The Battle of Waterloo heralded the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte, by an alliance of several states including Britain and Prussia called The Seventh Coalition. Many Scots were to fight against the French, and the Scots had a profound influence on the armies during this time. The percussion cap was a Scottish invention; it allowed muskets to fire in the rain, so you could imagine that to be lethal. The first breech-loading rifle was invented by a Scotsman named Patrick Ferguson and was used in the American Revolutionary Wars. There were tactics used in the Battle of Culloden where the Jacobites would parry the bayonet out of way to the Jacobite's left, and strike with his right hand with the Scottish Broadsword. The redcoats knew that the Jacobite's right arm and chest would be vulnerable, so each redcoat would bayonet to his right to capture the Jacobite without his targe shield protecting him. This tactic like many tactics of the British Military was devastating, and of course, there were many Scots fighting in the lines for the British.
No comments:
Post a Comment