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“Whoever wishes to master the art of war must study it continuously”
Whenever someone touts their x years of experience as an excuse to avoid learning, I am quickly reminded of the words of King Frederick the Great of Prussia (r. 1740-1786) and the military experience of mules. Frederick spent portions of his reign expanding and defending his small state against much larger French, Austrian, and Russian…
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Why Not Call them “Killingfields”?
Historian John Rudy has lamented the romanticizing of Civil War battles from books, documentaries, and reenactors. He believes that too many people idealize the marching and flag waving while brushing aside the carnage. When I tell people I trekked out to Gettysburg eight times last year, the first thing I am asked is if I…
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Civil War Philly Sesquicentennial Parade and Review (April 16, 2011)
On April 16, 2011, a series of groups put together the Civil War Philadelphia Sesquicentennial Parade and Review. The event was meant to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Philadelphia’s answering of President Lincoln’s call for volunteers to put down the rebellion in the South after the surrender of Fort Sumter. There were marching bands,…
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Philly Mayor Nutter’s Civil War Speech (April 16, 2011)
The following is a video and transcript of Mayor Michael Nutter’s Speech at the Civil War Philadelphia Sesquicentennial Parade and Review on April 16, 2011. He gave this speech to a group re-enactors and onlookers in front of The Union League building on Broad Street. I apologize for the shaky camera and poor sound quality…
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Battlefield Tip: Customize Your Maps
Those I drag to battlefields will recall my continuous map checks, which start off with me yelling “Map Check!” each time we get out of the car. I unfold my Trailhead Graphics map and throw it on the hood. From there, I talk about where we were, where we are, and what happened on the…
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Spartan Burial Practices and Honoring Fallen Soldiers
In the United States, like other countries, we honor deceased veterans with unique headstones and even burial rights in national cemeteries. Yet, how do you honor veterans in a civilization that is composed entirely of those who serve in the military, like the Spartans of ancient Greece? This civilization was unique from its fellow…
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Keegan on McPherson; McPherson on Keegan
British military historian John Keegan and Civil War historian James McPherson are two very prolific writers who may not be tied at the hip, but certainly overlap in some arenas. Back in 1995, Keegan, like others, heaped praise upon McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom: Not until 1988 did an American historian, James McPherson, succeed in…
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How the Greeks Commemorated the Sesquicentennial of Xerxes’ Invasion
With the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War quickly approaching, it is appropriate to examine how past civilizations commemorated the 150-year anniversaries of their major conflicts. One such group was the Greeks who commemorated the sesquicentennial of Xerxes’ invasion (480 BC) to the exact year (330 BC) by sanctioning Alexander the Great (r. 336-323) to…
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Battlefield Tip: Bring Photos
Last summer, I needed an extra set of visuals for friends, as I dragged them to Gettysburg, mentioned 20 different names they never heard before, and then spent the rest of the trip reminding them why each name was important. Civil War enthusiasts tend to know many of the generals down to the corps level,…
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Churchill’s Earliest Warning About Hitler
Throughout the 1930’s, Winston Churchill spoke out concerning German rearmament, Britain’s lack of comparable military strength, and Adolf Hitler. Churchill spent most of the decade a mere Member of Parliament and not a member of the British Cabinet. By July of 1939, the British newspapers would demand overwhelmingly that Churchill be made a member of…
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You Find Graves of Colored Troops in the Darndest Places
Last November, my wife and I toured the Chalmette Battlefield outside of New Orleans. To the east of the battlefield is the Chalmette National Cemetery. Established in 1864, the bodies of 15,000 troops from the American Revolution to the Vietnam War rest there. Nearly half of these remain unknown. The site is typical of most…
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Great Civil War Map? Or Greatest Civil War Map?
A few years ago, I came into possession of National Geographic’s Battles of the Civil War Wall Map. For trying to encapsulate the campaigns of the entire war on a 36″ x 23″ canvas, it does an amazing job. Dots cover the map, helping to provide some concept of how the battles were numerous and…
