In September, 1847, Gen. Winfield Scott’s army arrived outside Mexico City to culminate a campaign that had begun with an amphibious invasion at Vera Cruz. Scott marched inland, winning several battles along the way. As he approached the capital, he faced a larger force led by Mexican dictator Santa Read more…
In 1297, the Scots were in rebellion against King Edward I of England. William Wallace led the rebellion and marched an army of 6,000 to besiege Dundee. When he learned an English army led by John de Warrene (Earl of Surrey) approached, Wallace lifted the siege and marched to Read more…
William the Conqueror was one of the most famous medieval rulers. He acquired his title when he invaded and conquered England in 1066. He was already Duke of Normandy. In 1087, he had ruled Normandy for 31 years and England for 21. At 59 years old, he was still Read more…
After being stymied in the north, the British changed strategy and sent an army to the south, believing that the area was full of loyalists just waiting to rise up and join the British. The British did crush a rebel army at Camden, but that actually was a turning Read more…
I really enjoy passing on anecdotes, but one of the pitfalls is finding out fond anecdotes are not completely true or even completely false. The story of the taxis that were used to rush reinforcements to the Marne battlefield is one of the most famous stories from the start Read more…
During WWII, the Soviet Union trained women as pilots. They were supposed to be treated like men, so no long hair or make-up. They defied the make-up rule. They had to overcome obstacles like older bombers that required both the pilot and co-pilot to pull back on the control Read more…
Greek civilization passed on many achievements to Rome and then Western Civilization. Had the Persians won the Persian Wars, it is possible that we would not have the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripedes, and Aristophanes. We might not have all the teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Our civilization Read more…
In 202 B.C., the Romans and Carthaginians met in the decisive battle of the Second Punic War. Two of the greatest generals in history faced off. The battle was fought outside Carthage. Scipio (later Africanus) had invaded north Africa earlier and started scorching earth and threatening Carthage. This strategy Read more…
*** This anecdote is probably apocryphal, but it could be true. Plus, it’s cool. Two of the greatest generals met in the Battle of Zama in 202 B.C. The battle ended the Second Punic War and made Rome the dominant power in the western Mediterranean. In the battle, Scipio Read more…
480 – 479 B.C. was a wild time for the Greek city-states. The year before, the Spartans lost at Thermopylae, Athens was sacked, a Greek fleet defeated the Persian fleet at Salamis, Persian emperor Xerxes took the remainder of the fleet home and left a huge army in Greece. Read more…