Military History Archives

The castle (shiro) played an important role in 16th- and early 17th-century Japan. In addition to defense, they also proclaimed the wealth and power of their owners.

Military History

Japanese Castles of the 16th and 17th Century

by Eric Niderost

The castle (shiro) played an important role in 16th- and early 17th-century Japan. Like its medieval counterparts in Europe, the Japanese castle was a fortified building or series of buildings that had both defensive and offensive capabilities. Read more

The Rajevsky Battery of the Great Redoubt was the key to position. By battle’s end it had been overrun countless times and was covered with dead soldiers.

Military History

Russian Earthworks at the Battle of Borodino

by Jonathan North

Although the terrain around the Battle of Borodino presented the Russians with a number of good opportunities for a defensive battle, they further strengthened their positions with hastily constructed earthworks. Read more

One of the many female Revolutionary War heroes who has been shrouded in myth and legend, the story of Deborah Sampson sticks out as one of the more interesting.

Military History

Female Revolutionary War Heroes: Deborah Sampson

Deborah Sampson was born in Plympton Massachusessts in December 1760. The oldest of seven children, she grew up poor, and after being abandoned by her father, she became an indentured servant. Read more

Seymour entered into the war as a slave owned by the brother of Aaron Burr. By the end of the war, he would earn his freedom.

Military History

African American Revolutionary War Heroes: Seymour Burr

There were several African American Revolutionary War heroes that made major contributions on and off the battlefield, but not all of them fought for the Colonists. Read more

Molly Pitcher was said to have fought at the Battle of Monmouth, but she may have been a persona created from numerous sources.

Military History

Female Revolutionary War Heroes: ‘Molly Pitcher’

One of the more obscure and contestable female Revolutionary War heroes, Molly Pitcher was said to have fought in the Battle of Monmouth. Read more

Crispus Attucks has always been thought to be the leader and main instigator of the Boston Massacre, but debate continues regarding his involvement and his portrayal in the history books.

Military History

African American Revolutionary War Heroes: Crispus Attucks

There were many African Americans in the Revolutionary War, and although some of them fought for the Colonists and others for the British, freedom was usually their motivation. Read more

Margaret Corbin quickly took over loading and firing her husband's cannon after he was shot and killed at Fort Washington.

Military History

Female Revolutionary War Heroes: Margaret Corbin

One of the more prominent female Revolutionary War heroes was Margaret Corbin.

Corbin’s parents were both killed by Indian raiders when she was only five. Read more

This American Revolution timeline outlines the political decisions and key events that led up to the Revolutionary War.

Military History

American Revolution Timeline: Prelude to War

The American Revolution was more than just a war; it was a policial and social upheaval with ramifications that continue to affect the world today. Read more

Creators of cataphracts, barding and other types of horse armor used whatever metal was at hand, iron or bronze, and often stiffened the scales with leather.

Military History

Cataphracts & Barding: The History of Horse Armor

by Glenn Barnett

In 1932 a team of American and French archeologists working at the ruins of Dura-Europos, site of an ancient fortress on the Euphrates, made an amazing discovery. Read more

Military History

The Royal Proclamation of 1763

The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George III, following his acquisition of French Territory after the end of the French and Indian Wars. Read more

Through Louis Desaix's Expedition into Egypt, Egyptology was thus created with a pen in one hand and a musket in the other.

Military History

The Sphinx and Ancient Thebes: Napoleon’s Army in Egypt

By Jeremy E. Green

Before Napoleon left for Syria, he ordered 30-year-old General Louis Desaix to subdue Upper Egypt, that is, the region upstream (or south) of Cairo, if need be all the way to the borders of Sedan. Read more

The series of roads and highways in Maryland and Virginia dubbed "Braddock's Road" correspond generally to the roads Braddock's forces took to reach Fort Cumberland.

Military History

The History of Maj. Gen. Edward Braddock & Braddock’s Road

By Colonel John P. Sinnott, AUS (Ret.)

Braddock’s Road originally began at Cumberland, Maryland and ended with its tragically premature terminus a few miles short of Fort Duquesne. Read more

By 1519, the Aztec civilization was highly advanced, but their expansion and prosperity was due in large part to the contributions of their predecessors.

Military History

The Rise of the Aztec Civilization

Brian Geeslin

The Aztecs encountered by the Spanish in 1519 possessed a highly advanced civilization, one of the most complex ever to develop in the New World. Read more

King Saladin and Richard the Lionheart were larger-than-life men who dazzled contemporaries and left potent legends that resonate to this day.

Military History

King Saladin Compared to Richard the Lionheart

by Eric Niderost

Myth can of course distort as well as exalt, and the stories of the Richard, the English King, and King Saladin, the Kurdish Sultan have created stereotyped caricatures of the two great protagonists. Read more

A German panzer crew works on its Tiger I during the long Russian winter as German infantry marches past with a horse-drawn vehicle. By the war's end more than one million horses were still hauling German personnel, artillery, and ammunition.

Military History

Horses & The Mechanized Myth of the Eastern Front

By John Perry

Advances in military technology, including tanks, jets, and rockets, are among the popular images of Nazi Germany during World War II. Read more

Horatio Nelson's decision to abandon his wife for Lady Hamilton has always tarnished his glory, but few others have ever sparked such admiration from the British people.

Military History

Horatio Nelson: Bravery in Battle

by Brooke C. Stoddard

Days before the impending Battle of Trafalgar, a sailor on Horatio Nelson’s flagship Victory was so busy ensuring that each man’s letters home were secured for dispatch on a vessel bound for England that he forgot until after the ship had sailed that he hadn’t included his own. Read more

The Chinese Army of the mid-19th century was in serious decline, its decay a reflection of the Qing Dynasty that produced it.

Military History

The Decline of the Chinese Army in the 19th Century

by Eric Niderost

The Qing originally sprang from the Juchen peoples, hard-riding tribesmen who occupied the territory north of Korea. In the 17th century Nurhachi of the Ansin Gioro clan united the Juchen tribes under his leadership. Read more

Military History

Military Fashion in the Napoleonic Wars

By Blaine Taylor

Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, was in a fury over the uniforms issued to his newly created Illyrian Regiment: “Too small, too short, too tight, badly cut, badly made, badly sewed; many of the buttonholes made only with a simple snip of the scissors … sleeves not lined … capotes so tight that they cannot be worn over the uniform coat but they hamper the movements of men who have nothing on but a waistcoat under them; many … are of bad cloth … I want a report!” Read more

The English Army was a formidable adversary for the Scots, so Robert the Bruce relied on tactics, not brute strength, when fighting English forces.

Military History

Robert the Bruce: Tactics vs. Brute Strength

By T.L. Gore

Historically the Scots could not defeat the English in open battle. The exception was Stirling Bridge in 1297, but that victory had been more the result of English arrogance and mistakes. Read more

Military History

The History of the American Long Rifle

by James K. Swisher

The battle at Kings Mountain in October 1780 was the only clash of the American Revolution in which the entire colonial force was armed with American long rifles. Read more

Military History

From Around the Network

Another Look at CSS Hunley, the First Combat Submarine

Robert Sterling Rush’s ‘Hell in Hürtgen Forest’

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress: Daylight Bombing Gamble

David Greentree’s ‘Narvik 1940’