Hunter vs. soldier, new post on CTD blog

2 Responses to Hunter vs. soldier, new post on CTD blog

1. Nathaniel says:

   November 16, 2011 at 1:11 pm

   A most excellent post.
2. Lyle says:

   November 17, 2011 at 2:24 pm

   American Rifleman magazine did an article on this a year or so ago. They tended to agree with you, giving records and statistics to show that smoothbores were employed in vastly greater numbers by the Americans. American rifle companies were used, and then often relegated back to musket infantry.

   The one point that was highlighted several times by letters from Brit soldiers and commanders was the psychological impact upon the Brits– some American riflemen were quite skilled, and these scant few had a sometimes significant impact upon the Brits’ morale. When the Brits started losing, the skill of the American rifleman was often sited as an excuse, and so it was amplified as a means of explaining away the Brit losses.

   That’s what I took away from it anyhow. They also made an effort to show evidence of actual shooting ability, which in some cases was fairly impressive. The use of “Indian” fighting tactics was also mentioned, and apparently, regardless of the actual merits of the tactics, they annoyed and frustrated the Brits.

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