Month: June 2012
This is Gonna Hurt — Military Punishment Throughout the Ages
“A number of armies and navies have gone down in history for the cruelty, depravity and (dare we say it?) creativity of their punishments.” FREDERICK THE GREAT famously remarked that his soldiers must fear their officers more…
Bartholomew Sharp — Meet the Unlucky Pirate Who Threw Away a Fortune in Silver
“With the men of the expedition once more on the verge of mutiny, a lookout finally spotted a large galleon flying Spanish colours. Could it be the treasure fleet? Sharp’s vessels closed for battle.” HISTORY…
Black in Grey — Did Some African Americans Really Fight For the Confederacy? Historians Say No
“Some say it was a statistically insignificant handful, others maintain that it must have been ‘thousands.’“ BY THE END of the U.S. Civil War, there were approximately 180,000 African Americans fighting for the Union. This…
Disabled, Hell! — Don’t Call These Commanders “Handicapped”
A debilitating injury is usually something that renders a soldier un-fit for combat, while a pre-existing disability is often enough to excuse one from even having to serve. Yet throughout history there have been a…
The Pig War — The Outrageous 1859 Crisis That Nearly Led to Conflict Between the U.S. and Britain
“Many who know the story have wondered how an 1859 war between Great Britain and the United States would have affected the outcome of the Civil War.” FEW TODAY COULD TELL YOU anything about the…
Allied Headhunters — Research Explains Origins of Wartime Trophy Taking
“The civilian public was shocked to learn that GIs, sailors and marines fighting the Japanese were collecting and trading the ears, teeth and heads of enemy dead.” IN THE spring of 1944, Life magazine ran…
