American Revolution

A Continental Soldier (Kind of)

A Continental Soldier (Kind of)

A Continental Soldier (Kind of)

At the Cowpens Battlefield, they have this display set up as you see above. It lets you take a musket to your shoulder to “see what they saw”. From there you can get a good idea of the terrain on the battlefield that day in January of 1781.

At Cowpens, the American forces were made up of a mix of the regular Continental Army, and the militia. Or State troops as they were called. The Continentals were made up of units from Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. They had all seen a lot of action. In a lot of ways they were the cream of the American army and were allowed to head south due to the general stalemate that was going on up north. Combined that with the fact that they were led by General Daniel Morgan and back up by a number of equally well-seasoned militia troops, it is really no wonder they carried the day.

  • A few interesting things about the Continentals that fought that day.
  • Their average height was 5ft 6in (Which is what the shadow figure in the picture stands at.)
  • Their musket weighed 10 Pounds
  • Each piece of lead shot they carried weighed approx 1 ounce.
  • The weather on the day of the battle had a temperature of 55-65 degrees with a wind that would reach 10 knots.

We have looked and will look again at the battle from a tactical and strategic view. For just a second thought we should put that wooden replica up to our own shoulder and think what it must have been like to stand there.

WWII

You Audie Know This Guy!

You Audie Know This Guy!

You Audie Know This Guy!

 

Quick question. When asked to name a WWII hero, what names come to mind? If Audie Murphy is not one of the first names you think of, you need to learn more about this man.

Born  June 20, 1925, In Texas, he lied about his age to join the military during WWII.  He tried to get into the Navy and the Marines before finding a home in the Army. In 1945, at the ripe old age of 19, he won the Medal of Honor after single handily holding off an entire German company. For over an hour! BY HIMSELF! What did you do today?

But wait, that is not all. After holding them off he helped to lead the counter-attack even though he was out of ammunition and wounded.

During the war, he served with distinction in Tunisia, Sicily, Naples, Anzio, Rome,  France, the Ardennes and on into Germany. During that time he won every single award for valor that the US Army had. Then added several from France and Belgium for good measure.

After the war, Audie became an actor, best known for playing himself in the movie To Hell and Back and numerous westerns. For the rest of his life, he fought against what would be known today as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and worked hard for the cause of getting this disorder into the spotlight. Even our greatest heroes did not go untouched by their experiences. In 1971 he finally met a foe he could not defeat and died in a plane crash.

The picture above shows one of his caps and just a few of the multitude of ribbons that this man earned. There is no greater example of the American Warrior than this man and I behoove you to find out more of the details of his life and actions.

 

Word and Phrases

Wednesday Words & Phrases: Laconic

laconic

Wednesday Words & Phrases: Laconic

Laconic is a word that means “of few words”. This can refer to either spoken or written words and well it comes with a heck of a back story.

Near the end of the 8th century BC the region of Laconia, (part of modern-day Greece), was under the control of Sparta. The people of Laconia were known to be people of few words, which says something when putting next to the Spartans. When King Phillip II of Macedonia sent word to the Spartan council that “If I enter Laconia, I will level Lacedaemon to the ground.”

In response, the senior magistrate from the province stared at the King and said simply, “If.”

That is some stone cold laconic phrasing right there.

Vietnam, WWI

On The Wire (Barbed Wire That Is.)

On The Wire (Barbed Wire That Is.)

On The Wire (Barbed Wire That Is.)

Wire with barbs that cause people or animals discomfort when trying to get through it. An easy concept with a number of variations that has a number of uses. Originally designed as a cheap and effective way to contain cattle on the plains, it was not long before it was re-purposed for the military.

Most of the wars fought in the late 19th century and up to WWI. saw barbed wire in use in various forms. It was cheap. It was quickly deployed.  While not so much a fortification it was very effective against infantry and cavalry. So it worked.

During WWI it was used extensively. It could either survive or at least be quickly repaired in the wake of the massive artillery bombardments of the day. Unfortunately, the birth of armored warfare sort of ended the heyday of barbed wire on the battlefield. Tanks were much more effective at getting through it than man or beast.

Above is a version of barbed wire called concertina wire. It has a similar design but is stored and deployed in large coils. These rolls can be set up in a number of different configurations.  Weel beyond what regular bared wire could be used for. The wire in the picture was deployed on the perimeter of an American firebase in Vietnam and I hope that it was the photo the person was going for because it looks painful, but it is sort of a cool shot.

 

American Revolution

Washington Light Infantry Monument At The Cowpens

Washington Light Infantry Monument At The Cowpens

Washington Light Infantry Monument At The Cowpens

 

The National Battlefield Park at The Cowpens in South Carolina is a kind of serene place. The terrain is not the same as when the battle was fought there back on January 17th, 1781. Still, you can get a good sense of the land. When you are on the battlefield itself there is not much in the way of monuments. A stark difference compared to other battlefields.

The one exception out on the field is the Washington Light Infantry Monument which is pictured above. Fairly simply, not real gaudy, the pole in the center was topped with a brass eagle. Inside the base are several artifacts. A vial of water from Eutaw Springs (location of another battle later in the war). A brick from a house at Eutaw Springs. A handwritten account of the Battle of Cowpens and a roster of the members of the group that dedicated the memorial.

One of the first monuments dedicated to a battle from the American Revolution in the South, it was built in 1856 by the Washington Light Infantry a South Carolina militia regiment formed in 1807 and named for General George Washington though eventually it would become more closely associated with William Washington, the General’s cousin and a very important Continental Army commander in the war, especially the Southern Campaign.

Built at a time when the nation was starting to come apart, the monument was dedicated on the 75th anniversary of the battle, a move that some hoped would serve as a reminder of the common cause that brought the people together during the revolution. Considering what happened in South Carolina just a few years later, it didn’t really have the desired effect.

 

 

Word and Phrases

Wednesday Words And Phrases: Logistics

Image result for army logistics

Logistics

Ah yes… logistics. The science of transporting men and material from place to place. In military terms, it is the means by which the soldiers and sailors have places to sleep and recreate, bullets to shoot and food to eat. Without the logistics, service wars would be a lot more difficult to fight.

So where does the word “logistics” come from? How about the 18th-century French military? Originally logistiques and referred to one of the duties of the army’s quartermaster who were charged with finding the men places to sleep or to loger or lodge. They would then need to also make sure that there was food and supplies for the men.

The phrase logistics was apparently coined by Baron Jomini. A Swiss officer who fought with the French and later Russians during the Napoleonic Wars. He did so in his very popular Treatise on Major Military Operations.  Jomini was a contemporary of Clauswitz and between the two pretty much set the standard for European military thinking up until today.

Frontier

Flintlock

Flintlock

Flintlock

For almost two hundred years the flintlock firearm was the state of the art for the military around the world. First developed by Marin le Bourgeoys for King Louis XIII of France around 1610 they continued to be refined and developed until the mid-19th century when percussion caps became more the norm.

The flintlock pistol was normally used in conjunction with another weapon, sword or cutlass and would fire one shot before having to be reloaded. They ranged from six inches up to twenty and were mostly smooth bore. Effective and powerful in the short-range their greatest deficiency was that time it took to reload. For those that have never done it here are the steps:

Load the flint into the lock.

Half-cock the cock

Pour the proper amount of black powder down the muzzle

Tamp it down

Wrap the ball in a patch, usually linen or cotton

Put the ball in the muzzle

Tamp the ball and power down with the ramrod

Prime the flash pan

You are ready to fire!

Now imagine that in the middle of a fight, probably not going to happen which is why you would normally carry more than one.

Not only is the load process time-consuming, but the actual flick that makes the spark can sometimes be an issue. They wear out, and if not produced right is just plain ineffective.  Of course, keeping your powder dry was a major issue. Even when it was you would have to constantly clean the powder residue from the weapon to keep it functioning. Since most of the pistols were made by hand the parts were mostly not transferable from one to another. So if something broke, you may be out of luck.

Still, though they were good weapons and were integral in not only the military but taming the new frontiers found on the American Continent.

Modern

Moon Trophy

Moon Rock

Moon Trophy

It has been well established that as part of our journey through American Military History the space program falls under our purview. There are few things that exemplary the accomplishments of the program like moon rocks. Rocks that were brought back to Earth from the moon. How cool is that?

Now for the really cool part. Moon rocks that are currently on the Earth can be traced to one of three sources. Rocks that were brought back purposefully but the Apollo missions. Rocks that were brought back by the Soviet unmanned probes of the 70’s. And the ones that came to Earth the hard way as meteorites after being ejected from the surface of the Moon.

Six Apollo mission brought back over 800 pounds of rocks. These rocks are generally considered priceless and while the majority of them are in secured facilities some have found their way out to the collectors market and of course in museums around the world. In fact, in 1970 President Nixon distributed samples as goodwill gifts to all fifty states as well as 135 countries.

So how much is priceless? Well, first of all, if you had any of the real samples in your collection, your name is more than likely on a list somewhere.  In 1993 three small fragments from the Soviet collections that weighed approximately 0.2g sold for $442,500. What is that per pound? No idea, that kind of math is beyond me. Suffice to say their value is amazing but even more than their monetary value is the value as a trophy. A trophy of what we can accomplish. We went to the Moon and brought something back. Think about that the next time you go out for milk.

 

Word and Phrases

Wednesday Words and Phrases: Magenta

Image result for magenta

Magenta

 

Yep, we are talking about the color.

In 1859 a terrible battle was fought in the town of Magenta in the province of Lombardy during the Second War of Italian Independence. On that day 54,000 French troops fought 58,000 Austrians and when all was said and done over 9,000 men lay dead. When the armies moved on the locals in the town collected all the bodies and placed the bones in an ossuary (a building for such things) which still is in place today.

Also in 1859 the first red aniline dyes started being used and were known as Fuchsine or Roseine. The color never really took off and in an attempt to cash in on recent events the name of the color was changed to Magenta in an effort to evoke the image of the blood-soaked fields of the small town after the battle. The name stuck.

Cold War

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

 

In August 1961 East German forces started work on a barbed wire and concrete barrier separating East and West Berlin. It was built to keep Western “Fascists” from polluting the hearts and minds of East Berlin. It was also built to stop the massive influx of refugees moving from east to west. Eventually, the barbwire became a wall that prevented anyone from crossing. Except at the predetermined checkpoints, which rarely allowed anyone to pass. And so the Cold War had a physical symbol that embodied the separation of east and west.

It would not stand forever.

In 1989 tensions between the US and Soviets were starting to thaw as the buzzwords of Glasnost and Perestroika started charting a new path between the superpowers. On November 9th of that year, the spokesman for East Berlin’s Communist Party let it be known that at midnight that day German citizens would be allowed to cross into West Berlin. The intention was to slowly work towards a reintegration of the two societies. The problem was that once a trickle starts, it easily can become a flood.

By the time midnight came around Berliners from both sides lined up at the gates, beer and champagne flowing freely. Once the checkpoints were open people from both sides crossed the checkpoints and as the party started to reach epic proportions people started to pick pieces off the wall. Before long the small hammers and picks of the partakers became cranes and bulldozers and before long the Wall was down. Pieces of it were sold as souvenirs, big chunks sent to museums all over the world. Including the piece above. As it was being built it was a symbol of oppression. When it came down it became the ultimate expression of freedom.

#coldwar #berlin #fallofthewall

People, Places and Things from US Military History

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