Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
It was 1866, and the men of the US Army, Navy, and Marines had destroyed the rebellion on the battlefield and ushered in a "new birth of freedom." Their work done, they hoped to return to lives filled with the fruits of their blood and toil. That year, they formed a veterans' organization called "The …
In 1862, the King of Siam offered President Lincoln war elephants for the Civil War. Lincoln politely declined. But what if he hadn't? Artist rendering of guidons and equipment of the 1st Ohio Volunteer Pachyderms, by Dr. Nyri A. Bakkalian, @riversidewings The long, low lines of white pup tents, punctuated by the larger A-frame and …
Continue reading "If the U.S. Army had Elephants in the Civil War"
Marvel Studios' BLACK PANTHER..L to R: Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and T'Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) .Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2018 By Matthew Ader In 2016, there was a coup d’état in Wakanda. Using a combination of foreign training and racialist rhetoric, Erik Stevens overthrew the T’Challa administration. Although his regime was destroyed a few …
Continue reading "The Wakandan Civil War: A Profile in State Reconstruction"
On April 1, seven states - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia - will begin their celebration of Confederate Heritage Month. As a counter to this narrative of southern hegemony, I'd like to take a moment and celebrate those Southerners who remained loyal to the United States and who - if they were …
December 24, 1863 Somewhere south of the North Pole My Dearest Hannah, This latest march has been our longest yet. We left northern Virginia in September, marches of 20 or 30 miles, worse than Gettysburg. I'm sure you have heard that we have been betrayed by the Northern Spheres - how our brave Lincoln calmly …
Continue reading "A Letter Home from the Civil War on Christmas"
So I'm driving right now, heading up the road from the National Capital Region, and I see on my left the long lines of marching hills. Treetopped ranks stretching into the distance. The South Mountain Range. Home of so much of what I've studied in war, in history, and culture; and suddenly my heart seems …
Continue reading "Drawn to the Battlefield"
In 1913, Union and Confederate veterans held a touching reunion at Gettysburg. Now in their 70s, the veterans flocked to the small Pennsylvania town by the thousands. It was here that they shared stories, recreated memories, and celebrated the reconciled Union. Worn Union men shook hands with grizzled old foes across the stone wall on …
Continue reading "Deconstructing the Reconciliation Narrative of the Civil War"
Summer means many things: vacation, lazy days by the beach, cook-outs, and the smell of freshly mowed lawns. Or it means yet another NTC rotation, another deployment, a PCS move, or other less-fun Army experiences. Whether you're burying your toes in the sand on the beach or trying to get the sand out of your …
Continue reading "ASO’s Summer Reading List"
Time is a strange thing. This coming April 6, World War I and the United States turn 100. 100 years since Congress declared war on the German Empire. 100 years since U.S. Doughboys, carrying automatic weapons and wearing steel helmets, marched off to war in France, in Belgium, in Italy, and in Siberia. These troops …
Continue reading "Not in our Time: A Warning"
Today’s guest post comes from Barefoot Boomer. Boomer is a career Army officer and strategist. He is also a historian with an emphasis in American and German military history.  The content and opinions of this article are the author’s only and do not reflect the opinions of the United States Army or the Department of Defense. …
Continue reading "Winning the Civil War, Finally"
The Angry Staff Officer 
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