The cleaning agent that we use today actually was named for the temple of Ammon at Siwa in the Libyan desert. The temple was visited by thousands of pilgrims over the years, each left their camels tied up in the near vicinity. Over the course of centuries the sand soaked up thousands of gallons of camel urine.
In 106 BC the Romans took over the site and turned it into a garrison. Soldiers digging new foundations came across large, foul smelling crystals in the ground. They were shipped back to Rome for study. Eventually a use was found for the cleaning power of the crystals, now dubbed ammonia. Eventually they found their way into daily Roman life for things such as laundry and oral hygiene. (Don’t think about it too much.)
In 1931 the Imperial Japanese Army numbered just under 200,000 men and officers. It was with this force that they invaded Manchuria under the guise of protecting Japanese owned railroads against Chinese bandit attacks. This eventually blossomed in all out war between China and Japan. That war that lasted until 1945.
Not content to be fighting bandits and the Chinese army, they used their client state in Manchuria as a launching pad into the Soviet Union. Yes, from 1932 to 1941 the Russians and Japanese were fighting all along the Chinese border. Remember that from the history books? In 1941 the two sides agreed on a non-aggression pact that ended that conflict. There were only a few actual battles. Most of which the Russians won. Very little territory changed hands. Bigger wars were on the horizon for each.
The Men
The men that made up the army were conscripted, given medical examinations and classified with Class 1-A. The highest classification that said the men were fit for duty. There were a total of five classifications. Depending on if the nation was at war or not would depend on what happened to the men after they received their classifications. It was possible that a full mobilization of the male population would have been serving in the military in some way shape or form.
In 1941 the Imperial Army numbered around 1.7 million troops, most of which would be serving in China with the rest spread out across the Pacific. By the 1945 the army numbered more than 5.5 million.
The Casualties
As far as casualties suffered during World War Two, approximately 2.5 million killed. Presumed dead and missing totaled around 800,000 and just about 7,500 prisoners of war. Yes, that number is correct and reflects that something in the men behind those numbers. Death was preferable to capture and dishonor. Let that sink in for a minute when you look at the photo.
One other thing to think about. The last official surrender by an Imperial Japanese soldier occurred in December 1974, almost thirty years after the war ended.
The picture above is of a gabion, basically sticks woven together to form a rough barrel. These structures were originally used during the Middle Ages as a sort of mobile fortification. They were light weight and easily transported. Often various sizes would be made to fit within each other so they would stack like plastic cups.
When they arrived where they were intended to be used they would be filled with dirt, rocks, or anything. Suddenly they would transform into a strong fortification. They would be used to protect artillery and infantry positions and could even be found along the edges of the trench works during a siege. If they needed to be moved that would simply be emptied and moved. True mobility.
Used in conjunction with fascines and even bales of wool or cotton, these were commonly used in the Americas during the American Revolution up through the Civil War. In fact, in some places around the world gabions are still used to protect military bases. When used with a little imagination they could also be used to build actual structures. Small houses and even latrines!
Today the gabion is used in various forms for landscaping and erosion control. Whether still made of sticks and dirt, or hi tech plastic and metal, the gabion is still a fixture in the modern world.
The gabions you see above are from the model Continental Army camp at Colonial Williamsburg. Scattered throughout the camp are various examples of fortifications and battlefield accouterments from the period. We’ll see more of those later.
The first known use of Tommy in reference to the British soldier was back in 1743. It came from the fact that there were a lot of young British men named Tommy Atkins, so it was a common name. Later in 1815 the army rolled out new forms and pay books where all the example pages were filled out with the name Tommy Atkinson. After that Tommy just sort of stuck for any British soldier.
This is the statue commemorating General Nathanael Green at the Guildford Courthouse National Battlefield.
Anything but Greene
Nathanael Green is one of those men that never made the top-tier in the history classes. Having died shortly after the war he never had the chance to take part in the founding or the early years of the republic. Still, he had such a huge impact in the execution of the war, and in his battles with Congress that we owe him a huge debt. He certainly was a Washington acolyte and Washington would always consider Greene one of his best. Even so far as to say that if anything ever happened to him, Greene would be his choice to replace him.
After the fall of Charleston in 1780 and the total defeat of General Gates at Camden later that year, the South looked lost and Washington knew of only one man who could save revolution in that region and he sent him with his prayers and little else.
The Natural
Greene was a natural at war. From the start he had a grasp of strategy that few in the fledgling Continental Army had and this served him well in the South. One example is his desire to know as much about the terrain as possible in the theater. Upon arriving in the region he immediately dispatched men to learn every river, every crossing, every trail and almost every tree and rock to the point where some locals even commented that he knew the area as if he had grown up there.
This knowledge would be invaluable to him during the “Race to the Dan” and would allow the army to stay in one piece. Green dove into the aspects of the guerrilla war in the theater and used it to his advantage, understand when a small strike could gain the same effect as a major battle, but he also knew when the rules could be broken, such as dividing his army when needed.
The Artist
When it comes to operational artistry Greene again showed a natural ability. The main forces in the south fought more of a war of maneuver. Whether it was Greene staying one step ahead of Cornwallis, or Cornwallis trying to catch Green. Both armies stayed constantly on the move.
It could almost be looked at like boxing; Green was against a stronger foe with more reach. He had to keep the army moving. Dancing as it were. Striking blows when he could and being careful to not get caught. Cornwallis knew that all he had to do was pin Greene down to a general engagement. Then the knockout would come. He was constantly outclassed and out maneuvered by Greene. In the classic underdog context, even when the battle was engaged at Guilford Courthouse, the British only won on points, held the field, but had to be helped out of the ring as Greene took the moral victory. In Greene’s own words, “”We fight, get beaten, rise, and fight again.”
The Bane of Cornwallis
So tenacious was Greene that General Cornwallis opted to move his army to Virginia, rather than face Green again. Eventually he would end up under siege in Yorktown and the war was won. Greene continued to fight in South Carolina. Constantly driving the British from the back country. Eventually only Charleston remained under their control. All of this without having won a single battle himself.
A soldier during the Civil War. heck all wars, have to carry their entire world on them. Everything the need to live and fight needs to be within reach. Sure when times were good units would have supply wagons to take some of the burden, but when speed of march is an issue it would not be unusually for the men be a day or two ahead of the wagons. This diagram breaks down how much each piece of a soldiers kit weighed. A little hard to read, so I will break it down here.
Knapsack that contained a wool blanket, gum blanket, shelter half and personal items 16 lbs
Canteen with one quart of water 3 lbs
Haversack with 3 days marching rations 7 lbs
Cap pouch, Waist belt, Bayonet and Scabbard 3 lbs
Shoes and Clothes 5 lbs
Cartridge box and 40 rounds of ammunition 5 lbs
Extra Ammunition (In pockets) 2 lbs
Rifle-Musket 9 lbs
In total about 50 lbs of kit. A normal march would be between 6 and 8 miles a day (sometimes up to 20 or more). In the warm weather of campaign season wearing a wool uniform that does not make for a comfortable day. One thing that the Union troops found out early in the war was that all that equipment tended to make running away much more difficult, so they would ditch anything they could. A long trail of debris would mark the path of a retreating unit. Of course to the pursuing Confederate forces this was a windfall as they could pick up the leftovers and do pretty well.
Yeah. Who would have thought harbinger would be such a hard word to find a picture for?
Harbinger
Omen or Portent, often bad
Don’t come all in here like the harbinger of doom!
Dating as far back as the 14th century, the harbinger was an army officer sent out in front of the army to arrange for places for the troops to sleep. At the time such lodgings were called “harbor”. Often the arrival of the harbinger would lead to a panic amongst the citizenry because the army was not far behind and that meant taxes would be collected and a ton of pillaging would be occurring. Hence the generally negative aspects of something be a harbinger.
There can still be a positive aspect to the term such as a “harbinger of spring, but the gloom and doom usually wins in the end!
This pic was taken at Gettysburg in 2013 from Little Round Top. Looking to the center of the picture you will see a rock formation (you can make out the cars parked around it). That formation is known as Devils Den.
During the second day of the battle (June 1-3, 1863) this position changed hands several times and was used both for artillery and infantry. Once the Confederates had secured the position it was used heavily by snipers as it gave a great view of the Union positions on Little Round Top and some of the surrounding areas. We could literally talk for days about the actions that happened in and around Devils Den, but we come to this now for another reason.
You see when I was first studying the Civil War whenever I came across Gettysburg there was always Devils Den. It is not uncommon for certain places on the battlefield to take on names that denote certain “character”. Bloody Lane, The Peach Orchard, The Sunken Road. To students of the war those names immediately bring up images of the actions fought at those places. Devils Den though was different. That outcropping of rock was called Devils Den before the war.
Before the War
As early as 1856 the rocks were known for a large snake named the Devil. His home became known as the Devils Den. After the war the area was known by a few different variations of it until the original name stuck.
Now I know that sometimes tour guides like to embellish and tell stories, it’s part of the job. A little digging in the archives of the Gettysburg Times seems to collaborate at least a part of the story. In the Jan 23rd 1932 issue a brief paragraph relates a sighting of the famous snake in 1881, right where it had been known to be for at least a quarter of a century. Here is a link to the article. It is easy to forget these battles took place near homes and communities that had a history before the war.
In the spirit of being thankful and spending time with family this week we will be sharing a couple fo the Thanksgiving Proclamations that have been put out by various American Presidents.
Today’s proclamation is from 1900 from the desk of President McKinley. So why chose this one? This was an interesting time for the United States. After defeating Spain in the last war we now had a bit of an overseas empire and was on our way to being a player on the world stage. Even as we prospered there were still issues. In the year before this proclamation a massive hurricane wiped out Galveston, Texas and that is not an exaggeration. We have seen a number of hurricanes this year. The Gulf Coast is still rebuilding and our friends and family in Puerto Rico will be recovering for years. Galveston rebuilt and so will Houston, San Juan, and everywhere else effected. Our thoughts are with all of you.
The Proclamation
By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation
It has pleased Almighty God to bring our nation in safety and honor through another year. The works of religion and charity have everywhere been manifest. Our country through all its extent has been blessed with abundant harvests. Labor and the great industries of the people have prospered beyond all precedent. Our commerce has spread over the world. Our power and influence in the cause of freedom and enlightenment have extended over distant seas and lands. The lives of our official representatives and many of our people in China have been marvelously preserved. We have been generally exempt from pestilence and other great calamities; and even the tragic visitation which overwhelmed the city of Galveston made evident the sentiments of sympathy and Christian charity by virtue of which we are one united people.
Now, therefore, I, William McKinley, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart Thursday, the 29th of November next, to be observed by all the people of the United States, at home or abroad, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Him who holds the nations in the hollow of His hand. I recommend that they gather in their several places of worship and devoutly give Him thanks for the prosperity wherewith He has endowed us, for seed-time and harvest, for the valor, devotion and humanity of our armies and navies, and for all His benefits to us as individuals and as a nation; and that they humbly pray for the continuance of His Divine favor, for concord and amity with other nations, and for righteousness and peace in all our ways.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the city of Washington this 29th day of October, A.D. 1900, and of the Independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-fifth.
Welcome to Wednesday Words & Phrases: Thanksgiving Edition!
Today’s word is Turkey. Sure no military meaning behind it, but I thought it was kind of cool. So why not?
First The Turks
The first thing that you need to know is that the term Turkey had been used since the 1300’s to refer to any land that was occupied by the Turks. Officially the area was the Ottoman Empire until 1922 when the Republic of Turkey was established.
Now the Turkey
In the 1540s, guinea fowl, a type of bird that was imported from Madagascar through Turkey (anatolia or The Ottoman Empire), was commonly referred to as turkey. The bird most North Americans now enjoy on Thanksgiving received its name because it was identified as a species of the guinea fowl.
So yes, the country and the bird are related. Who knew?
People, Places and Things from US Military History
