Historian on the Warpath

Historical Precedence for Osama bin Laden’s Burial at Sea

Scott Manning — Mon, 14 May 2012 03:08:49 +0000

Last week, the U.S. commemorated the death of Osama bin Laden. Few have seen the body of bin Laden, as the U.S. opted to give him a watery grave in the Arabian Sea. Tossing the remains of a fallen enemy into water is not without historical precedence and the groups of people who have practiced [...]

Book Review: New Jersey Butterfly Boys in the Civil War

Scott Manning — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:21:52 +0000

In New Jersey Butterfly Boys, Peter T. Lubrecht tells the story of the Third New Jersey Cavalry, a regiment that saw action during the latter half of the Civil War. The unit is an intriguing one that featured an ethnic mix of predominately German and Irish immigrants, as well as soldiers from more than a [...]

Scott and Two Indians Walk Into Valley Forge . . .

Scott Manning — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:26:41 +0000

Stop me if you have heard this one. A few years ago, some coworkers from India–Rohit and Anand–visited for several months for training. It was their first time to the States and they were anxious to see some of the local attractions. Someone graciously loaned them a guidebook on Philadelphia, but other than that, they [...]

Is there a better description of Northern Virginia at the turn of 1862?

Scott Manning — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:39:20 +0000

I have been working my way through Shelby Foote’s enthralling three-volume Civil War narrative. His skill of storytelling is only enhanced when I imagine his deep, southern voice reading to me. At times, I will read portions or entire chapters aloud for my wife, who also enjoys Foote’s style. I keep coming back to one [...]

Movie Review: War Horse

Scott Manning — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 22:43:31 +0000

Steven Spielberg’s War Horse is a different type of war movie that focuses on animals instead of people. The following are some thoughts with no plot spoilers. The most important aspect is the main character–the horse. Although there are people in the movie, the horse gets the most screen time. The movie works hard to [...]

A Closer Look at Churchill’s Battle of the Bulge Quote

Scott Manning — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:23:03 +0000

The Battle of the Bulge Monument at the Valley Forge Military Academy and College prominently displays a quote from Winston Churchill (1874-1965), “This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war, and will, I believe be regarded as an ever famous American victory.” Although inspiring, this is not the full quote or the full [...]

Battle of the Bulge Monument at Valley Forge Military Academy

Scott Manning — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:04:51 +0000

For over a year now, I passed a sign for the Battle of the Bulge Monument on my way to work. I have yet to find anyone at work who visited it, but ironically, I never visited either. This past Friday, on the 67th anniversary of the start of the battle, I decided to check [...]

How was Joan of Arc so Skilled with Cannons?

Scott Manning — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:24:07 +0000

One of the most striking aspects of Joan of Arc (1412-1431) was that her primary weapon was the cannon. Not only that, but she was very skilled with it. There are several testimonies from those who fought with her about her ability to place and aim cannons, as well as predict the target of enemy [...]

What do 150 Confederate Cannons look like? We still don’t know

Scott Manning — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:04:37 +0000

There have been two major attempts at recreating the largest artillery barrage in the Western Hemisphere and both have been lacking. Earlier this year, the History Channel released a CGI-intensive special on Gettysburg. The previews were gritty and continuously dropped the names of the executive producers, Tony and Ridley Scott. With movies like Gladiator to [...]

Need to Plan a Battle? Why not RISK Pieces?

Scott Manning — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:21:51 +0000

A few months ago, I was toying with different methods to depict battles for people. I arranged RISK pieces on a map of Harpers Ferry to depict Stonewall’s capture of the city (1862). It was a laborious task and I determined that while it looked neat, the effort was not worth it. Yet, I am [...]