Hitting the Mark: Historic Nova Scotia, Knives and Black Powder | PIONEER | HISTORY | FRONTIER
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- Peter travels to Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. Here, he meets with two blacksmiths and the three of them go to a range to practice their marksmanship, while Peter gives a tutorial on loading and firing a flintlock.
Nick Skinner, a knife smith from Nova Scotia showcases some of his reproductions including the famous Bowie knife.
And, of course, there are wee bits of history discussed along the way, including the historic trek made by the 104 New Brunswick Regiment in 1813.
If you are enjoying our videos, please continue to like each week's episode and subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell- this helps us bring you unique content and a wee bit of history every week.
Nick Skinner: www.southmount...
Featuring - Peter Kelly
Cinematography - Catherine Wolfe
Producer & Editor - Catherine Wolfe
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook - / south.mountain.forge
Facebook - / the.woodland.escape
MUSIC
The amazing music in this episode is graciously provided by our friends, Richard Fortier and Al MacDonald.
#blackpowder #flintlockshooting #flintlockloading #warof1812 #knifesmith #bowieknife #104newbrunswickregiment #blacksmith #18thcenturypioneerlife #americancolonialhistory
The story of William Tell is fascinating. Every time I think of William Tell I think of the “William Tell Overture” which makes me think of Brave Beemer as the Lone Ranger. Lol.
It is odd how the human mind works, lol. It appears ours are quite similar.
Well...son of a gun! I had no idea U had wandered off so far from the homestead. Truly interesting to watch the loading process on these varied flintlocks. With all the time needed to load, then fire =YIKES! And then my hand would be shaking, so I guess I would never have lasted a small skirmish. It makes you wonder how 'tough' the 'men of yore' really were. Like the 104th...Dear Lord! Young King David always fascinated me. The sling he used was soOOoo difficult to master. The practice for such perfection as ol' Goliath, is a Wonder, to say the least. Thanks muchly 4 your time/talents shared Peter and Catherine. I understand a tad bit your life choices. This quote by an 'American Hunter' seems to suit; "The closer one lives to nature, the less he is affected by the chances and changes of life." Health and God Bless!
Thanks Marie and the ending quote is certainly a profound one that will get stored away in my head filling system.
Peter you are a great historian and passionate about where we came from. You not only provide the hands on education but also provide the background in the story telling ... the great 1,2 punch. Always well done.. all the best from the Adirondacks
Thanks Rob. We are driving west and will soon be passing just to the north of your beautiful part of the world
Hi, Peter! Very enjoyable and educational video. You do a great job bringing your viewers a variety of topics to learn from. I always tell people even the poorest man dressed better on the frontier than the styles of today. My opinion anyway. Take care 👍
I also like the style but, I also find most of the clothing more comfortable than our modern wear.
Thanks for sharing and giving us a look back at what history has forgotten
Glad you’re enjoying, Kim.
Great presentation. Thanks.
Thank you.
Hi from Syracuse NY USA everyone thank you for sharing a part of history
Thanks, Earl.
You are welcome brother and I have shared your videos
Your videos are both entertaining and educational. Thank you, Peter. Perhaps you can do a video about the fisherman and sailors of the 1700 - 1800's.
Thanks Kevin and that is a great idea, certainly food for thought.
Mr. Pete.....that was absolutely the best rendition of David & Goliath I have ever heard. You have such a way!!!!! Love that you got that smoke pole dirty! Your opening was simply beautiful!!!! Thank you and as always stay well!
Your continued interested is certainly appreciated.
Thank you ☺️
Splendid! Enjoyed every minute from the chickadees in the background to the stories to instant lock times of great shooters. Well done all around.
Thanks Glen. Heck,I missed the chickadees when editing, I’ll have to have another look.
Appreciate your efforts and dedication. I have enjoyed your country in the past, seems a lifetime ago now. Wish I could have been able to explore it a bit more. I am glad to be able to tag along on your many adventures and see what I had missed. Beautiful part of the world. You are not only talented yourself, but keep some pretty talented company. Thanks again and keep your powder dry!
I have had a lot of fantastic people in my life that have both taught and influenced me. Watch your top knot.
Your introduction reminded me of Tennyson
Break, break, break,
On thy cold gray stones, O sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
O, well for the fisherman's boy,
That he shouts with his sister at play!
O, well for the sailor lad,
That he sings in his boat on the bay!
And the stately ships go on
To their haven under the hill;
But O for the touch of a vanished hand,
And the sound of a voice that is still!
Break, break, break,
At the foot of thy crags, O sea!
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
Will never come back to me.
I forgot how much I enjoyed Tennyson, thanks so much for sharing a beautiful poem!
Very Enjoyable 👍 Great history presentation. Best from Down South🇺🇸
Thanks, glad you enjoyed.
How entertaining and educational, great vide o, thanks, awesome scenery
Thanks Tammy.
Thanks for the wonderful video, Peter and Cathy. The video footage of you, Peter standing in front of the bay with your period clothes was is quite impressive.
Thanks Richard. I do get the odd look from passing public though.
Ah Peter, the thrill of pushing lead down range. I haven’t done it in decades and miss it….
Even better when you actually hit the mark, lol.
Very informative. Thanks.
Thanks Peter, great video and history lesson. Watch your top knot
Thanks Lance … keep your powder dry.
Nick is just a flat out great guy too!!
He is that.
Thanks for the brief history Peter. A very enjoyable and entertaining video for us. Keep the little adventure coming.
Thanks.
Another good one, Peter.
Three good steady shots there
Something different every week. You guys have great video and narration. The best on RUclips by a long shot. Good to see the vent pick idea. Something I haven't seen before. Thanks
Thanks Mark and as far as using a vent pick while loading, I’ve rarely had a miss fire since starting this method.
Nice bit of old-time shooting by 3 men who know what they are doing with those 9old guns!!
Thanks Jan …always fun when one gets together fora friendly shooting match.
Enjoyed the video! Back in the 90s I had a Hawkins built from a kit. We had to get the barrel blued. I used a small load as I am very petit. It was a 50 caliber. Very acurate. Loved shooting it. My family has quite a few very good marksmen. I use to be good with about any rifle, but not so good with hand guns. I don't have a black powder gun anymore, but I still shoot guns occasionally. Really enjoy shooting targets...not animals, lol, as my family did.
Actually Gail, ifthe truth be known , my wife Cathy is a better marksman than me.
I watched your enjoyable video with my .69 caliber smoothbore musket in my lap. Always do I look forward to your videos.
Thanks Francis. Let me guess, you had an oily rag wiping the old 69 down.
You are reading my mind Peter! I was in Tim Hortons today with a couple of IMUC buddies, discussing our shooting technics! Nice to see my home province again!
Looks like you,ll soon be able to be smelling a wee bit of black powder as well, with events opening back up.
Another great one. I wish you would have shown more of the custom knives. I noticed that there were quite a few more than just the Bowies. It might be heresy, but I never thought they were very practical for every day use. I enjoyed the shooting. I noticed that your loads weren't far off what I load. The one thing I do is "load" the pan and brush off any excess before closing the frizzen. I then tip the gun so the powder in the pan drifts toward the touch hole. and then tip it back level. I do not use a vent pick while loading, but can see how it might help. I also drill out all my touch holes to 1/16".
I’m with you David, the Bowie is too much knife for my liking but, I do love handling them. I’ve rarely had a miss fire since I started to load with the vent pick in.
Great video. History. And loved the shooting.
Thanks Beverly.
We had a family member from 'Back in the Day' who fought on the American side at Sackett's Harbor. Several of our family members moved from Vermont and the upper Hudson River area to Canada.
I find listening to others family histories absolutely fascinating! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Peter, for another great video. 👍
Thanks Kirk.
Another excellent video, love the flintlocks!! Have you ever been to friendship Indiana to the national shoot?
Thanks for taking us along on the trip with you. As always, i enjoyed the history lesson, and those were some beautiful knives!
Your quite welcome Jeff and I agree, Nick is a true artisan .
Well Peter, I learned more history in this video then the entire time spent in school ! Certainly concerning what you said about my own province NB. didn't know you visited the Maritimes, and want to say your welcome to come visit our off the grid home if ever your down again. I know there's a few things that would probably interest you, like, Buckskin clothing, hand crafted Native style Bows & Arrows, etc ...
Such a lovely offer, Charles. We also enjoy like minded people visiting the Woodland Escape. I have a real passion for making traditional bows and arrows.
@@TheWoodlandEscape That's great .. I wondered if you had an interest in this type of traditional stuff. Have you made some, or maybe hunted with it ?
Both Charles but, these days I mostly hunt with my flintlocks.
Outstanding video Peter.. I love to shoot my Tule d'chaise it's also a smoothbore and a .62/20 gauge. Looking forward to more videos..! God's continued blessings.
The French trade musket has the nicest lines of any flintlock, in my humble opinion.
I love your channel! Thanks for all the hard work
Glad you’re enjoying, Caleb. We appreciate your interest and support.
Excellent show this week. I shoot a Fusil de chasse. Ah the sweet smell of powder smoke in the woods.
I also love the Fusil de chasse and totally agree on that smoke thing wafting through the trees.
Do all three of you have the same belt knife? Who makes it, I need one! Amazing videos, watching them all from start to finish.
All three are different and all three are made by each one of us. Nick Skinner makes a fine knife if you’re looking to buy one. Thanks for watching.
Peter another amazing video thanks for sharing your abundance of knowledge of the time always Freddie 😄😎🦴
Appreciate your continued interest, Freddie and kind words.
Another great video Peter! I really enjoyed it and i am looking forward to the next video on building the birch bark canoe :D
I’ll be back at the canoe build shortly. Appreciate your interest.
Excellent.
Another fine video and a "wee bit a history" Peter! I loved the story and the shooting.
Thanks and also we sure appreciate your continued support.
So if you were in Saint Margaret's Bay then were the rocks in the beginning Peggy's Cove? I though they looked familiar. Welcome to Atlantic Canada! :)
The opening scene is indeed Peggy’s cove but, the intro is at Boutiliers Point. You live in a beautiful part of the world.
wow i haven't shot black powder in a long time looks like lots of fun to be had and welcome to my neck of the woods
Hey Peter! All that was missing was the smell of the black powder smoke! I had never heard of the ordeal of the 104th in the War Of 1812 before! WOOF! Of course, needs must when it's war, but I can't help but think that they would have made better time and arrived in better shape if they had waited until Spring to start their journey. I liked the outfits you guys wore while shooting as well. Nothing fancy, but plain, durable, and functional... the same could be said of the firearms as well!
Everything in that era was practical and functional. As to the ordeal of the 104, one does have to wonder,however. They did get to Ottawa in time for the Sackett Harbor battle.
Loved the video Peter
Peggy’s cove is beautiful, have you heard of the Giant of Englishtown Cape Breton ? Angus MacAskill apparently he was 7 foot 9 a bit of interesting history.
I have not but, you’ve gone and planted the seed of curiousity . Glad you’re enjoying our endevour.
Another great video Peter! Ahh, I can smell the powder all the way to Yarmouth! Oh, and yes, all the snow is gone!
Thanks Alan and once again,it was wonderful reconnecting with you.
Love it , how many shots b4 cleaning? I’ve fired some flintlocks but never owned one
I can usually get a dozen or more shots. If you like shooting modern firearms you’ll get a kick ( no pun intended) out of shooting a flintlock.
@@TheWoodlandEscape yeah I’ve shot a few it’s cool
Love your vid.
Thanks Millie.
Very cool guys. Would loveto learn!!
Thanks Mary.
Great episode Peter, although the wee bit of history I missed was did you guys hit the target?
I few times, lol. We were shooting at a gong at 50 yards.hard to film that part of it.
Great video! I enjoyed it but you should have shown the accuracy on your targets. I subscribed and look forward to more videos.
Thanks for your support and interest. We were shooting a various sizes of steel gongs at 50 yards, making it impossible to show accuracy other than the sweet sound of lead striking the gong.
@@TheWoodlandEscape I didn’t even think of that and I have steel targets at the ranch. Keep up the good work.
With my old eyes that sweet sound is less consistent than it used to be!
Great video. Enjoyed the story of William Tell especially. I was wondering how well each gun hit the target. Is there a difference (setting aside the skill of the shooter) in accuracy of the newer muskets compared to the older?
We were shooting at steel gongs, so no paper targets to so the accuracy obtained. However, that sweet sound of a lead ball striking the gong was a pleasure to ones ears. They all had the potential for accurate shooting, so, it boiled down to the ability of the person squeezing the trigger.
Great video as always, but I really hoped that you will show us the targets and tell us a little bit more about accuracy of the muskets you guys were shooting. Greetings from Poland!
Thank you. The day we filmed we were shooting at steel gongs, not paper targets. I can usually group my smoothbore at about 2” at 50 yards.
Thank you. The day we filmed we were shooting at steel gongs, not paper targets. I can usually group my smoothbore at about 2” at 50 yards.
I'm not so sure patched balls were used all that often, especially with smoothbore muskets. Far more often it was a bare ball with a flax or hemp tow wad on top. It's much faster that way too. Cool video nonetheless. Nova Scotia is beautiful. I've only been once in this lifetime but I have ancestors who called the place home. Cheers, from Massachusetts! I have this Monday off for Patriots day and will be taking some muskets to the range.
I actually load just as you suggest, including the day we filmed. My favorite with my smoothbore is paper wasp nest.
It has always been a mystery to me about where the rifle barrels come from in those early days of the 1700 to 1800 time, and the mystery deepens even more with the Kentucky Long Rifle with it's accuracy of hitting a target at 300 wards. A regular Blacksmith of that time did not have the equipment needed to make a precision rifle barrel like that. But there must have been a machine shop somewhere that had the precision machinery needed for that, and it must have been as good as a machine shop of today, but where was it?
Bigger cities like Boston or Philadelphia were the places that major industry was located and the products shipped onto the frontier but, by the mid 1700’s rifling machines could be found on the western frontier. These machines were often made where they reside. Rifling was invented by the Germans.I have plans to build on myself, now I just need to find the time.
18:10 What is that carved cylinder hanging from a strap on your left side near the rifle? A match case or needles?
That is a carved wooden shot measure that throws 1 5/8 ounce of #5 shot.
@@TheWoodlandEscape Thanks
Welcome to NS
Love it out here … usually get out once or twice a year.
No matter what you arm yourself with, one is always too close to the other bloke or beast for me.
Keep up the great work. " That's not a knife ...."
Beast perhaps as they don’t shoot back,lol.
@@TheWoodlandEscape
Good point haha.
It's just the shaking... may not all be poisonous over there, but they are bloody big.
Enjoy a happy & holy Easter to you & yours!
And to you and your clan, Stephen.
Though your musket has a French appearance it does seem to have an English style lock. Am I correct?
Very observant. It is actually an English design that was short lived and yes, the lock is English.
@@TheWoodlandEscape I like it. The lock sets it off as something that might have been around during the British Colonial period. Looks handy.
I watvch a show on tv called curse of oak island . island in nova scotia do you know who might of been on that island in the s1700's of before;
love all youi videos in am a black smith in the usa.
Most settled by the Acadians who eventually got kicked out by the British, many of them ending up in your country in the New Orleans area.
😊❤
One of my wife’s ancestors as was at Quebec, Capt Liechester Grosvenor, along with several of my ancestors. Marksmanship is determined by one thing - the screw holding the butt plate, meaning you if you did not figure out the meaning of the parody.
Sorry for commenting so much on this one video but I haven't seen a new one lately. Keep them coming. Have a great interest in the time period you portray but should we ever be able to sit down and have a confab I think I could tell you a story or 2. This is the area True Grit was written about. Within 5 miles occurred a shootout between U.S. marshals and Cherokees over jurisdiction. Two marshals killed and several bystanders. They laid the bodies out on my wife's great great grandfather's porch. As the crow flies, not 8 to 10 miles from here a fellow set himself up a fort and dared U.S. marshals to come get him. They did, eventually, with dynamite, after they had tried everything else, including a small cannon whose balls bounced off his sturdy breastworks. I could tell you about a fellow who, like Simon Kenton, and for the same reason, fled here after killing a man only to find years later that he hadn't. Supposedly he went back to Missouri and apologized to the fellow. Or I could tell you about two exslaves, strong men, who would have a wrestling match even into their old age. I could tell you about a frontier doctor who started his practice ahorseback who lived to be over a 100 and who still climbed stairs and practiced medicine into his 90s. I think you'd like those stories just like I like to hear your tales about the folks who were around in the 1700s.
The way we look at feedback, is there never too much … either positive or negative. If I may say so Larry, you are a wealth of historical information as well as having, and knowing an amazing family history. Perhaps you should get yourself up here to the Cedar Hollow Tavern
Should you ever find yourself in our neck of the woods, we would be pleased to host you.
@@TheWoodlandEscape should that be possible, I'd be there with bells on. But my home stomp is Northeastern Oklahoma among the foothills of the Ozarks in what they call the Boston Mountains in the old Going Snake, Flint, and Cooweeskoowee Districts of the Cherokee Nation West. That's a long way from Canada. But I'll continue to follow your channel and, if you don't mind, tack a line to my Canadian friend and fellow history lover. Should I ever get a chance you can bet I'd be looking for your friendly tavern. Right now I'm patching warergaps from recent flood waters, watching over a small herd of cattle and a rental property or 2, watching my small garden grow, and putting together a Leman trade rifle for my daughter and a Carolina mountain rifle for myself.
If you've the time I'll relate something about the fellow with the fort. As you might know the Cherokees set up their own law system and had a written constitution patterned after that of The United States. They had their own public schools and two seminaries for higher education, some of the first west of the Mississippi. Ned Christie was a well respected gent in the nation and , I believe, a council member. Though the Cherokee had their own system of law they had no authority over white outlaws who entered the nation. That was left to the marshals of Judge Isaac Parker. On a very dark night Ned was crossing a foot log over the town branch in Tahlequah to buy some illegal whiskey, for it was outlawed in the nation. From out of the dark someone yelled for him to stop. Times being what they were, Ned shot quick. The fellow in the darkness was a U.S. marshals and he was stone dead. Not trusting the federal court for a just trial, he went on the dodge, built himself a thick log walled dwelling with a dug basement with loopholes he could fire out of. Time and again federal authorities tried to take him. He would always be notified in advance and either gone or ready for them. They even commandeered a cannon. The balls bounced off the thick walls. Determined to take him a large group set a wagon on fire and tried to burn him out. Didn't work. They tried dynamite. That wouldn't have worked but it upset a stove and the smoke pushed him out. As he tried to make his escape through the smoke his legs were spotted by the son of the marshal he'd killed and he shot him. Turns out one of our most famous outlaws might just have been an innocent man defending himself on a dark night from an assumed would be assailant. As an aftermath the marshals son who had shot him and was reported to have been an imbittered man later went far north into cattle country and froze to death in a blizzard.
So if you are in a battle and it rains what happens? The pan and the powder would get wet and then all you have is an awkward club?
There are numerous accounts of battles that were in fact cancelled. Frontiersmen usually carried a greased cover ( called a cows knee) for the entire firing mechanism.
haven't fired at the mark in a while now.
Well then, time to get it dirty!
Hi Peter,
As always i love the content, but please try to stick in your lane with the wee bits of history. something about the natives accuracy maybe? something in our back yard. Can you do a wee bit of history on the Jesuits ? they were very highly trained and make for interesting characters in the time period. talk about the counsel of trent and the counter-reformation as the birth place of the Jesuit and their travels.
Here is an audio book on the subject for your drive back to Ontario (12 hours)
ruclips.net/video/6Oulcva8Sy0/видео.html
looking forward to more content.
Your telling of David and Goliath made me wonder about the sling weapon. Any "wee bit o'history" about the native peoples or the white 'visitors' who used the sling for small game? Some civilizations still hold high the art of hand throwing rocks for harvesting wild game. For your chosen period of history, what did the native people use there in Canada? Rocks, slings, spears, atlatl powered projectiles, bow/arrow or snares/dead falls? When were metal traps introduced?
Pretty much every item you described was in fact used. Most fell out of favor after European contact. Metal traps were introduced in the 1600’s. Bow and arrow remained in use long after guns were available due primarily to their reliability. Also, muskets were not traded in significant numbers until well into the 1700’s. The Shawnee had a weapon that consisted of a heavy rock sew into a pouch at the end of a braided strap. Quite lethal in the right hands.
@@TheWoodlandEscape Thank you for the history. Did the settlers adopt the art of bow/arrow making and use? As you have built birch bark canoes on a bent in frame, have you in the past tried constructing bows/arrows as did the native people? If so, I would like to see your efforts (or others) in that skill. I'm assuming the canoe craft skills would lend themselves to the art of bow/arrow making as well; I may be wrong on that point?....
❤😊😊
Why didn't you show the targets? Did you hit anything?
Good point…an oversight but, we did pretty good. We were shooting at gongs.
Who made your trade gun?
I build all my guns, usually from kits but, my smoothbore I built from components I picked up here and there… it is my favorite.
David had 5 stones, but only used one. They question as to why he took 5 stones and some say because Goliath had four brothers there, but I think it is because 5 fingers are on God's hand, and maybe I'm wrong but I think that God's hand is justice. I also equate 10 with justice. God doesn't need to use ANY hands, but WE as His hands, do.
Foggy, rainy mornings in south Louisiana deer hunting with my flint lock drove me the drinking, cussing and screaming. I swore I would never hunt with it again. But the next morning I was out there again. I was much more successful with my recurve bow. Black powder is the most fun. Tallow or lard for lube.
Ah the smell of burnt black powder wafting through the woods! I use rendered down bear fat for lube.
@@TheWoodlandEscape I started with petroleum made lube in the early 70''s and did a lot of brushing. Then realized to treat it like a black iron skillet and poof no more brushing, just a nice clean non stick bore like a black iron skillet. Rendered tallow here and a cast 370 grain maxi ball, things drop. Rain bow trajectory.
Rainbow trajectory indeed and the ballistic coefficient of a bus!
Correction: Goliath was a Philistine, not a Palestinian. That term (Palestinian) was not known in term BC.
It is the War of Northern Aggression, not the Civil War.
The south called it that, but it most definitely is know as the American Civil War
@@TheWoodlandEscape those that win the wars get to write the books
I thought blacksmiths used coke and not coal.
Coke is a by product of the coal as it heats. Pure coke was unheard of in that time period.
Did you know that Nova Scotia means New Scotland?
Yup
Fantastic and informative as usual.
But I think theres one type of knife which is nowadays used far more often than the huge working tools like the Bowies and they dont get the attention they deserve: The small patch knives.
My patch knife is without a doubt my most used tool.
Are you shooting a musket or a long rifle....??? Musket is smooth bore...
We were shooting both a rifled 50 caliber and my .62 smoothbore fowler.