Korean War

The Other Side of the Korean War

Korean War Medal from North Korea

The Other Side of the Korean War

The Korean War was a civil war that drew in outside forces on both sides. In every war each side believes that they are right and that they alone are fighting the good fight. With that said it is sometimes easy to overlook the other side of a conflict that your nation was on one side of.

As an early battleground of the proxy wars between major powers during the Cold War.  Officially it is still going on, just on pause and any glance at a newspaper reminds you that at any time it could flare back up.

In the picture above is a simple plaque in a display case in a museum. In the case (and we see them later in another article) is a North Korean flag, a soldiers fur covered hat and a rifle, but it us the badge in the picture that is interesting on this point.

Casualties

Estimates on casualties during the Korean War put the North Korean losses at between 215,000 and 350,000 killed and another 300,000 wounded. On top of that an estimated 1,550,000 civilians (estimated) lost their lives.

War sucks and the goal of war is to win. People die in war, soldiers and civilians. Those numbers above are astounding and should cause you to think about the other side for just a minute. As a comparison the other side, (South Korea and the United Nations) had an estimated total of 178,426 dead and around 566,000 wounded, civilian dead,wounded and missing totaled about 990,000.

So the other side can have their medals, just like we do. The main lesson in all this is that war is terrible. Honestly if you are reading this odds are you already know that.

 

Civil War, Uncategorized

200th Post – Manassas, Poll Results and Our Future Plans

For our 200th post I wanted to show what I thought was an amazing sight. This picture was taken at Manassas National Battlefield Park at the location of the Confederate artillery line during he battle.  If you follow the cannon you will see they go off into the distance, I believe there were thirteen total. The Civil War was fought before we had movie cameras that could capture events and often accounts of the battle would take days or weeks to reach the families of those that participated. For the men that fought them there was always a struggle to tell their story.

Some men of course were good with the words and that is how we know what we know, but many more never got to tell the story of their experiences. It is those that feel that I always feel for the most when I stand at one of these historic locations. North and South combined totaled about 870 killed in action on the day of what would be the first of many battles. A little more than a year later at Antietam almost 23,000 died. The scale was just amazing.

So on this day I stood on the Confederate line trying to imagine what they saw and heard as cannons roared and men shouted. It is important to never forget those that died or those that lived. For 200 post I have tried to tell their stories from all of America’s wars. The mundane and the extraordinary. I hope that you have found it entertaining and worth while and that you would be willing to share this blog with your friends and family.

So the pool that I put up a couple of weeks ago regarding new features for the blog is closed and oddly enough we ended up with a three-way tie. You voted for more book reviews, military movie reviews and shorter articles. So as we move into the 200 this is what we are going to do.

One week a month will be considered review week. The Tuesday post will be a book review, the Thursday post will be a movie review. As always we will stick to the theme of American Military History. Wednesday we will have a little fun and post a word of military origin and a brief look at its etymology (word history). They’ll be brief but will add a little flavor.

So that is our plan moving forward. Thank you all for helping us grow our audience. Here is to another 200!

Book Reviews, Civil War

Book Review: Our Man In Charleston

One of the things I have always been fascinated about in regards to the American Civil War was the role that Great Britain played during the conflict. I will say in all honesty that in looking into that role my thoughts of views have been changed. This book takes that understanding to a new level.

At the center of the account is Robert Bunch who served as the British consul in Charleston staring several years before the war. He was staunchly anti-slavery but found that in order to actual do his job he had to put up a front to the people of the South and hide behind a false sense that he was not only a supporter of slavery, but one that was sympathetic to the southern cause.

As America spiraled towards war Bunch maintained that facade, all the while sending letters back home that provided insight into the South and its culture. Information that would go a long way towards keeping Britain from taking a more active role in the war. Eventually he was so successful in ingratiating himself into the Southern cause that he was targeted by the Union authorities and was pursued as a spy.

Dickey tells Bunch’s story in way very reminiscent of a spy novel, which makes it intriguing and even tense at times. He provides a different view of many well-known historical events ranging from the 1860 Democratic Convention that split the country and later the nation, to the first shots fired on Ft. Sumter. Bunch was there and we see these events through the eyes of man who sees the world-changing before his eyes, but is alone in a sea of chaos where even the slightest crack in his facade could mean death.

A very good and well told story. Very recommended even if you are not a Civil War person but like a good spy tryst.  You may not know who Robert Bunch is at the start, but by the end you will have admiration for the man.

As always books I review are available through Amazon by clicking on the image of the book cover above!

American Revolution, Book Reviews

Book Review: A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier

If you have read almost any book on the American Revolution or seen any documentary the odds are you will have run into quotes by Joseph Plumb Martin. Martin fought in the Revolution from 1776 through 1783, pretty much the entire time and was involved with almost every major event in the Norther Colonies during that time. His memories, of which this book above is one of the many editions, was first published in 1830 and has served as a touchstone for scholars ever since.

Through Martin’s eyes we see the history of the American Revolution literally from the trenches. We experience the horrid conditions and depredations, the fear  and joy, the hunger and cold. Through his eyes we are taken to the camp and battlefield of the struggle for independence. With a no-nonsense view of the war, and the aftermath you feel the emotions served up with a little side of humor as he makes little asides to his audience.

Like many memoirs though there are some bad along with the good.  Martin wrote his memories later in life and because most of the stories he tells are based on his own recollections, rather than something like a journal that was kept at the time, there are some cases of exaggeration and missing details, and incorrect ones. That happens in cases like this and  for the most part can be corrected with cross referencing. None of that takes away from the narrative though.

All said this is a good book to have, a decent read and great reference. Also it can usually be found for a very decent price (especially if you click on the book cover above). Joseph Plumb Martin is not as well-known as Washington, Jefferson,  and Adams, but without men like him you probably would not know a lot about those other guys. His story is the bedrock of the foundation of this country and sometimes these stories are the one that should be focused on.

Book Reviews, Civil War

Book Review: A World on Fire: Britain’s Crucial Role in the American Civil War

It is not often that I start a review off with a warning, but as good as this book is I feel that this time I need to. Clocking in at just over 1,000 pages tackling this book is going to be a huge project. It is full of fantastic and sometimes dense information that can sometimes seem a little overwhelming. Even as a historian and someone used to tomes such as this I had to walk away from it for periods of time to let it all sink in. Does that make it a bad book? No, not all, but it does make it a commitment. One that I recommend.

If you stick with you will come away with a good understanding about the role that Great Britain played during the Civil War and how its actions and reactions shaped policy for both sides. From the very real possibility that the United States could be facing a war with Britain while fighting the Confederacy to the crisis of conscience in regards to slavery the permeated the halls of Parliament, this book covers a lot of ground. It does it well, I have no quibbles about the style or substance. There is just a lot of it!

When it came out in 2011 it won a number of awards and ended up on a number of “best of” lists, and all well deserved. Click the cover to see more about it.

Though I recommend it, I only do so to those willing to take the journey with it. Certainly not a jumping on point, but if you want a different perspective of the Civil War, this is a god book for you.

Civil War

Darn the Mines! Move in a forward direction!

IMAG0179_48

 

What you are seeing in this picture is a water mine, or as they referred to at the time, a “torpedo”. You can see the anchor and the chain, the barrel that was loaded with explosive and the trigger. A ship would bump against the trigger and detonate the mine. This one was taken from Mobile Bay during the Civil War.

In August of 1864 Mobile, Alabama remained one of the last ports in the Confederacy and outside of the trickle of blockade runners, its last line to the outside world. Mobile Bay was defended by three forts that could pound and attacking fleet into mincemeat. If that wasn’t enough the bay was seeded with mines (torpedoes).  This would not dissuade the Federal forces.
Led by Rear Admiral David Farragut the US Navy, in a joint assault with the US Army, moved to close the bay. They were met by a CSA fleet and a general battle was commenced under the eyes of the three powerful forts. Having to contend with both the enemy fleet, forts and torpedoes Farragut issued his orders. Only one ship, the Tecumseh, fell victim to the mines, but they were still responsible for one of the lasting anecdotes of the war.
It was during this battle that Farragut reportedly told his officer, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” Now, there is some doubt that he actually said it. He probably said something like it, but a lot of these famous sayings, especially ones that happen in the middle of a battle, tend to become more legend than reality. As a way to rally troops or motivate your co-workers, this saying is great in saying just go and do what you need to do, and deal with the consequences later.
The naval battle lasted about three hours. After after a number of weeks the forts all fell one by one. By the end of August 1864 Mobile Bay was securely in the hands of the Federals. The city of Mobile itself would be spared until the end o the war, but as a supply port it was out of the war.
Civil War

Hidden History Atlanta Style — Fort Walker

Down in Atlanta, in a corner of Grant Park you will come across the area in the picture. People pass it everyday walking their dogs, driving by, having the kids play on the hill and in the ditch that surrounds. Odds are they don’t realize what they are passing by. See that earthen redoubt, surrounded by the ditch is what remains of Ft. Walker and is the last of the Confederate fortifications that were built to defend Atlanta during he Civil War.

Built in 1863 the redoubt was part of the 13 mile long line of defenses that surrounded Atlanta. This was the southeastern salient of the inner line and consisted of a number of redoubts on hills, with rifle pits (the ditch surrounding the hill) around the perimeter and connected to the other forts along the line.

In the 1880’s Grant Park was established the location was marked with a granite pedestal, four cannon and two bronze lions. Vandals had field days at the site and eventually in the 1980’s the cannons were finally removed after one was stolen. (If you know the location of the missing cannon please contact the author.) Later the two bronze lions also went missing. (If you know the location of the missing cannon please… ah never mind.)

In 1938 the Atlanta Ladies Memorial Association placed a monument at the site commemorating the last surviving breastwork. It went missing…. just kidding. It is still there and was rededicated in 2014 with a new granite cannon and plaque that was donated by the Georgia Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

So just another case of something so significant that has sort of faded into the background. If you are in the area you should take the time to visit before it’s gone forever.

 

 

American Revolution

An Ordinary Man

On March 5, 1770 the streets in Boston were boiling. For a number of years British soldiers had been occupying the city to enforce the Parliamentary taxes that tweaked just about every citizen in the colonies.  On this night a group of young men took to taunting a British soldier standing guard in front of the Custom house on King Street. The crowd grew with other British soldiers standing in line with their comrade. Eventually verbal assaults turned to rocks and ice and other projectiles being hurled at the soldiers, the crowd yelling for the men to fire their muskets the entire time. Suddenly the soldiers did with no orders actually being given. Immediately three colonists were dead, several wounded and the events of what would eventually be called The Boston Massacre gave succor to the nascent rebellion against Great Britain.

One of the colonists killed outright was Crispus Attucks. Attucks was mixed race, African and Native American and may have been either a runaway slave or a freedman, that question has support on all sides. He was a sailor who apparently was in port after his ship had arrived from the Bahamas. Little is known about him and some of what is known has been changed and mutated over time. He holds a special place in the story of the American Revolution being one of the first colonial casualties of the conflict. History remembers him for being the first African-American (his father was from Africa, his mother a Native American, Crispus himself was born in Massachusetts) as well as the first Native American to give their life to the cause.

The teapot in the picture belonged to Crispus Attucks. A small personal item that should hopefully serve to show that no matter what history tells you about the man he was just that, a man. Albeit a man who ended up on the wrong side of a musket and helped advance the cause. The cause of the American Revolution.

Vietnam

Supper Time! (Revisited)

In the original version of this article we focused on the chow line. I have been d asked if we had any pictures of what a C-Ration Looked like, above is pretty much it.

Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “An Army travels on its stomach.” If any one would know it should be him.  During war, sometimes finding time to eat is one of the biggest challenges. The body is an engine and the engine needs fuel.

C Rations were what  the individual soldiers would prepare for themselves. Often from a package, and of dubious quality and taste. The kit in the picture above consists of a Chocolate Nut Roll, a can containing Crackers and Cocoa Beverage Powder, a can opener (P38) and waterproof matches. Just a light snack full of calories to give the soldier a pick me up.

“We ate when we could and what we could,” Bill Hatfield, who took the picture above, reminisced. “Sometimes we would be out on patrols that lasted longer than we planned and we never had enough of anything. After a couple of days of C-Rats, we didn’t really care how the food at the fire base tasted, just that there was plenty of it.”

 

B Rations were the next best scenario. These sorts of meals were usually prepared in a field kitchen from non-fresh ingredients, then shipped to the units where they were heated up and served.  Not needing to be frozen or refrigerated means that even the guys far from the supply center would have the chance for a hot meal on occasion.

A Rations were the goal though. A warm meal, made in a real kitchen, served in a nice safe dining hall.

Feeding an army is never easy, but from the all round looks of things, being the army that needed fed left much to be desired.

 

People, Places and Things from US Military History

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