Early Modern | War History

The Black Dispatches From the Civil War Spies

The typical Southern officer’s opinion of African Americans was that they were an inferior subhuman race, lacking in intelligence or cunning. Their ignorance and subsequent…

Napoleon Changed His World, And Ours

Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most influential figures in European history. Two hundred years after his short-lived Empire collapsed, the world continues to be…

The Flaws of the Brilliant Civil War General “Stonewall” Jackson

General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson is widely regarded as one of the greatest tactical commanders in American military history. While his solid determination to hold…

Andersonville, The Notorious Confederate PoW Camp In The Civil War

It goes by several names, but there’s no denying the absolute horror that took place in this small location in Georgia. Andersonville and the Andersonville…

The Element of Surprise – Totally Effective Surprise Attacks in Military History

Surprise attacks and ambushes can turn the tide of war. More often than not, the side that has the larger base of industry or manpower…

Samurai, Ninja, Ronin, And More – Seven Different Warrior Classes Of Feudal Japan

Andrew Knighton

Feudal Japan is remembered as the era of the samurai. Like the knights of feudal Europe, they were the expensively equipped warrior aristocracy. They were,…

When Malaria Sided With Napoleon: The Doomed British Walcheren Expedition That Cost 4,000 Lives

The British expedition sent to Walcheren in the Netherlands in 1809 was one of the boldest moves of the Napoleonic wars. Unfortunately for the soldiers…

The Duke of Wellington, Napoleon’s Arch-Enemy

Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, was Napoleon’s most famous opponent. In 1808 he led the British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces that defeated the French…

Japan’s Onin War – A Vital Moment In The History Of Japan

Andrew Knighton

The Onin War was a vital moment in the history of Japan. It saw the collapse of central authority and the descent of the nation…

How the American Civil War Became a “Total War”

The Civil War mobilized American resources on a scale only matched in WWII. It brought unparalleled destruction to many people. How did an initially restrained…

Nine Reasons Why the South Lost the American Civil War

An extensive amount of effort has gone into studying the American Civil War. The reasons for the war and its outcome remain hotly debated. The…

From the Vikings to Vietnam – Five Wars in Which Drugs Fuelled the Fighting

Drugs have a long history as part of war. These days, their main role is a medicinal one, but down the centuries they have often…