Sheridan’s Scorched Earth Campaign — The Union Army’s Forgotten War Crime
“Civilians were intentionally targeted and brutalized, particularly in the final year of the conflict.” By James Bovard GEORGE ORWELL WROTE in 1945 that “the nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side,…
The Many Faces of Napoleon Bonaparte — What did the French Emperor Actually Look Like?
By Shannon Selin WHAT DID NAPOLEON LOOK LIKE? A silly question, you might think. After all, Bonaparte is one of the most painted and sculpted persons in history. When artist Matt Dawson was designing the cover of my…
A Call To Arms — Nine of History’s Most Famous Wartime Propaganda Films
THE HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTER American Sniper has raked in a cool $90 million since its debut on Jan. 16. But the Clint Eastwood action drama has been under fire from some who complain that the movie…
Heroines, Smugglers and Spies – The Forgotten Contributions of Women to the American Civil War
“Women on both sides fueled their states’ war efforts. Some chafed at the limitations society set for them and determined to change the course of the war.” By Karen Abbott THERE WAS WORK FOR EVERYONE during…
From Gangland to the Battlefield — 15 Amazing Facts About the Thompson Submachine Gun
“Over the past 90 years, it’s been used in both war and peace in just about ever corner of the globe.” By Matthew Moss THE THOMPSON SUBMACHINE GUN, better known as the Tommy gun, is…
Filmmaker Explores Smallpox and the Franco Prussian War
PRIOR TO THE 20th CENTURY, armies on campaign typically lost more men to disease than battle. Consider the following: During the Napoleonic Wars, 375,000 French soldiers died in combat, while more than 800,000 succumbed to illness.[1]…