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War and Wilderness: British Soldiers in Revolutionary America

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Re: War and Wilderness: British Soldiers in Revolutionary America

#31

Post by kridsdale1 »

pizzalife wrote: post #24
jajko wrote: post #3

A question for folks living there, or visited - are the description of fauna at least a bit accurate? Ie oversized mosquitoes (where swamps were not completely drained hundred years ago). Easily 2x the size of regular central european ones (or anywhere I've been really, including malaric ones). As an European, the biggest ones I've seen were in northern Scandinavia. Huge guys, massive swarms of them, sitting on peopl…

>Still, any exposed part of skin had 10-20 bites easily. Most locals up north will use "jungle oil" or "hunter's oil" if out on a trip. It's a kind of thick black oil you smother any exposed skin with. It keeps all the mosquitoes away, but it's kind of messy.

Is that the “war paint” you see in movies like Predator?

Re: War and Wilderness: British Soldiers in Revolutionary America

#32

Post by mmooss »

pizzalife wrote: post #24
jajko wrote: post #3

A question for folks living there, or visited - are the description of fauna at least a bit accurate? Ie oversized mosquitoes (where swamps were not completely drained hundred years ago). Easily 2x the size of regular central european ones (or anywhere I've been really, including malaric ones). As an European, the biggest ones I've seen were in northern Scandinavia. Huge guys, massive swarms of them, sitting on peopl…

>Still, any exposed part of skin had 10-20 bites easily. Most locals up north will use "jungle oil" or "hunter's oil" if out on a trip. It's a kind of thick black oil you smother any exposed skin with. It keeps all the mosquitoes away, but it's kind of messy.

Could you share some examples of these products? Searching around found a few very different things; it's hard to tell which ones you mean.

Re: War and Wilderness: British Soldiers in Revolutionary America

#33

Post by hydrogen7800 »

I sometimes wonder how the nature of North America was perceived by the early european settlers. With the body of american myth, including the wild west, etc, you could get the impression that the plains were more vast, the mountains taller, the rivers rougher and the animals bigger than anywhere else in the world. Compared to continental Europe, I suppose this could be true. But were the plains of central Asia, the Himalayas, the animals of Africa unknown to these people? Or maybe they were know, and the experiences of the other placed I mentioned were similarly described.

Re: War and Wilderness: British Soldiers in Revolutionary America

#34

Post by GJim »

datax2 wrote: post #7

I was told a story when I was younger (take it with a grain of salt I cannot find anything to corroborate it). The British embassy use to offer (maybe still does) "Tropical" pay for individuals stationed in temperate climates. Washington D.C. was considered a tropical location for years because of the notorious swampy and muggy conditions experienced in the warmer seasons. Stationed diplomats knew of this hazard/trop…

> they also have a Pub in the basement of the embassy.

Frankly, I'd be genuinely amazed if any British embassy didn't have a pub on premises.

Re: War and Wilderness: British Soldiers in Revolutionary America

#35

Post by cafard »

pwg wrote: post #18
jajko wrote: post #3

A question for folks living there, or visited - are the description of fauna at least a bit accurate? Ie oversized mosquitoes (where swamps were not completely drained hundred years ago). Easily 2x the size of regular central european ones (or anywhere I've been really, including malaric ones). As an European, the biggest ones I've seen were in northern Scandinavia. Huge guys, massive swarms of them, sitting on peopl…

> Ie oversized mosquitoes (where swamps were not completely drained hundred years ago). The native mosquitoes of the DC area can grow to a body length of about 1 inch or a bit longer (~3cm). They were the ones that were nocturnal (or at least dusk active). This variety is likely what revolutionary soldiers would have been writing about. They have largely been out competed by the invasive "black fly" version ( https:/…

The area that is now Washington, DC, was not a scene of operations during the Revolutionary War. There were a couple of small port towns, Alexandria and Georgetown, and various farms.

Re: War and Wilderness: British Soldiers in Revolutionary America

#36

Post by mistrial9 »

ilamont wrote: post #21

Surprised the harsh winters weren't mentioned. Winters in New England, New York, and parts of Pennsylvania are more severe than anything most British soldiers would have experienced save for those stationed in Canada or from the Scottish Highlands. Regarding mosquitoes, I don't know if they are bigger but in the deep woods in the Eastern US they can be intense, even outside of swamplands. I hiked through the northern…

> the Scottish Highlands

maybe you mean Norway or Greenland.. is there any area in Scotland like a harsh Nor' Eastern winter storm ?

Re: War and Wilderness: British Soldiers in Revolutionary America

#37

Post by IAmBroom »

cafard wrote: post #35
pwg wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Ie oversized mosquitoes (where swamps were not completely drained hundred years ago). The native mosquitoes of the DC area can grow to a body length of about 1 inch or a bit longer (~3cm). They were the ones that were nocturnal (or at least dusk active). This variety is likely what revolutionary soldiers would have been writing about. They have largely been out competed by the invasive "black fly" version ( https:/…

The area that is now Washington, DC, was not a scene of operations during the Revolutionary War. There were a couple of small port towns, Alexandria and Georgetown, and various farms.

The mosquitoes were probably not averse to crossing county lines to get at that succulent British blue blood.

Re: War and Wilderness: British Soldiers in Revolutionary America

#38

Post by pizzalife »

mmooss wrote: post #32
pizzalife wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Still, any exposed part of skin had 10-20 bites easily. Most locals up north will use "jungle oil" or "hunter's oil" if out on a trip. It's a kind of thick black oil you smother any exposed skin with. It keeps all the mosquitoes away, but it's kind of messy.

Could you share some examples of these products? Searching around found a few very different things; it's hard to tell which ones you mean.

"Djungelolja 40ml" https://handla.ica.se/produkt/1010826 There are lots of different brands.

Re: War and Wilderness: British Soldiers in Revolutionary America

#39

Post by pizzalife »

kridsdale1 wrote: post #31
pizzalife wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Still, any exposed part of skin had 10-20 bites easily. Most locals up north will use "jungle oil" or "hunter's oil" if out on a trip. It's a kind of thick black oil you smother any exposed skin with. It keeps all the mosquitoes away, but it's kind of messy.

Is that the “war paint” you see in movies like Predator?

Pretty much yes

Re: War and Wilderness: British Soldiers in Revolutionary America

#40

Post by raattgift »

FuriouslyAdrift wrote: post #23
ilamont wrote: post #21

Surprised the harsh winters weren't mentioned. Winters in New England, New York, and parts of Pennsylvania are more severe than anything most British soldiers would have experienced save for those stationed in Canada or from the Scottish Highlands. Regarding mosquitoes, I don't know if they are bigger but in the deep woods in the Eastern US they can be intense, even outside of swamplands. I hiked through the northern…

Don't forget about the dreaded black flies... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_fly#/media/File:Black_Fl...

The National Film Board of Canada's documentary on black flies is an ear-worm: https://www.nfb.ca/film/blackfly/
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