US Marine Officer Reviews The Most Surprising History of the US Marines | Pepperbox TV

[00:00:01]Hey, what up guys? So, today we're back with another video from Pepper Box TV.

[00:00:05]If you're new to the channel, welcome.

[00:00:07]This one is called the most surprising history of the US Marines.

[00:00:12]Now, this was not recommended. This is just something that popped up on my YouTube recommendation page and had the words US Marines on there, so I had to take a look. It's also I know the Fat Electrician's in this and Hip Picture Lion Crossers in this as well. And also, I wore the perfect shirt for the perfect video, so I got to watch this. So, without anything else, let's jump right into it.

[00:00:33]>> Ancient Marines.

[00:00:35]>> Yeah.

[00:00:35]>> Giant animal, pointy stick, we'll figure it out.

[00:00:38]>> Yeah, so this is that timeline that we have that covers all the way from uh uh basically the very first or sorry, the last ice age that we uh had all the way up to uh more modern day.

[00:00:49]>> Was this just like an old canoe?

[00:00:50]>> Yeah, so this is actually was found on Paris or in the marshes off Paris Island. Um unfortunately, it has deteriorated.

[00:00:57]>> Oh, off of Paris Island.

[00:00:58]>> So, in the photograph that you see right there, that's what it looked like when it originally came out of the marsh. Um when things like this uh are being cared for afterwards, it takes a very long time to dry them out. You have to keep them submerged in water and then you got to spray them with water and just very slowly get it dry. Uh and that just didn't happen with this, and so um unfortunately, it's it's in pieces, but >> The guy in red short shorts didn't know how to do that.

[00:01:22]>> [laughter] >> Since we're in uh South Carolina, we also get to talk about some of the local history, which is kind of unique for us.

[00:01:31]>> Oh, there's a Marine right behind him.

[00:01:33]>> um is that we have had Marines here um living in and around this area since the American Revolution.

[00:01:40]Uh so, we get to kind of expand on uh the local history as well because we can tie it into the Marines, so >> So, I'm betting this musket is still on someone's property book in the Marine Corps. I'm >> [laughter] >> betting.

[00:01:51]>> Yeah, so um I don't know if Tyler wants to uh share a bit more information. He uh is our weapons expert, so he uh knows a bit more about our weapons than I do.

[00:02:02]>> Hi Bart.

[00:02:02]>> And so if he wants to talk a bit more about the short land pattern musket. So >> Uh what Also one of my guys that I knew back on the East Coast, he's right now on the East Coast at Lejeune right now.

[00:02:15]He's a manpower officer.

[00:02:17]He said that for his birthday, his wife bought him a authentic musket.

[00:02:23]It was like $700 and he said, "Yeah, I mean it can shoot." Like you know, you load it and all that, you can shoot it.

[00:02:29]I was like, "Your wife bought you that?"

[00:02:31]And he's like, "Yeah, my wife bought me a musket." And I was like, "Bro, did you get a real one?"

[00:02:36]>> If you look at this, this was a standard issue for the English soldiers here fighting during the Revolutionary War.

[00:02:43]75 caliber.

[00:02:44]Um See, there's no rear sight on these muskets at all. There is a front post that's not a sight per se, that's more for the bayonet that you put on, but you would could use that. It's more of a volley action. You're not going to get anything out of this distance wise more than 100 yards. And that's that's good if you even get that close.

[00:03:08]Um These are smooth bore and they're not rifled at all. So that's why during the Revolutionary War >> So no, they're not that accurate.

[00:03:17]>> Patriots used rifled muskets.

[00:03:20]>> So they could >> kind of >> shoot a little little bit further.

[00:03:23]>> Exactly. Um and then the British were not accustomed to that because you know, the line warfare.

[00:03:28]>> Mhm.

[00:03:28]>> Um line up volley, fire, volley, fire back and then hope you hit someone.

[00:03:35]>> Um This is more of a general to whom it may concern in that light over there.

[00:03:39]>> But about a well-trained soldier can get three shots off in about a minute.

[00:03:43]>> Can you imagine? You're aiming at the guy right in front of you. You pull that trigger, but not he doesn't go down, but someone two like three uh three guys to his left that goes down.

[00:03:53]>> [laughter] >> So, there's a whole process to that. We kind of detail that up on the exhibit up on the second deck to show you all the steps.

[00:04:01]Um but three shots off in a minute, you could start getting some damage down range.

[00:04:07]So.

[00:04:08]>> I'm sorry. I'm really >> a minute, wow.

[00:04:10]>> I've been to a lot of museums. So far, your guys' is like printouts on the walls are just funnier and cooler to me cuz it's just like I recognize some names. I was like, "Oh, Banastre Tarleton." I've talked a lot about that guy in my my videos. And it's like Legend has it Wig fought off a shark with his saber when crossing a river.

[00:04:28]>> [laughter] >> What the >> Yeah, I believe it.

[00:04:32]>> It's so good.

[00:04:33]>> It's just here's all the marine [ __ ] that's happened once or twice.

[00:04:36]>> I'm hoping by the time we're done with this uh this tour, we can figure out exactly when the whole Marines eating crayons thing came to be. I'm hoping that's an in an exhibit in here. Don't tell me if it's not. We're going to We're going to keep asking. [laughter] >> The Crayola exhibit?

[00:04:48]>> Yes.

[00:04:49]>> Big ass >> cannon, what's going on with that?

[00:04:51]>> Well, this was local uh this was found in Port Royal Sound, I believe. Uh there was a naval engagement during the Revolutionary War, Battle of Port Royal.

[00:04:59]Um so >> Was this like pulled back up from the depths? Or uh wow, that's cool.

[00:05:04]>> What that thing weigh?

[00:05:05]>> Probably >> I don't know if it's >> thousand plus pounds?

[00:05:08]>> it was 12.

[00:05:10]>> Well, 12 12-pounder is the >> That's that's the projectile.

[00:05:14]>> Yeah, that's for shooting bowling balls at people.

[00:05:17]>> Uh it doesn't say how much it weighs on >> Sometimes uh experience of spicy exploding bowling balls.

[00:05:22]>> Sure enough.

[00:05:23]>> But I mean, we do have a a good map here that kind of shows some of those uh actions during the Revolutionary War.

[00:05:30]Uh so that we we know that uh Marines were fighting uh a land battle uh that is uh referred to as the Battle of Port Royal uh up in this area.

[00:05:40]Um and then there is naval actions occurring uh here by the British.

[00:05:44]>> It's still so wild to me to like look at these old battle locations and stuff, cuz like I mean I was in Afghanistan and open wide desert, mountains, you know, that kind of stuff. But like, I can't imagine just driving here how thick the forests are, the marshes >> Walking through that [ __ ] >> With a musket and wool clothing while trying to hunt down redcoats. Like, dude, that's No. No, thank you.

[00:06:06]>> Uh so, we actually if we go this way, we do have some reproductions of uniforms here.

[00:06:13]This is just This is during Mexican-American War that you'd see these uniforms, but >> Friendly reminder, September 14th, 1847, the US invaded and occupied Mexico City.

[00:06:23]That's why I celebrate that instead of Cinco de Mayo.

[00:06:27]>> [clears throat] >> Uh so, on this side you can actually see original uniforms from the Civil War.

[00:06:33]Uh now, of course, a very common thing that people say when they're looking at these uniforms is while they were smaller back then.

[00:06:40]Kind of misconception.

[00:06:43]One, as you rightly pointed out, a lot of these were made of wool. Wool over time, especially if it's not regularly worn, shrinks. And so, it's not so much that people were in general smaller.

[00:06:53]They were a bit smaller, but not to the extent that like people portray it.

[00:06:58]It's that the uniforms have been worn into long and that the clothing starts to shrink up.

[00:07:03]>> Also, I learned that because of the wool jackets they weren't all that. There were some battles where if they fought during the summer or really hot days, they actually lose more men to like heatstroke rather than musket and cannon fire.

[00:07:19]>> Uh without the regular use. You can do it yourself if you took article of your clothing and just hung it up and didn't touch it for 30 years, it would shrink up a little bit.

[00:07:28]>> [clears throat] >> You're still fat.

[00:07:29]>> Thanks. Appreciate it.

[00:07:31]Um >> I can lose weight and you're still going to be an [ __ ] I just want you to know that.

[00:07:37]>> Yeah.

[00:07:37]>> Okay.

[00:07:39]I don't even know if you would know.

[00:07:40]Were these all part of the same collection? Stop it, Ben. Don't laugh.

[00:07:43]Were these all part of [laughter] the same collection somewhere else or were they just like in a dusty box, you guys?

[00:07:46]>> Uh no, so these are actually on loan to us from the Hartwell family.

[00:07:50]And so they belonged originally to Alfred S. Hartwell.

[00:07:55]>> Civil War surgeon's top hat is rad.

[00:07:59]That thing looks like it's felt. You take one musket ball to the calf and he's like, "Hear me out. Let me cut your leg off."

[00:08:06]>> [laughter] >> Don't worry, I have this stuff called opium. You're going to love it.

[00:08:11]>> This is of Civil War model of the Battle of Honey Hill. Basically what happened >> is crazy.

[00:08:18]>> Woah.

[00:08:19]Dude, look at that. The Battle of Honey Hill. Actually never heard of this battle.

[00:08:24]Major General Sherman against Major General Joseph Wheeler.

[00:08:29]I've heard of both generals actually, but I just never heard about this.

[00:08:34]Uh so it looks like the Confederate forces entrenched along a ridge south of Honey Hill to block Union cavalry and infantry advancing.

[00:08:47]So man, the Confederates if they entrench, they got the better defense right now.

[00:08:53]It happened on November 30th, 1864.

[00:08:58]Forces engaged. 18,000 Union soldiers against 4,000 Confederates and the Union won.

[00:09:05]The Union lost 800 and it's on the bottom right. 800 while the Confederates lost 600. And on top of that, they the Union captured 14 artillery cannons or guns.

[00:09:18]General Major General Sherman said, "We are marching through Georgia like shadows."

[00:09:23]Mhm.

[00:09:24]>> And I know that our director, who is a expert on the Battle of Honey Hill, is probably going to be upset with me for if I don't explain this exactly correctly. But you can see where the Union forces [clears throat] and the Marines basically stumbled upon this area.

[00:09:40]They were They knew that there were Confederates in the area, but they didn't know where they were. And so, this is all very dense forest, much more dense than what this map model is depicting.

[00:09:51]And a lot of underbrush. And so, they basically turn a corner and there's cannons pointing right at them.

[00:09:57]And becomes a fairly bloody battle.

[00:10:00]>> to back up a little bit here. So, >> It's kind of like a you know It's kind of like a you know a lieutenant with the compass, you know?

[00:10:09]You just go I think it's that way.

[00:10:12]I think it's that way. I know the enemy is around here.

[00:10:15]Contact front.

[00:10:17]>> [laughter] >> Can you imagine you're just like, I know the enemy is here and by the time you see them, >> [laughter] >> they're about to start firing on you?

[00:10:24]>> I know the army June 14th, 1775. Marine Corps was in Tun Tavern, 1775, but I can't It's October, maybe?

[00:10:31]>> November 10th.

[00:10:32]>> November. Okay. I I know I know it was like And we were really in the bar or the bar or whatever Tun Tavern thing, which is which is great, but like what was the purpose? So, like I mean, anyone can say I want to be a part of a militia and we're going to start this group, right? But the government has to kind of buy in and say we need these guys. So, what was Was there a battle? Was there a specific incident that was like a forcing function? Oh, here, Nick, you got this?

[00:10:52]>> My You correct me if I'm wrong, but the original understanding was the Marine Corps was basically picked up to be the bodyguards and like invading force for the United States Navy. So, one of the first actions they did, the guys that were recruited from Tun Tavern actually boarded the first US naval ships and they went down into the Caribbean and they raided weapons supplies from British territories. And one of the first I believe the first amphibious landing ever, I forget the name of the island, but they went down into the Caribbean, invaded this island, took over the governor's palace, stole all the British ammunition and weaponry, and then the governor later complained that the Marines drank all of his alcohol from his collection.

[00:11:31]>> It's a long history.

[00:11:32]>> [laughter] >> Wasn't that the John Paul Jones video that he did?

[00:11:36]If it was I think it was Nassau that the island he was talking about the first amphibious landing.

[00:11:41]>> Always in the Marine Corps.

[00:11:43]>> They recruited him from a bar.

[00:11:44]>> That's fair.

[00:11:45]>> Then they got back and they're like guys we should go pro.

[00:11:48]>> [laughter] >> And that's how the Marine Corps was born.

[00:11:50]>> I mean you're spot on. Yeah, exactly. So the Marines they um a lot our Navy and our Marine Corps were based off of the time of the strongest military that the world had seen which was the British. So the British had a very strong Navy and they had Marines.

[00:12:08]We modeled our Navy and Marines off of them. But yeah, you're exactly right.

[00:12:12]They were designed as a landing force for the Navy.

[00:12:15]They uh would ensure the security of the ship while they're underway. So while they're out at sea they're making sure that every all of the sailors are following orders that they're keeping peace on board ship. They continue to do that all the way up until the 90s 1990s.

[00:12:31]Um >> [clears throat] >> And then they're also sharpshooters on board.

[00:12:34]There's we have another model upstairs because we don't have an actual ship here that I can kind of point out some of the locations that those Marines would have been stationed. One of them is a fighting top so that they would basically be firing at the other ship from on top of the mast or along the mast.

[00:12:52]>> the high ground with us.

[00:12:53]>> [laughter] >> Yeah, basically.

[00:12:55]>> I have the high ground.

[00:12:56]>> And they the whole goal was to target the officers on board the British vessels because they controlled the entire ship. If you take out an officer now your gun crews don't know when to shoot, where to shoot, what angle to shoot at.

[00:13:09]And so that was one of their >> The British had >> Damn. So you're telling me if I was on the ship during that time I'm the first one to get shot.

[00:13:17]>> invented everybody yet.

[00:13:19]>> [laughter] >> It works polar opposite when you take out American officers like >> No, but >> One guy that followed the rules isn't here anymore. Okay.

[00:13:26]>> part that's cool about the Marine Corps in like that era is at the time the Navy struggled getting people to be in the US Navy because the US government was also issuing letters of mark, which was basically like, "Hey, if you have a a warship and you want to go out and loot anybody that's British or a British ally, you can just keep the money." So, if you were an experienced sailor that would be like good in the Navy, you were much more likely to go and work for somebody under a letter of mark because you'd make a lot more money. So, a lot of the guys getting into the US Navy were like substandard or way more prone to like mutiny or cowardice or whatever. So, the Marines that were on board were actually like very important in keeping all the sailors in the Navy in line.

[00:14:09]So, that I mean that's kind of a cool part of the Marine Corps.

[00:14:12]>> much about Marine Corps history.

[00:14:13]>> This is my job, Carl.

[00:14:14]>> I I I I I like I do history, too, but I >> [clears throat] >> I don't know the Marines I My whole history thing kind of starts World War II. Everything else is a blank space.

[00:14:21]>> Missiles, yeah, we know.

[00:14:22]>> I like missiles.

[00:14:23]>> That is the display of the exhaled air of Chesty Puller that they managed to get their hands on. Um pretty important display here. Uh just ignore the sign behind it. Uh sorry.

[00:14:33]>> about the beginning of basically the naval station here. Um And we also have this nice model of >> Port Royal.

[00:14:41]>> uh disappearing rifles that were on um at Fort Fremont. Uh Fort Fremont >> First time I've ever heard the name Port Royal was Pirates of the Caribbean.

[00:14:51]>> That was uh one of the multiple uh naval or sorry, they were army uh What's the term I'm looking for?

[00:15:01]>> Coastal gun batteries?

[00:15:02]>> Yes. Yeah, coastal gun batteries.

[00:15:03]>> Oh, coastal defense artillery.

[00:15:05]>> Yes. Yeah, exactly.

[00:15:06]>> That that's I I know that. Yeah, okay.

[00:15:07]>> Yeah, so uh a number of those that were developed during the Spanish-American War that essentially never they never needed them in the Atlantic. Uh the Spanish never fought us in the Atlantic.

[00:15:16]Um Uh except in the near the Caribbean, but even then it was it was very light.

[00:15:21]>> Why is it a disappearing rifle?

[00:15:23]>> Yeah. So, this is actually something that I So, every Saturday, almost every Saturday, we have a group of Marines come in as part of their training. This is one of my favorite things to talk about them because I ask them that question, why is it called a disappearing rifle?

[00:15:36]I've [clears throat] gotten all kinds of crazy answers, but it's actually a pretty simple mechanism. So, this is what these would be firing. This is 10-in shot.

[00:15:45]>> Jesus. [snorts] >> You're throwing a Honda Civic at people.

[00:15:49]>> And so, you can see that it has these little ship wheels on it and that it's kind of on a lever.

[00:15:54]So, what would happen is it would actually be down kind of on this platform. You'd load it and then you'd use the ship wheels to actually put it back up on this lip.

[00:16:04]And then when the gun fires, the recoil knocks it down.

[00:16:08]So, the rifle itself disappears. When you're using this as coastal artillery, this can shoot pretty far out. So, if you hit a ship even with the slight curvature of the earth, they might be able to >> Oh, the plume of smoke from it.

[00:16:20]>> So, when it fires that rifle and when it recoils and it comes back down, it drops out of sight line of sight. So, if the ship that was being shot kind of like looks in the distance going, "Where did that come from?" They won't be able to see where that gun is because it ducked down. That's actually pretty good.

[00:16:37]>> But they don't know exactly where they just got hit.

[00:16:40]So, if you have all three of these, which you'd fire similar to how you'd fire on board ship, so one, two, and then three in a sequence, all of your guns disappear.

[00:16:50]>> I love it.

[00:16:52]>> [clears throat] >> Yeah, it's a really neat mechanism.

[00:16:54]>> equivalent of taking pop shots at people.

[00:16:56]>> I was going to say the artillery equivalent >> The guy with the AK over the head with [laughter] the artillery round.

[00:17:01]>> Peekaboo, here's a small car.

[00:17:04]>> [music] >> All right, that was the most surprising history of the US Marines. I really like it. It I really like how the Nick, the fat electrician, was able to answer all these and also describe it. And you got Hip to a line crosser going like, "Bro, I worked on a missile defense system. I don't know any of this."

[00:17:28]>> [laughter] >> But either way, I really enjoyed this one. And if you guys want to see more videos of the Pepper Box TV, please put down in the comments below. But I really enjoy every single one of these.

[00:17:39]Oh, well, I mean, this is only my second video so far. The first Pepper Box TV video I saw was the fat electrician's, you know, arsenal. Well, not all of it, but part of his arsenal.

[00:17:49]>> [music] >> And besides that, that's all I got for today. So, thank you so much for tuning in. Thank you so much for watching. Hit that notification bell so you know when I drop more videos. Also, shout out to all my members, subscribers, viewers.

[00:17:59]You're amazing. Thank you so much for your support. Really do appreciate it.

[00:18:03]Oscar One Hotel, signing off.

[00:18:07]>> [music] [music]