There was Civil War Where???? Part One
Confederate General Earl Van Dorn When most people talk about the “Campaign in the West,” in terms of the American Civil War, Shiloh and Pittsburgh Landing come to mind, or perhaps General Fremont....
View ArticleThe Evolution of Cavalry Tactics: How Technology Drove Change
Part three in a series. Napoleon reviewing his mounted troops. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. In the Napoleonic system, the army’s mounted arm took multiple forms. There were: carabiniers,...
View ArticleMexican-American War 170th: Battle of Monterrey, pt. 1
On the evening of September 20, 1846, Maj. Philip Barbour of the 3rd US infantry sat overlooking the city of Monterrey and wrote in his journal. “There is quite a fire going on in the direction of the...
View ArticleMexican-American War 170th: Battle of Cerro Gordo
Vera Cruz had fallen, and Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna had to act. Serving as both Mexico’s president and the commanding general of its armies, Santa Anna prepared to move against the American forces...
View ArticleMexican-American War 170th: Battle of Contreras (Padierna)
Thousands of years ago, the Xitle volcano exploded, spraying lava across the valley floor. That lava cooled to hard rocks with jagged edges in what came to be known as the Pedregal—translated to...
View ArticleMexican-American War 170th: Battle of Churubusco
Battle of Churubusco (Wikipedia Commons) Following his victory at Contreras/Padierna on the morning of August 20, 1847, General Winfield Scott looked to keep pressing towards Mexico City. By...
View ArticleMexican-American War 170th: Battle of Molino del Rey
Winfield Scott’s armistice had failed. His dual victories at Contreras and Churubusco on August 19-20 brought the American army within a hand’s reach of Mexico City, but then Scott stopped. By August...
View ArticleMexican-American War 170th: The Storming of Chapultepec
The American artillery roared. Mortars thumped, arcing shells over the castle’s walls. As a heavy cloud of smoke formed around the muzzles of the cannon and mortars, Winfield Scott kept a close eye on...
View ArticleBookChat with David Silkenat, author of Raising the White Flag
I was pleased to spend some time recently with a new book by historian David Silkenat, senior lecturer of American history at the University of Edinburgh. Silkenat is the author of Raising the White...
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