Early Modern | War History

Civil War Cannons Retrieved From The Great Pee Dee River, South Carolina

William Lockridge is part of a team that raised three Civil War cannons from the Great Pee Dee River. “I had three children, and it’s…

The Union’s Smallpox Island, Where Men Were Sent To Die

An abandoned state prison deemed unfit for human habitation was resurrected and used to incarcerate Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. Alton Prison, situated on…

The Viking Mercenaries of the Byzantine Empire – The Varangian Guard

The Byzantines Hired Viking Mercenaries as Guards The relationship between the Byzantine Emperors and their Varangian Guard was a complex affair. The Byzantines were first…

The Battle of Stoney Creek – A Minor Fight That Changed History

In the early 1800s, two US generals tried to invade Canada. They might have succeeded, too, except for a peculiar handicap – their inability to…

The 100 Days – Napoleon Returns From Exile, Rallying an Army With His Words Alone

The ranks opened suddenly, and a figure stepped into view. He was taller than many of his enemies described him. Taller and leaner, the angles of…

AD 732, Battle of Tours: Charles Martel the ‘Hammer’ Holds The Line Of Battle

Few Empires emerged as quickly as that of the Muslim Caliphates. Bursting out from what is now Saudi Arabia in the mid-7th century, the Islamic…

Top 5 Battles Where Fighting Spirit Overcame The Odds

Battles can be lost for a hundred different reasons. Poor numbers, unwise strategy, inferior weapons, the list goes on. But just occasionally, a fighting force…

Battle of the Crater: Disastrous Battle for the Union in the American Civil War

Colonel Delavan Bates waited 27 years to receive his Medal of Honor. He was awarded the prestigious accolade in 1891 for “gallantry in action where…

The Many Lives Of The Harriet Lane,The Ship That Fired The First Shots Of The American Civil War

Late in the day on April 11th, 1861, the ship Nashville was sailing past Charleston harbor. The crew could see a fleet of ships at…

Preserved – The Humble Building Which Was General Lee’s Headquarters at Gettysburg

The Civil War Trust this year bought the building which served as General Robert E. Lee’s headquarters during the civil war Battle of Gettysburg. Only on…

The Battle of Arsuf – To Win the Day, One Man Must Defy His Own King

Beneath the relentless beating of the midday sun, under a seemingly endless rain of arrows, The Grand Master’s patience had all but run out. Garnier…

The Battle of Morgarten – Against All The Odds, One Small Army Changed the Course of European Military History

The supremacy of heavy cavalry and mounted knights on the battlefield came to an end one cold November morning in 1315, and it began with…