Military History
Napoleon Bonaparte’s Unlikely Comeback at Lutzen
By Frank James RottmanAfter his disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812, French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte desperately needed to reassert his military dominance over Europe. Read more
Military History
Military History
Why Kaiser Wilhelm II Almost Attacked America’s East Coast
By Frank ZedeckIn the latter part of the 19th century, Germany’s young Kaiser, Wilhelm II, was anxious to play Weltpolitik (global politics) and expand his country’s influence beyond the borders of Europe, where Germany was already an acknowledged power player. Read more
Military History
Brian Boru: Ireland’s Mighty Warrior King
By Ludwig Heinrich DyckIn 941 ad, in the fortress of Kincora overlooking the River Shannon just south of Lake Derg, Queen Be Bhionn gave birth to a son, Brian Mac Cennétig. Read more
Military History
Collecting Vintage GI Joes
By Peter SuciuFor centuries, battalions of enthralled boys—and not a few grown men—have enjoyed playing with toy soldiers. By the end of the Victorian era, these toys included highly detailed three-dimensional soldiers made of lead and accurately painted in the colors of the various armies that would soon engage each other in a European War that engulfed the entire world. Read more
Military History
“I Order You To Die”
By Victor J. KamenirIn the English-speaking world, most students of military history would be hard-pressed to identify the time, place, or antagonists of the Canakkale Campaign. Read more
Military History
Fighting for the Hook
By Al HemingwayPeering intently through a telescope, General Lemuel C. Shepherd, the commandant of the Marine Corps, scanned the shell-pocked Korean terrain in front of his position. Read more
Military History
Teutoburgerwald Avenged
By Michael D. GreaneyArminius, war leader of the Cherusci, a powerful German tribe on the east bank of the Rhine, was livid. Read more
Military History
The Pen & the Sword: A Brief History of War Correspondents
By Roy Morris Jr.Men have been reporting their wars almost as long as they have fighting them. The first prehistoric cave drawings depicted hunters bringing down wild animals, and spoken accounts of battles, large and small, formed the starting point for the oral tradition of history. Read more
Military History
Border Dispute Sparks the Mexican-American War
By R.L. HealyWhen Texas entered the Union in 1845, after nine uneasy years as an independent republic, the mutual grievances between Mexico and the United States threatened to erupt into open hostilities. Read more
Military History
Triumph of “The Nelson Touch”
By Jonas L. GoldsteinWhen the Treaty of Amiens was signed on April 1, 1802, bringing peace between France and Great Britain after nearly a decade of war, there was wild rejoicing in England. Read more
Military History
WWII Nonfiring Automatic Weapons
By Peter SuciuWorld War II saw great advancements in firearms technology. Many nations that entered the conflict with bolt-action rifles ended the war with a variety of complex submachine guns and assault rifles. Read more
Military History
The Hessians Are Coming!
By Joseph C. Salamida“He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny,” Thomas Jefferson said of King George III in the Declaration of Independence. Read more
Military History
The Corporal M2 Missile
By Peter A. GoetzSix days after the Allies’ D-Day landings on the coast of Normandy in June 1944, Germany retaliated by launching its first Vergeltungswaffe, or Vengeance Weapon, at the city of London. Read more
Military History
Solferino: Birth of a Nation
By Eric NiderostLong columns of blue-clad French troops marched east though the sun-baked plains of northern Italy in late June 1859. Read more
Military History
Polish Prince Joseph Poniatowski
By Jeremy GreenPolish Prince Joseph Poniatowski, a great hero of Napoleonic legend, ultimately was a man without a country. Born on May 7, 1762, the prince at first enjoyed the luxurious life of a nobleman because of his ties to the ruling family of Poland. Read more
Military History
Death at the Hawthorn Hedge: Poitiers, 1356
By William E. WelshThe Black Death that ravaged England and France for a half-dozen years in the mid-14th century served merely as a brief intermission between the first and second acts of the painfully protracted struggle known as the Hundred Years’ War. Read more
Military History
Death Penalty for Desertion
By John W. Osborn, Jr.British Army privates Thomas Highgate, Ernest Jackson, and Louis Harris shared a distinction in World War I that they undoubtedly would rather not have had. Read more
Military History
Benedict Arnold’s Invasion of Canada
By Earl EchelberryFresh from his capture of Fort Ticonderoga, Colonel Benedict Arnold in the summer of 1775 lobbied hard to the Continental Congress for authorization to lead an expedition to the lower St. Read more
Military History
Charles Russell Lowell Memorials
By Helen HannonThe unique persona of Charles Russell Lowell, a gifted Union cavalry officer from Massachusetts, inspired a series of memorials in his honor, ranging from famous monuments to obscure frontier forts. Read more
Military History
The Battle of Buena Vista: Old Rough and Ready in Mexico
By Mike HaskewIt was the spring of 1846, roughly nine months before the Battle of Buena Vista. It had become apparent to everyone at this point that a Mexican-American War was inevitable, and diplomatic efforts between the two countries had failed. Read more
