In 390 BC, Rome suffered a terrible defeat in the Battle of Allia. The Gauls followed up their victory by capturing Rome. They sacked the city, looting and burning. The survivors took refuge on the Capitoline Hill, which Read more
Tanks were first used in battle in WWI, but before then, armies had nature’s tanks. A long, long time ago, someone had the bright idea to use elephants in battle. That person knew that elephants scared horses and men. Read more
Pal was a black Newfoundland dog that weighed 130 pounds. He was beloved by his family and the kids in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, one day Pal accidentally scratched the face of a little girl Read more
The Ancient Romans believed in divination. This was the belief that you can determine the will of the gods by observation. In particular, they observed birds. A priest called an augur would watch the flight of birds to Read more
The most famous mascot in the history of the U.S. Army was an eagle. In 1861, a Chippewa Indian chief chopped down a tree to get two eaglets in a nest. One eaglet died in the fall, but the Read more
By 1777, there was no love lost between the Patriots and the Redcoats. The British had recently routed Washington’s army at Brandywine and had taken the city of Philadelphia. The commander of the Continental Army felt he needed to Read more
John Barry was born on March 25, 1745, in Ireland to a Catholic tenant farmer. His family was evicted from its farm by a British landlord. They moved to the coast and John fell in Read more
Joseph was born on November 21, 1760. His father was a reverend and well-to-do. Joseph was given a good education, which would later be proven in his memoirs. After Lexington and Concord, he threatened to run away and join a Read more
Today is the 7th anniversary of this website. I wanted to commemorate that with a favorite story of mine. Viking berserkers would open battles by launching themselves against the enemy with no Read more
Thomas Sumter was born on August 14, 1734 in Virginia. His father had been an indentured servant. Thomas got little formal education. He joined the militia and participated in Braddock’s defeat in the Battle of the Wilderness. After this, he Read more