Military History
Originally a part of Sweden, Finland was absorbed by Russia in the early 19th century. It was not until the late 1800s, when Russia began to impose new taxes on the Finns, draft their citizens into its military, and station troops within its borders, that Finland yearned for its freedom. Read more
Military History
When a young British lieutenant named Winston Churchill charged into a swirling mob of Dervishes at Omdurman on the afternoon of September 2, 1898, it was not the first time the well-born cavalryman had faced combat in his nation’s far-flung wars. Read more
Military History
Anyone who has ever visited Europe—particularly France, Italy, and the Netherlands—knows that the people in those countries love their bicycles. Read more
Military History
Major John M. Chivington, Colorado’s “fighting parson,” played a large role in the Union victory at Glorieta Pass, New Mexico, in 1862. Read more
Military History
Dear Editor:
As someone who has followed and written about the 1990’s war in Bosnia, my attention was drawn to the article entitled, “Himmler’s Recruits” (Insight, September 2010 issue). Read more
Military History
Battle helmets shaped to partially cover the face and adorned with various facial features are of ancient origin. Read more
Military History
Dreams of “Yugo Slavia” or South Slavia, began in the 1860s, and by World War I intellectuals in the region pined away for a Greater Serbia that would stretch east from the Black Sea to the Aegean, uniting all Serbs. Read more
Military History
The Song of Roland is an epic retelling of a supposed encounter between the Franks and the Muslim occupiers of Christian Spain. Read more
Military History
Dear Editor:
I would like to commend you, your staff, and Mr. Frank Chadwick on the excellent article entitled “King Company at Bloody Lindern” in the June/July edition of WWII History. Read more
Military History
For collectors, finding out that an item believed to be authentic is actually a fake can feel like being punched in the stomach. Read more
Military History
Besides his many proven crimes, Mexican guerrilla leader Pancho Villa was also accused in some circles of being responsible for one of the most celebrated disappearances in American history—the vanishing of controversial author-journalist Ambrose Bierce in December 1913. Read more
Military History
It is an irony of war that the model 1857 gun-howitzer that Union artillerists used to help turn the tide at Gettysburg was the brainchild of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, who championed the development of the new field piece while serving as secretary of war under Franklin Pierce. Read more
Military History
When most Americans think of Theodore Roosevelt, they conjure the image of the hard-charging Rough Rider at San Juan Hill, the western cowboy in six guns and chaps, the big game hunter in Africa, or the pulpit-pounding orator promising voters to “speak softly, but carry a big stick.” Read more
Military History
One of the great tenets of 19th-century historical painting was the idea of plein air art, which called for “truth, naïveté, simplicity, and the impression of the moment,” and insisted that “the soul of the picture is the event, and that the various hats, buttons, bows, spurs, and straps of the costume are not the most important elements.” Read more
Military History
When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the great American poet Walt Whitman was a man on the skids, personally and professionally. Read more
