After Alexander had defeated the Persians in the Battles of Granicus and Issus, he went on to conquer Egypt. Everyone knew the job of conquering the whole Persian Empire was not finished, but Alexander had half and Darius still had a huge army. Darius sent a message to Alexander offering Read more
Drummer boys go back hundreds of years. They were used in the Revolutionary War, but are most famous for their role in the Civil War. If you were too young to enlist as a soldier, you could join the army as a drummer boy. Some were as young as 12. Read more
History teachers are probably aware that we have a rare WWI movie now showing in theaters across the country. It has been heavily promoted and recently won the Golden Globe for Best Drama. It certainly will get Academy Awards recognition. Should you go see it and should you encourage your Read more
Battle of Antietam – Interesting Facts Most history books use the Northern names for the battles because the victors write the history books. Many Civil War battles had a Northern name and a Southern name. Northerners tended to name battlefields after natural landmarks like rivers because they were memorable for Read more
Once upon a time, there was a small kingdom in Asia Minor called Gordium. It was ruled by a wise king, but when he died he had no son to replace him. The people were without a leader so they went to the chief priest for his advice. The priest Read more
Sometimes luck changes history. In Sept., 1862, coming off a big victory at the Second Battle of Bull Run, Gen. Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia invaded the North for the first time. He hoped to win a victory that would convince England and France to recognize Read more
The teenage Alexander once accompanied his father Philip on a horse-buying expedition. There was one magnificent stallion that Philip was interested in, but none of his expert horsemen could stay on the horse. Each was bucked off as soon as he got in the saddle. Alexander was watching all this Read more
Bummers were soldiers in Sherman’s army during its March to the Sea and march through South Carolina. The term most likely originated with the German word “bummler” which meant an idler or scoundrel. Sherman’s soldiers adopted it as a means of intimidation. The purpose for Sherman’s March was, according to Read more
Roman emperor Caligula had a low opinion of the Roman public. He sometimes would show the finger (that’s right, people were flipping the bird in ancient times) to people at banquets. At the chariot races once, when he heard the crowd cheering for a chariot team that he did not Read more
In December, 1776 the Continental Army was coming off a series of bad defeats. It had lost New York City and retreated across New Jersey to seek refuge in Pennsylvania. The army barely got across the Delaware River with the British in hot pursuit. Then both armies settled down for Read more