Military History Archives

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

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

Adolf Hitler rose from obscurity to lead the Nazi Party to power in Germany and embarked on a campaign of conquest and destruction.

Military History

Adolf Hitler Led Germany To Ruin In World War II

by Mike Haskew

Born in Branau, Austria, on April 20, 1889, Adolf Hitler rose to lead the Nazi Party in Germany during the 1920s and was appointed the nation’s chancellor in 1933. Read more

The capture of Guantanamo Bay by U.S. Marines in 1898 was a brief but violent phase of the Spanish-American War.

Military History

Private Correspondence from the Fight for Guantanamo Bay

by A.B. Feuer

On June 17, 1898, Private Henry Schrieder was a member of a scouting patrol that captured a Spanish messenger attempting to reach Santiago. Read more

In 1937, the Battle of Shanghai foreshadowed the grim urban combat in the Great War that was to come.

Military History

The Battle of Shanghai: A Prelude of Things to Come

by Christopher Miskimon

The 1930s was a decade full of World War II’s antecedents. Fighting broke out at various points around the globe during this decade, and manu consider the period to be a training ground for 1939-1945. Read more

The South Carolina's State Museum has opened up a new exhibit showcasing South Carolina's substantial role in the American Revolution.

Military History

Honoring South Carolina’s Contributions to the Revolutionary War

The South Carolina State Museum has recently opened a new panel exhibit to commemorate the state’s contributions to the Revolutionary War, according to the museum. Read more

The U.S. Army's 65th Infantry, often called the "Borinqueneers," are slated to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their exemplary service.

Military History

The 65th Infantry Honored by Congress

The 65th Infantry is a U.S. Army unit that played a major role in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Read more

Although leaders were slow to adopt them, a great many modern communications devices still used in modern warfare got their start in World War I.

Military History

World War I Was A Revolutionary Time for Communications

Often called the “first modern war,” World War I introduced a great many technological developments as the world carried itself further into the industrial age. Read more

Irish landscape photographer Michael St. Maur Sheil has recently released his photographs taken at the site of World War I's Battle of the Somme.

Military History

World War I’s Battle of the Somme: New Photographs

World War I’s Battle of the Somme was a grueling four-month battle involving French, British and German forces. It was one of the larger and more memorable conflicts in the war, with an estimated one million soldiers killed or wounded. Read more

There has been a renewed interest in Bernardo de Gálvez, a Spanish military leader who played a major role in the American Revolutionary War.

Military History

Renewed Interest in Colonial Supporter Bernardo de Gálvez

Bernardo de Gálvez was a Spanish military leader who played a major role in the American Revolutionary War. A military leader who served as colonial governor of Louisiana, he favored staunchly anti-British policies, cracking down on English smuggling operations while promoting more trade with France. Read more

Military History

On This Day in History: The Gallipoli Campaign

On this day in 1915, 42,000 Ottoman soldiers against 17,000 World War I ANZAC soldiers in the now famous Battle of Gallipoli. Read more

On March 15, 1781, Nathanael Greene lost in a hard fight against General Cornwallis at Guilford Courthouse. Cornwallis won the battle, but sustained heavy casualties.

Military History

On This Day in History: The Battle of the Guilford Courthouse

March 15, 1781, was a critical date in the Revolutionary War. At a court house in present-day Greensboro, North Carolina, Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis led a 2,100-man British force into battle against American Major General Nathanael Greene. Read more

Military History

Flags from World War I, World War II and the American Civil War

Founded in 1773, the Charleston Museum in South Carolina dubs itself “America’s First Museum.” Its new collection, “Unfurled,” is a stunning collection of historical flags from American history. Read more

Military History

Pershing’s Hammer: The Meuse–Argonne Offensive

By William Stroock

At 0100 hours on September 12, 1918, German positions in the St. Mihiel salient on the Western Front were lit up by a massive artillery barrage. Read more

To mark the coming World War I centennial, York University's history department has produced a documentary series available to the public.

Military History

A World War I Retrospective from York University’s History Department

June 28, 2014 will mark a key milestone in military history: it will be the centennial anniversary of the start of World War I. Read more

One positive consequence of war is its tendency to spur medical innovations that eventually make their way into civilian medical practice.

Military History

Tactical Combat Casualty Care: Medical Innovations Spurred by Combat

By Richard A. Gabriel

Before the Gulf War, the U.S. Army was medically configured to deal with casualties expected to occur in a large-scale conventional conflict. Read more

Sir George Pomeroy Colley’s misjudgments at the Battle of Majuba Hill during the Boer Wars cost him his life. However, he was widely known as an intelligent administrator and a talented staff officer.

Military History

Sir George Pomeroy Colley’s Failed Boer Wars Campaign

by Vince Hawkins

George Pommery Colley was born on November 1, 1835, in Dublin, Ireland. He was the third son of George Pommery Colley of Rathangan, County Kildare, Ireland. Read more