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James McPherson and Ed Bearss on the Eve of Antietam’s 150th
While I had read works by both James McPherson and Ed Bears, I finally got an opportunity to hear and meet them in person. On the eve of the sesquicentennial of Antietam, McPherson gave a speech on the importance of the battle, stressing that it was a “titanic conflict” and “the most important turning point…
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Weapons at the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit
The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Franklin Institute was a rare opportunity to see one of the more remarkable archeological discoveries from the twentieth-century. There were some good hype moments throughout the exhibit, including a short, live talk, explaining the significance of the scrolls. The exhibit also did a great job of explaining all…
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West Point’s Great Captains before Napoleon and Who They Snubbed
Some of my most cherished books are my West Point atlases. These thick, spiral-bound works offer loads of maps to supplement the hundreds of war books that fill my shelves. My latest purchase is Summaries of Selected Military Campaigns, published in 1961. Unlike the other West Point atlases, this book has some text around each…
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Can War Exist Without the State?
Yesterday, we examined John Keegan’s question, Does war-making define the state? Phrased differently, can a state exist without war? Today, we ask a different question, can war exist without the state? If a state cannot exist without war and war cannot exist without state, then we find ourselves pondering military history’s chicken-or-egg question. Meaning, did…
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Does War-making Define States?
The late historian John Keegan (1934-2012) posed the question in 1998. More specifically, is war-making required of a state? Of course, few reading this article live in a country that has not experienced war in its recent history. Even peaceful countries like Canada received their identities from the performance of their militia and regular soldiers…
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Naming Artillery from the Medieval World to Gettysburg
Sitting in front of the headquarters of Daniel Sickles is a 12-pounder Napoleon. While the cannon was not present for the Battle of Gettysburg, it was used in the Civil War. ((George W. Newton, Silent Sentinels: A Reference Guide to the Artillery at Gettysburg (New York: Savas Beatie, 2005), 98.)) The cannon is unique, because it appears…
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Remembering John Keegan
While I have spent a lifetime reading, only a handful of authors can claim they influenced my life. John Keegan can claim that influence. Having learned of his passing on August 2, I began reflecting on how much his work affected my life over the past seven years. My knowledge and appreciation of Keegan came…
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Reigning in the Operational Art of War
Justin Kelly and Mike Brennan have produced a convincing monograph on the need to reign in the influence of operational art in American war planning and execution (Alien: How Operational Art Devoured Strategy). In it, they trace the evolution of the term from the industrial period, as it gained prominence in the Soviet and German armies…
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How I Decided to Go to College at Age 28
Ten years after high school, I finally applied to a community college to begin taking basic courses (e.g., English, Science). This was all geared toward transferring to AMU in order to pursue a bachelor’s in military history, the topic that overwhelmingly fascinated me in the realm of history. Several factors led to this decision. While…
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How I Became Fascinated with Military History
My dad is a channel-flipper. A fast one. As a child, I recall sitting on the coach, as he flew by channels with less than a second to process each. It drove my mother crazy. Still does, probably. I never knew what he was looking for, but he would always stop when he came to…
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Historical Precedence for Osama bin Laden’s Burial at Sea
Last week, the U.S. commemorated the death of Osama bin Laden. Few have seen the body of bin Laden, as the U.S. opted to give him a watery grave in the Arabian Sea. Tossing the remains of a fallen enemy into water is not without historical precedence and the groups of people who have practiced…
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Book Review: New Jersey Butterfly Boys in the Civil War
In New Jersey Butterfly Boys, Peter T. Lubrecht tells the story of the Third New Jersey Cavalry, a regiment that saw action during the latter half of the Civil War. The unit is an intriguing one that featured an ethnic mix of predominately German and Irish immigrants, as well as soldiers from more than a…
