In late AD 9, the Roman Empire suffered one of its most devastating defeats. The massacre of three legions, XVII, XVIII, and XIX, occurred in the Teutoburg Forest of Germania Magna, an area roughly corresponding to modern-day Germany, Poland, the Read more
I came across this subject at the intersection of the fantastic book I’m finishing, Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire, and a lifelong subject of interest; the march of the Ten Thousand from modern-day Iraq, north Read more
Effective leadership and proper logistics are mandatory for victory in any military campaign. If one of these variables fails, the army is steadily weakened and, eventually, eliminated. History is rife with examples of campaigns gone wrong through ignorance of these Read more
On the morning of August 5, 1864, Rear-Admiral Farragut, commanding the Gulf Blockading Squadron, entered Mobile Bay, passing between Forts Morgan and Gaines to engage the rebel ram Tennessee and the Confederate gunboats Selma, Morgan, and Gaines. Mobile Bay, AL Read more
On a clear summer morning in 429 BC, the Athenian admiral Phormio cruised the northern coast of the Corinthian Gulf, stalking a Corinthian-led fleet sailing parallel to them along the southern coast. Phormio was based at the Athenian-controlled city of Read more
In the summer of 210 BC, Publius Cornelius Scipio ‘the Younger’ sailed from the mouth of the Tiber to take command of the remnant of the Roman armies left in Iberia (Spain). He was young when elected by popular assembly Read more
Since we were old enough to hold wooden guns, my brother and I have shared an interest in great battles. Pittsburgh Landing, a forgotten piece of land skirting the border of Mississippi and Tennessee, is one of those places. Driving Read more
“See what a lot of land these fellows hold, of which Vicksburg is the key! The war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket…We can take all the northern ports of the Confederacy, Read more
Philip II of Macedonia in a message to Sparta: “You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city.” Sparta’s reply: Read more
I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation. Read more