Military History
Greene’s Gamble at Hobkirk’s Hill
By Daniel MurphyIn late March 1781, American Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene sought to make the best of a bad situation. Read more
Military History
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Military History
South African Paratroopers’ Raid on Cassinga
By Thomas B. BlevinsSouth Africa in the spring of 1978 was a country besieged. The apartheid state was increasingly unpopular with its neighbors and unable to control its own restive black population. Read more
Military History
Miracle in the Mud: The Hundred Years’ War’s Battle of Agincourt
By Robert L. SwainYoung and ambitious, recently crowned English king Henry V had a dynastic point to make, one that would relieve him of the taint of royal illegitimacy born of the fact that his father had usurped the English throne a mere decade before. Read more
Military History
Soldier in the French Royal Regiment
By William E. WelshFrench King Louis XIV first standardized uniforms in 1657 when the king gave the companies of Masion du Roy blue uniforms. Read more
Military History
Bridegrooms of Death: The Spanish Foreign Legion
by John W. Osborn, Jr.Spanish Legionaries charged into battle crying, “Long Live Death.” They sang of being “the Bridegrooms of Death” and proved they meant it with over 10,000 killed and 35,000 wounded. Read more
Military History
George Washington’s Daring Gamble at Yorktown
By David A. NorrisSergeant Joseph Plumb Martin, a sapper in the Continental Army, waited for the signal that would begin the night attack on two enemy-held redoubts. Read more
Military History
Historical Autographs
By William McPeakCollecting handwritten documents and letters on military subjects is as long-standing as military history itself. By general definition, when a letter is written and signed by a person, it is considered a holograph (or autograph letter), but a document is something written by an official or servant and then signed by an important person. Read more
Military History
Hammer of the Normans
By William E. WelshBright sunshine flooded the sedge-covered, damp ground in Sussex on the morning of October 14, 1066. Having attended mass at sunrise, Duke William of Normandy shouted commands to his senior officers outlining their positions for the coming battle with English King Harold II Godwinson’s army. Read more
Military History
Royal Marine of the 2nd Battalion (1813-1815)
By William E. Welsh, Art by Don TroianiAfter nearly 150 years of service to the British crown, the Royal Marines had upwards of 31,000 marines worldwide at the time of the War of 1812, which constituted about 13 percent of the 240,000 British troops under arms around the globe at that time. Read more
Military History
Blunder at the Boyne
By Robert L. DurhamDeposed Catholic King James II had come to Ireland with hopes of regaining the throne of England, and after a year of minor successes and setbacks, the time had come for him to make a stand. Read more
Military History
The U.S. Army M1910 Pattern Combat Equipment Web Belt
By Peter SuciuThe American combat soldier today looks quite a bit different from his ancestor of 100 years ago. Besides the style of uniform, which now features a digital camouflage pattern to blend into desert surroundings, the fabrics today are far more breathable than the heavy wool that was worn when American soldiers went “Over There” in World War I. Read more
Military History
Bloody Clash at the Battle of Ia Drang
By Christopher MiskimonSpecialist 4 George McDonald leaped out of a UH-1 helicopter on November 14, 1965, into a hellish firefight. Read more
Military History
Dominique Jean, Baron Larrey
By Eric NiderostIt was late November, 1812, and the fate of Napoleon’s Grande Armee hung in the balance. Several Russian armies were closing in, but if the French crossed the 300-foot-wide Berezina River, the bedraggled survivors of a once great army might still manage to escape the trap. Read more
Military History
Grand Assault On Gibraltar
By David A. NorrisGreat Britain’s war with her rebellious American colonies was about to conclude as diplomats crafted a peace treaty. Read more
Military History
The Fourth Fitna: A Family Feud that Crippled a Caliphate
By Jefferson M. GreyTo his contemporaries, Harun al-Rashid, fifth caliph of the Abbasid dynasty, seemed the most fortunate of men. Read more
Military History
Massacre In Morocco
By Simon ReesIn his father’s time, leopards had freely padded across the reception areas of the royal palace at Fez, inspiring awe and trepidation among visitors. Read more
Military History
Collecting Military Tobacco Cards
By Peter SuciuSmoking may not be the same in-vogue habit it was during bygone days, when politicians, starlets, athletes, and even the average Joe could be seen lighting up on a regular basis. Read more
Military History
The Battle of Al Mansourah and the Seventh Crusade, 1251
By Douglas SterlingAfter a century and a half of efforts—with mixed success—by Western Europe to seize control of the Holy Land, the Seventh Crusade of 1250 led by Louis IX of France was the last best chance to change the political and military situation in the Eastern world before the Reformation. Read more
Military History
Soldiers: General Peter Bagration
By Victor KamenirRussian General Peter Ivanovich Bagration was one of those rare commanders who received near-universal praise from his contemporaries outside of Russia. Read more
Military History
Military Postcards
By Peter SuciuMany famous photos of military uniforms and personalities are actually taken from vintage postcards. And while today many vintage baseball or football cards can fetch thousands of dollars, military postcards essentially have been forgotten. Read more
