Browsing: Society

A Brief History On July 3, 1863, the Army of the Potomac fought a defensive battle against the Army of Northern Virginia at the Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg.  On the last day of battle, Confederate Major General George Pickett was one of three Confederate generals to lead the final assault on Union lines, lending his name to the battle, a battle that has become synonymous with futility.  Here we list 5 of the most valiant, and yet most futile fatal attacks in military history, with no significance to the order listed. Digging Deeper 1. Pickett’s Charge, 1863. When Confederate Commander General…

A Brief History On July 1, 1916, the five month Battle of the Somme began with horrific results for the British Army, leaving 19,240 men dead on the battlefield and another 36,230 wounded on only the first day!  Known in Britain as The Battle of Albert (July 1 through July 13, 1916), the start to the Battle of the Somme was a portent of the slaughter to come. Digging Deeper With “only” 7000 total casualties the French do not remember this day as particularly noteworthy, lost in World War I, a war of many horrific days.  Nor do the Germans…

A Brief History This article presents a timeline of American history through the Civil War.  Please click on any of the dates to learn more about that date’s events. Digging Deeper I. Background and Colonial Development – 1500-1763 On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus, the Italian adventurer sailing into the unknown in the name of the Spanish Crown, landed in the Bahamas, the landing that became known as the “discovery” of America (or, “The New World” if you prefer). On March 15, 1493, Christopher Columbus made his triumphant return from his first voyage to the New World, a momentous occasion in human history…

A Brief History On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), was shot to death by a mob with blackened faces in a Carthage, Illinois jail while awaiting trial for treason. Digging Deeper Smith, who founded the Mormon Church on the basis of the Book of Mormon that had (he claimed) been given to him by the angel Moroni in the form of engraved metal plates in 1823, and interpreted by Smith and written down in 1828.  In between being “given” the plates (which he promised to, but never showed anyone) and…

A Brief History On June 26, 1794, the army of the First Republic of France (the result of the French Revolution) made the first use of balloons in combat at the Battle of Fleurus against the forces of the First Coalition. Digging Deeper The French army under Jean-Baptiste Jourdan had seized upon the new technology pioneered by the French Montgolfier Brothers to create an observation/reconnaissance balloon that could give military commanders and observers much greater fields of view of battlefields and their approaches, a distinct advantage in battle. Originally, the Montgolfier Balloons were of the hot air variety, but French…