Author: Scott Manning
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Busted Grant-Lee Casualties Chart in Civil War Times
Bonekemper III, Edward H. “The Butcher’s Bill.” Civil War Times L, no. 2 (April 2011): 36-43. In the latest Civil War Times, Edward H. Bonekemper III presents compelling argument about how Lee, not Grant, deserves nickname “butcher.” Putting the argument aside, Bonekemper’s figures are wrong. This is probably due to poor editing, but it is…
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The Confederacy Lost the Civil War? A Canadian Perspective
During one of my seven trips to Gettysburg last year, I had the pleasure of taking a coworker and his Canadian girlfriend. During the two and half hour drive to the battlefield, I took the opportunity to probe what they knew about the war, its causes, and the Gettysburg campaign. I started with the Canadian…
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Stonewall’s Siege of Harpers Ferry as Told by RISK
I am always searching for different way to communicate battle actions to friends and family when I take them on tours. Naturally, using RISK pieces to indicate the troop positions during the Siege of Harpers Ferry (September 12-15, 1862) seemed like a good idea. I used the TrailHead Graphics’ Across the Potomac map and based…
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USCT Grand Review in Pennsylvania (November 6, 2010)
On Saturday, November 6, 2010, my friend, Warren, and I attended the Grand Review Weekend in downtown Harrisburg, PA. There, the attendees commemorated the Grand Review of the United States Colored Troops that Pennsylvania held in November 1865. The original event came about after the exclusion of the USCT from the Grand Review of the…
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The Gettysburg Casino: How Profits May Come at the Cost of the Sacred
On Labor Day, I made another visit to Gettysburg, my sixth of the year. I have found that the two-plus hour drive from Philadelphia has gotten easier, as leaving at 6:30 AM helps me avoid the traffic. For this trip, I brought a coworker and his fiancé. She was Canadian and knew very little about…
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Book Review: The Battle of Agincourt: Sources and Interpretations
On 25 October 1415, Henry V (1387-1422) and his army of heavy infantry and longbowmen fought a larger French army of cavalry, crossbowmen, and heavy infantry. The result was a decisive English victory at the Battle of Agincourt that historian John Keegan identified as “one of the most instantly and vividly visualized of all epic…
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Book Review: In Words and Deeds
Richard F. Miller. In Words and Deeds: Battle Speeches in History Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England, 2008. 424 pages. Richard F. Miller’s In Words and Deeds: Battle Speeches in History is a unique book. While it does contain excerpts from more than 90 speeches, it is more than just transcribed words. Miller has classified…
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Book Review: The Father of Us All
Hanson, Victor Davis. The Father of Us All: War and History, Ancient and Modern. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2010. 272 pages. From the mind of Victor Davis Hanson comes The Father of Us All, which gets its name from the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus (c. 535-475 BC), who said that war is “the father, the king…
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Book Review: Warfare in the Ancient World
Carey, Brian Todd. Warfare in the Ancient World. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, 2009. 184 pages. In Warfare in the Ancient World, Brian Todd Carey has produced a collection of 26 ancient battles, which serve as a fine introduction to the topic. In between the battles, Carey mixes in descriptions of the rise and fall…
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Churchill’s Efforts to Feed Germany after the Great War
Reprinted by permission of Finest Hour, Number 145, Winter 2009-10, The Churchill Centre and Museum at the Cabinet War Rooms, London (www.winstonchurchill.org). Text copyright © Scott Manning 2010. With America’s entry into the First World War in 1917, the Allies finally had enough ships and manpower to implement a full naval blockade on Germany. The…
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Book Review: A Short Guide to Writing About History
Marius, Richard, and Melvin E. Page. A Short Guide to Writing About History, 7th ed. New York: Longman, 2010, 226 pages. A Short Guide to Writing About History is a book that has withstood the test of the time over the past two decades. Originally written in 1989 by the late Richard Marius, professor from…
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Joan of Arc’s Military Successes and Failures
Joan of Arc was an aggressive military commander who always opted for offense instead of defense. In thirteen known engagements, her troops were victorious nine times. At least thirty different cities, towns, and villages surrendered without a fight when she approached with her army. Personally, she was a skilled horseman and swordsman, but tactically, she…