Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Thursday, January 26
    Trending
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on January 26th
    • History Short: Who is the Octomom?
    • This Day in History on January 25th
    • History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh
    • Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!
    • Headlines: 2023 Oscar Nominations Released!
    • This Day in History on January 24th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»June»June 1»10 Famous Military Quotations
    June 1

    10 Famous Military Quotations

    Major DanBy Major DanJune 1, 2016Updated:April 1, 20203 Comments5 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On June 1, 1813, the commander of the USS Chesapeake, James Lawrence, lay dying, and uttered the immortal words, “Don’t give up the ship!”  Inspiring words are not always enough, for the Chesapeake was captured in that battle and was re-rigged as the HMS Chesapeake.  We list 10 of the greatest military quotations, whether they achieved their intended result or not.  (We cannot claim they are the 10 greatest, because of course that is strictly a matter of opinion.)

    Digging Deeper

    10. James Lawrence, “Don’t give up the ship!”

    As described above, the last order by Capt. Lawrence did not quite work out, and the rest of the quote is “Fight her till she sinks!”  The Chesapeake was captured when she lost her wheel and steering sails which caused her to blunder into the HMS Shannon, which tied up to the Chesapeake and boarded her, taking the ship and crew captive.

    9.  George Washington, “One of the best ways to keep peace is to be prepared for war.”

    After a war the natural reaction is to disband the military and enjoy the economy of not maintaining large forces, which Washington warned is a path to the next war.  Still, apparently many folks were not listening because it seems the US regularly does just what Washington warned against.

    8.  Sir Arthur Harris, “They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind.”

    Air Marshall “Bomber” Harris paraphrased Hosea (from the Bible) to justify bombing Germany into flaming rubble during World War II.

    7.  Stanley Baldwin, “The bomber will always get through.”

    Speaking to British Parliament in 1932, Baldwin was talking about the futility of trying to defend against enemy bombers, and that ensuring your country bombs the enemy country into the stone age first is the only defense.  During World War II it was found that bombers could indeed be caused to suffer so many losses that they would not be able to continue and that other techniques must be used.

    6.  Robert E. Lee, “Duty then, is the sublimest word in the English language. You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more, you should never wish to do less.”

    This admonition by the great general forms the core of what it is to serve your country.  All positive things stem from living up to this quote.

    5.  David Farragut, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.” 

    During his assault on Mobile Bay in 1864 (Civil War), Farragut (our nation’s first Admiral) was faced with a profusion of mines (called torpedoes back then).  In response to a stopping of his ships, he gave the famous order, which actually was, “Damn the torpedoes! Four bells Captain Drayton, go ahead. Jouett, full speed!”  The “torpedoes” were no joke, as the USS Tecumseh (a clone of the ironclad USS Monitor) struck one and sank.

    4.  Julius Caesar, “Veni, vidi, vici.”

    In a 46 BC letter to the Roman Senate, Julius was saying, “I came, I saw, I conquered.”  This boast seems intended to put the Senate on notice that Julius Caesar is not someone to trifle with.

    3.  Napoleon Bonaparte, “An army marches on its stomach.” 

    Possibly the most profoundly true statement here, Napoleon was recognizing the absolute necessity of feeding an army in order to wage war effectively.  Feeding a huge mass of men is no small task and a wise commander will remember that.

    2.  John Paul Jones, “I have not yet begun to fight.” 

    Now would be a good time to start, John!  The so called “Father of the US Navy” was commanding the 42 gun Bonhomme Richard in 1779 when they engaged the 50 gun HMS Serapis.  Taunted by the British, Jones gave his famous reply.  The Bonhomme Richard ended up sinking, but not before the Serapis surrendered and the Americans won the day.

    1.  William T. Sherman, “War is hell.”

    Spoken in an 1879 speech to the Michigan Military Academy, Sherman was cautioning the graduating class against romanticizing war, for the reality of it, as fought by Sherman with his scorched earth/total war policy, was indeed Hell.  Interestingly, President Truman later said, “Sherman was wrong, I’m telling you I find peace is hell.”

    Question for students (and subscribers): Which ones would you add to the list?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Charlton, James.  The Military Quotation Book: More than 1,100 of the Best Quotations About War, Leadership, Courage, Victory, and Defeat.  Thomas Dunne Books, 2013.

    You can also watch a video version of this article on YouTube.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleMay 31, 1962: Adolf Eichmann Hanged in Israel
    Next Article June 1, 2001: Nepalese Prince Kills King, Queen, and 7 Others in Royal Rampage!
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023

    Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!

    January 24, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 26th

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: Who is the Octomom?

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 25th

    January 25, 2023

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.