonet charges, friends next to you dying, stress, you would get powder and blood in your eyes... inaccurate artillery means you can get killed by your own side...

[@simpilot8508]

The reb artillery is always known to over shoot

[@ErikBCSA]

This is awesome! Well done!!

[@alljarvis]

Have you heard of a new game called war of rights coming out?? Its a civil war simulator :D

[@zacharycarrier2890]

yeah its gonna be awesome

[@donny1685]

alljarvis yep I know

[@GeneralCodyHD]

Yes

[@sharonyeung247]

@@zacharycarrier2890 2.0

[@moneymic524]

General Cody HD i just left from your channel to look at this video😂

[@paradiseroad6405]

...excellent demonstration...

[@petermacdonough9077]

A soldier could fire 3 good shots in a minute during battle. Thanks for sharing!! :)

[@rickclark7846]

wow amazing vidio quality for 1863.

[@mauriceorayii2964]

I love US History, and this was really special.

[@dankmemesfordankkids4247]

I always thought they had two different cartridges ,one cartridge is the gun powder put from the top then ,second cartridge is the ball(ammo)out from top then that stick is used to mix everything inside

[@bloodypine22]

It was like that for earlier muskets

[@bloodypine22]

but there was a piece of fabric between the powder and the ball

[@Troglodytarum]

If you mixed the gunpowder and ball around with the ramrod you would explode the moment you fired it.

[@minionman95]

Yes you had that with a firing pan on top but by this time they had percussion caps that did the same thing.

[@heathenhawk853]

2 rolled paper tubes inside of each other , the folded paper side is powder and the Minie facing the opposite direction so when You pour the Powder the Minie will be facing the correct direction for ramming.

[@fijifish9643]

Same Regiment! 31st Virginia Company I

[@nemox6517]

Good video. Thank you.

[@darrenjones2933]

Well done.

[@1812AndMore]

Great video, as a Civil War nut and Confederate supporter I love these types of videos.
Deo Vindice.

[@snorf525]

confederate supporter....
you ok?

[@okamijubei]

Damn, he seem to reload like an expert if he's in the time of the civil war

[@ShotgunsPistols]

Very amazing!,
bring it on soldier!

[@redfishbluefish4973]

Those last two were pretty quick boi

[@legogreedo6673]

This man would definitely not die in the civil war

[@controlledby4865]

Lol

[@aw294man]

Thank God for self loading firearms

[@pat0343]

I wonder how hard that was for those guys back then when it was for real? Could you imagine dropping something in a real battle.

[@HHenry-ey8wu]

Awesome video!

[@AaronHuie]

Nice speed!

[@damage6836]

Awesome..I really really want to try the 3 shot in a minute..expecting to fail miserably at first though haha

[@foskco87]

He's pretty damn good with that thing

[@superbeast2453]

He was my fourth grade techer

[@superbeast2453]

Teacher* And I liked him because both him and I loved history.... And he was fun

[@louruggiero2295]

I compete with live rounds in North-South Skirmish assn. Timed fire against breakable tatgets

[@kalitovanhelsing5817]

Nice Video. Greetz from Germany

[@DyspareEmbodied]

Damn.
In the 1860s, this was considered machine-gun speed.

[@deanjameson5916]

No the Henry was

[@karanbadhwar1341]

They had the precursor of the machine gun in the 1860s: the gatling gun

[@emirr.e4278]

War of Rights :)

[@strangebones2000]

Civil War: Scarce Edition

[@AnimeKing6797]

We went to a play it was a civil war role play I got to actually shoot one I wish I had someone film it but I was way too excited I shot that gun and gun powder got all over my glasses and scared me to death but worth the fun experience it was in Maseena near the beach and it was a play it’s not there anymore but when I went their they showed us how the battle was fought and rold played as the soldiers fighting and the cannon took most of them out lol witch was pretty funny
Sigh
Don’t u just love history
It’s so fascinating
How old school guns back in the day
That we practice with today and use
Still
Love u history
Love u America

[@buttered__toast_2899]

Imagine going back in time to the civil war armed with modern weapons

[@largol33t1]

You should read Harry Turtledove's sci fi novel "Guns of the south." People from South Africa invent a time machine and go back to the Civil War, equipping the Confederates with the AK47. It's a fascinating book.

[@funstuff9963]

Bump stock muskets

[@Hi-lb8cq]

very cool video...thank u

[@GeneralCodyHD]

high 69 indeed

[@davidryan4127]

Along with nerves of steel in the face of an assault . Pray this conflict never happens again.

[@parker1ray]

Repeating rifles were available, but the north would not pay for them! Some union soldiers purchased their own and they cost the equivalent six months pay. The soldiers that had them had a much better chance of survival!

[@loganbyrd1934]

cool learning how to fire a musket

[@DrumInfected]

Thanks for informative video! I had to look through a bunch of videos until I found yours to figure out what the percussion cap was called. The cap is filled with gun powder, correct?

[@heatherdestefano8114]

i miss him as my teacher

[@johno3990]

This is amazing, I was always curious about the actual speed

[@nathanjackson3882]

thanks for the vidio

[@kaelryder3565]

Hard to imagine that such a weapon dominated warfare, when a skilled archer could shoot him 3 + times in between reloads.
I get it, easier to mass produce, easier to train + fear inducing effects on enemy units. But one on one, or in smaller groups? I'd say a musket is an inferior weapon by a long shot.
all that being said, skillfully done thanks for the video :D The device is a tribute to mankind's ingenuity, and creativity. To bad it attributed to so much death in the world, but such is the way of man.

[@johnwessner7775]

Kael Ryder The archer wasn’t killing anything 300 yards away. This rifle was. And in the hands of a good shot, 500 yards. The bullet would travel and still be deadly at 1,000 yards when being fired by massed infantry. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment!

[@michaeldozen_beast7435]

I love muskets

[@Jake-yx8xb]

how much does that thing cost? nice job also.👍

[@superbeast2453]

If you actually go to Gettysburg, PA ( As I Just got home that wonderful place) you can find a musket or that type of gun for about $2,500 and u can buy a bayonet. Most of the guns come with the ramrod

[@lvio_]

fast reload, epic.

[@Mestari1Gaming]

Anyone here after playing Fallout 76 and using either the Black powder pistol or the Rifle? I love muskets.

[@Czavala8]

I think once ur at war u move faster then this back in the days

[@kokichi_c0z]

Carlos Zavala that used to be my homeroom teacher

[@fosty.]

Imagine trying to do this reload whole you knew the enemy were taking aim and ready to fire a volley at you.

[@granite345rt6]

Didn't they use patches? Just powder then ball

[@Wurdswurth]

The only comforting thought through the tedium is that the other side has to do the same damn thing.

[@lakeeffectmusicable]

if it was this unbeleivably slow, precision based and steady hand required would they stand there and do all of that after they charged an enemy and fired a bullet?

[@alphawolf1336]

They would fire one bullet and then use bayonets, swords or sidearms.

[@xdenricoudx]

When you ram it the cartridge in, do you push it in with some force, pull it out a bit, and do that again or do you lightly tap it after you force it

[@vendetta1306]

Not bad reload time!

[@davidshaw809]

They would not put the ramrod back in the musket they would hold onto it along side the musket to speed reloading.

[@lincolnhyett5720]

1 like = 1 solut to Sargent John wesler.

[@osamabinsuherman4704]

Cool

[@Defender78]

what happens if you lost your ramrod? Would soldiers carry more than one? Or would you borrow your buddy's ramrod, or find one laying around? It must have been a common occurrence, having to fit the RR into the small rails on the rifle meant to accommodate it, was prob not an easy task when under fire, explosions, running etc. I'd like to read an account of this.

[@johnw6042]

A Chaps In many cases, the soldiers simply stuck them into the ground when reloading in battle. This would be a quicker solution than returning to the holding slot on the rifle. As for lost or fired ramrods, they could usually be replaced by taking from the dead or wounded. Thanks for the question!

[@austinkoontz5466]

Neat.

[@banjoman5000]

Your pinkie good Sgt, your pinkie!

[@thenoobster3548]

You sure are good at loading and using a musket

[@macawattackgaming]

My father was in the 42nd Virginia Infantry. Also, I am 11 years and can load and fire a musket in 30 seconds. (I can't fire it yet, the recoil is way to much for me and I can only aim for a little while.

[@thessjansch3433]

It's very cool and thank but I couldn't help but notice your cap is grey and your belt has CS on it but then the rest of your uniform is from the union

[@johnrwessner]

The frock coat is actually a blue-gray shade referred to as "Cadet Gray". It was commonly worn in the military academies such as West Point and other military academies of the time, and it was a common early war color used in the Confederacy. The materials and dyes available made giving the Confederate soldier a truly uniform look throughout the army difficult. Thanks for watching!

[@buttered__toast_2899]

I've been thinking of getting one of these because they look cool but damn 3rpm...you're better of defending ur home with a butter knife

[@mohawk4759]

the reason they fought in lines was because muskets had literally no aim so you didnt know where it would go so yeah butter knife would probably be better

[@snorf525]

@@mohawk4759 they reason they fought in lines in the civil war era was because, even though muskets were advanced enough to have the men scatter and do their own thing (because of rifling,) armies did not have enough time to adapt to new musket technology when it comes to battle tactics

[@senorskittles2980]

notre dame is lit yea w/ the rifled muskets they had you could easily do 150 yards or more im sure. As long as you can aim properly.

[@minionman95]

Señor Skittles rifling with mini ball pushed 200

[@brettduffy1992]

Have you ever shot one of those left handed I am left-handed it's probably not as bad as a flintlock left handed

[@t.martin1077]

you were awesome

[@johnw6042]

Talia Chapman Martin Thank you, and thanks for watching!

[@larissamckee4409]

Hi,I was a kid in ur third class at atoms 2017.to give u a hit to who I am I "shot "u with the toy guns on Friday.i will miss u as my atoms teacher u where my favorite

[@johnrwessner]

Tia McKee It was nice working with you this week! I'm glad you enjoyed the class. I'm recovering from my wound nicely. Don't forget to check iu8atoms on instagram soon to see the antiqued class photo!

[@larissamckee4409]

John Wessner ur very funny and nice again ur the best teacher ever thx for being funny and smart also Tia is my sis just to let u know

[@TariTheBluejay25]

Question,what was the importance of the percussion cap and what would happen if you didn't put it on

[@johnw6042]

RustyFord 101 The percussion cap provided the spark to ignite the black powder. This is similar to the flint and steel lock system used on earlier rifles and muskets, but more reliable.

[@TariTheBluejay25]

@@johnw6042 thanks for the information!

[@aaronandfamilygmail.comgei9326]

Nice

[@randomguy822]

Civil war musket? There was no muskets in the civil war only rifles

[@johnrwessner]

The soldiers used the term “rifled musket” to refer to these weapons. And in the early years of the war, many soldier were still using traditional smoothbore muskets as well. Musket was a term for a single shot, muzzle loading weapon, so there were both smoothbore and muzzleloading muskets.

[@Keevas2123]

in civil war they even still used line tactics even for a more accurate and lethal weapon?

[@xxNikos88xx]

These Rifles was very accurate for his time. They could reach a range of 100 to 300 yards and they used line tactics.

[@Keevas2123]

Thats like marching to your death. knowing the rifles are accurate.

[@xxNikos88xx]

Myles Sermon You have first to hit someone if you are good in this situation. ^^

[@TheEvilmooseofdoom]

Accuracy was not the prime factor although by the end of the war soldiers would refuse to advance over open ground against rifled muskets. The concept of digging in became rather popular too. However part of the reason for tight line formations was for the same reason they did so during Napoleons times. Black powder produces a lot of smoke and after some shooting your target becomes harder to see. To keep a high volume of fire it was still required that men stand close together and fire as fast as they could. Unable to see very well most would tend to shoot high as well. So again it was volume of fire that did the damage vs. individual marksmanship.

[@Agent77X]

What about the gatling gun platoons in the Civil War? I guess the commanders did not see the benefit to using them against approaching enemy soldiers in masses. They depend on cannons to blow them up!

[@theodoreparillo5090]

How do you win a war with that gun? Give me a Henry riffle!

[@mrpotatoweiler5192]

Noice job

[@provenelk]

How come with this musket you have to place a cap in the primer when earlier models such as the Brown Bess didn't require it? Seems like a backward step in efficiency.

[@DrLeperchaun]

+provenelk You still had to prime the pan with powder in the case of the brown bess. The percussion cap is also waterproof

[@DrLeperchaun]

provenelk Aye, it would be a bit quicker but these are far more accurate

[@asukamist2288]

+provenelk It's more of an advanced technology back then. In the Brown Bess, the flintlock didn't work in the rain, and the musket itself sometimes or mostly a lot of times would misfire, and that's not good when fighting an enemy. They needed something waterproof and get a way to fire the musket almost every time. Percussion caps are waterproof and contain mercury and when struck, it ignites. And it's more cheaper and easier.

[@snorf525]

It's more effective than pouring gunpowder down the thing, making the loading take more time, and also sometimes pouring too much powder.

[@BerishaFatian]

I don't know why hundreds of years ago they used rifles, they were off much better with bows and arrows, cause at that time it took too long for a rifle to reload just to fire one bullet.

[@AverageJoe___]

Since when were you allowed to use a ramrod

[@snorf525]

its called europe

[@AverageJoe___]

@@snorf525 He's not in Europe

[@richarddiehl6206]

It's ready steady fire not ready air fire there were no sights back then

[@johnrwessner]

There were three tactical manuals used during the war...Hardee’s, Casey’s, and Gilham’s. All were fairly similar. All also included the firing commands given here. And there were most certainly sights on these weapons. The Enfield rifle here is sighted up to 1,000 yards. www.cs-cavalry.de/Hardees%201862.pdf. Thank you for watching!

[@comradeamerican4393]

im sorry but i think the most used commands were load ready fire

[@johnrwessner]

These were the commands used in the Hardee's Infantry Tactics Manual. At times under fire ready might be omitted by combining the commands as "Load and to the Ready", but it was important to have all of the men level their rifles together at the aim command prior to firing, so that command would not be left out.

[@comradeamerican4393]

+John Wessner. just saying im shore alot of times they would of been under a lot of stress and sorta stuck to the basics if you know what i mean but i understand you 😄

[@dudeinadoughboy4327]

These commands were mostly used for drill and training, to teach the steps and increase speed. When men actually came under fire, it was pretty much every man loads and fires on his own. On occasion though they were used in battle to make sure the men weren't overloading their muskets.

[@jordynmendola3963]

I could've swore was
"Make ready!"
"Present arms!"
"Fire!"
"Reload!"

[@xdrew84x]

Holdfast: Nations At War

[@phillippinepoliticsdefense7476]

i thought ur not suppose to put the paper thing inside the barrel.

[@SuperMunchkin1000]

+Diamond Lover Hd Gonzale That's the wad between the powder and round

[@krzysztofaleksandrowicz9200]

Why not? The temperature of burning black powder is so high, that it burns the paper completely. So it has no negative effect on the rifle at all.

[@snorf525]

They only do that in Europe, in North America, that is considered dangerous.

[@snorf525]

@@krzysztofaleksandrowicz9200 The powder would not burn the paper, although the paper would be extremely hot, if not flaming, after being fired.

[@jammer3618]

Assuming he is not loading a ball as with ball rammer would not slid that easily. Not a reanactor but shoot civil war muskets in target contests. Of course targets dont shoot back.

[@killerman19880385]

Wow twenty seconds of reload time. Thats pretty fast for its time.

[@TheEvilmooseofdoom]

Back then it was the mark of a highly trained main.. For most of these re-enactors though it's little more than a parlor trick since they omit having to aim at anything and save a lot of time that way.

[@nathanielnagma3637]

That Reloading time would be so scary if indians are coming with tomahawks

[@darramlogan7126]

1:48, 2:09,2:33

[@user7966]

Charge cartridge could easily be misinterpreted