Thermopylae was a natural choke point and had been the site of other battles like that of the 300 Spartans (Taylor 123). Antiochus’ army is formed of 14,500 men including 10,000 of his own infantry, 500 cavalry and, 4,000 of the Aetolian leagues’ and other allies (Taylor 124). The Roman army of 22,000 engaged the Seleucid one by initially driving Antiochus’ allies from the mountains bordering the pass (Appian, S.18). Then the Roman army properly attacked the phalanx but before long the fleeing…
climate events of the battle. He described his experiences in a lengthy letter to his brother and still to this day is the most descriptive and eloquent battle narratives ever written (NPS). The walk toward the Battle of Gettysburg started in June 1863. General Robert E. Lee’s soldiers crossed the Potomac River in Virginia and began to make their way toward the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania (The Gettysburg Foundation). This epic battle was three days long and resulted in a retreat to…
The Battle of Aegospotami occurred in 405 BC and was the battle that ended the Peloponnesian War. The Battle of the Arginusae Islands had happened a year before and had been a major Athenian victory. After the battle, six of the eight Athenian generals had been executed and the others had gone into exile. Conon, Adeimantus, and Philocles replaced them. The Spartans also required a new leader because their previous commander had been killed in the Battle of the Arginusae Islands. Lysander was a…
The Battle of Kursk was a German offensive against the Soviet Union. The Battle of Kursk was the largest tank battle in WW2 and caused a crisis in germany’s war machine in the Soviet Union. After the battle of Stalingrad, the soviet counter-attack had created a bulge in the Soviet’s frontline. In the center was the city of Kursk. The Nazi’s Created a plan called “Operation Cittadel” which would cut off the bulge from the rest of the Soviet army. Although the Nazi’s army was weak from the Battle…
The Battle of Midway revealed that the U.S Navy and more importantly their leader, Admiral Chester Nimitz, was capable of strategizing. After breaking Japan’s code, America had gathered enough information to figure out a game plan before Japan reached Midway. Admiral Nimitz’s plan was to fight and defend Midway, but to ultimately ruin Japan’s naval fleet and leave them with nothing. Compared to Admiral Yamamoto’s plan, Nimitz’s seemed very plain and simple. Instead of concentrating on such…
disgruntled and battle-weary soldiers. They almost all agree to…
and making it big, these stories encourage and excite us. Of course, the Battle of Thermopylae is no exception to our desire for seeing a group defy the odds and come out victorious. When 300 Spartan soldiers, along with men from other Ionian city states, gazed at the sea of Persian men amassed in front of them, no doubt they knew they would be crushed by the waves of the enemy. King Xerxes overlooked the site of the battle from his throne with complete confidence. How could 80,000 of his great…
Of all of the battles in the American Civil War, none other amounted to the sheer casualties in the one day that was the Battle of Antietam. With a slew of mistakes by both Generals, the terrain was disadvantageous to both sides, the Union didn’t take advantage of the surplus of troops, General Lee’s battle plans were spread, and many other battlefield errors, this was the bloodiest single day in American history. The topics that are going to be covered are: A overview of the battle in general;…
Battle Analysis: Battle of Stones River The purpose of this paper is to describe how the Confederate Army of Tennessee could have used Intelligence assets to minimize losses and achieve victory during the Battle of Stones River in Murfreesboro, Tennessee during the winter from December 3, 1862 to January 2, 1863. The Battle of Stones River was a significant turning point in the Civil War. It is the final battle of the Stones River Campaign of the Western Theater. The campaign includes four other…
In the Battle of Gettysburg, according to “The Killer Angels”, the southern generals made far too many mistakes that cost them the victory. In this battle, both sides made frequent mistakes, yet the South’s faults were far more fatal. These faults were the cause of the south’s loss of the battle, and the consequences that followed. The first disastrous mistake made by the South, was their faith in Jeb Stuart. Longstreet and the other generals in the Confederate army relied heavily on Stuart to…