Author: Scott Manning
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Movie Review: War Horse
Steven Spielberg’s War Horse is a different type of war movie that focuses on animals instead of people. The following are some thoughts with no plot spoilers. The most important aspect is the main character–the horse. Although there are people in the movie, the horse gets the most screen time. The movie works hard to…
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A Closer Look at Churchill’s Battle of the Bulge Quote
The Battle of the Bulge Monument at the Valley Forge Military Academy and College prominently displays a quote from Winston Churchill (1874-1965), “This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war, and will, I believe be regarded as an ever famous American victory.” Although inspiring, this is not the full quote or the full…
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Battle of the Bulge Monument at Valley Forge Military Academy
For over a year now, I passed a sign for the Battle of the Bulge Monument on my way to work. I have yet to find anyone at work who visited it, but ironically, I never visited either. This past Friday, on the 67th anniversary of the start of the battle, I decided to check…
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How was Joan of Arc so Skilled with Cannons?
One of the most striking aspects of Joan of Arc (1412-1431) was that her primary weapon was the cannon. Not only that, but she was very skilled with it. There are several testimonies from those who fought with her about her ability to place and aim cannons, as well as predict the target of enemy…
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What do 150 Confederate Cannons look like? We still don’t know
There have been two major attempts at recreating the largest artillery barrage in the Western Hemisphere and both have been lacking. Earlier this year, the History Channel released a CGI-intensive special on Gettysburg. The previews were gritty and continuously dropped the names of the executive producers, Tony and Ridley Scott. With movies like Gladiator to…
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Need to Plan a Battle? Why not RISK Pieces?
A few months ago, I was toying with different methods to depict battles for people. I arranged RISK pieces on a map of Harpers Ferry to depict Stonewall’s capture of the city (1862). It was a laborious task and I determined that while it looked neat, the effort was not worth it. Yet, I am…
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Finding Douglas Haig in Edinburgh Castle
On hilltop towering over much of Edinburgh, Scotland, is the city’s castle. The location is rich with military history, as the Scots and English fought over the castle and destroyed it on several occasions. Today, the castle acts as a large museum covering a wide range of Scottish history. Within it is the National War…
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Joan of Arc Monument at New Orleans
A year ago, my wife and I traveled to New Orleans and we had the opportunity to see the Joan of Arc monument on Decatur Street. There are some interesting features of the monument including two cannons. France erected the statue in 1972 as a gift to New Orleans, whose namesake, Orléans, was one of…
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General Henry Knox’s Artillery Park at Valley Forge
Valley Forge, the ground where the Continental Army became professional, offers a lot to the visitor. Although Washington did not fight any battles here, he chose the location for its natural defenses, which he enhanced during his time there. The Schuylkill River forms the northern border of Valley Forge. To the east is Mount Misery,…
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Gustavus Adolphus and a 4-pounder in Scotland
History gets even more interesting when you can make connections in distant lands. Last July, I was taking a course at AMU on military leadership. One of the leaders we studied in the course was Gustavus Adolphus, the king of Sweden (r. 1611-1632). Historians and theorists alike often refer to him as the “father of…
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A Few Gettysburg Generals in the Autumn
With the fall leaves all but gone, my wife and I set out to Gettysburg in hopes of capturing some colorful images. We were fortunate to come across a few magnificent views of generals John W. Geary, Winfield Scott Hancock, George Meade, and Robert E. Lee. All photos are by Dawn Manning, which she originally…
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Thoughts on Sharing History with Coworkers
As I am roughly 3/4th of the way through my military history degree while working a fulltime job, I find it difficult at times to transition from deep, historical thought into the real world. Consider my Monday night. First, I came home from work, ate dinner, and watched a 22-minute sitcom with my wife. Next,…