Favorite battles in history.

Probably not. Since nearly 100% of Jackson's troops were equipped with rifles as opposed to smoothbores, and since the avenue of approach was narrow, the British had to learn again the lesson of Saratoga, King's Mountain and the Cowpens: rifles change the rules of tactics. A strong line held by good marksmen with rifles is very difficult to break. Later, Burnside, Lee, and for that matter, the generals of WW1 had to re-learn the lesson.

 

I should have made the point that, except for the all-rifle battle of Kings Mountain, the rifles at Saratoga and Cowpens were a minority, but oh, what an impact they had. Daniel Morgan's skillful employment of them at Saratoga and at the Cowpens was a portent of what was to come.

I may have exaggerated when I said that Jackson's hodgepodge, cobbled together force was nearly 100% equipped with rifles, but the percentage was significant. The Tennessee and Kentucky men, so scruffy looking that they were called "dirty shirts," were men adept at feeding themselves and their families with their rifles, and during the battle, they kept up a steady and deadly fire. Jackson, outnumbered at least 2 to 1 if not more, picked a narrow, defensible position, and the fire from that position was devastating and effective. Jackson's losses are variously reported from 5 to 13, while the British lost over 2,000 killed, wounded, or captured.

 

Oh, one more thing--the very center of the American line was held by 75 members of the United States Marine Corps.

Semper Fi.

 

A Christian should hate all wars and battles.

 

No one hates war more than the warrior; no one hates the sometimes necessity to confront and subdue an armed criminal more than the police. However, bearing the sword is God's ministry given to us.


Rom 13:4 "For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil."

 

I'd have to say that Thermopylae just makes you sit and say, "Wow."

 

You are quite correct. The artillery (much of it operated very effectively by pirates under Jean LaFitte) did contribute mightily, especially by counter-battery fire against Brit guns.

We need to expand Special Ops forces, even if we have to reduce the number of regular troops to pay for it. The Terror War is a knife fight, and we brought a bunch of high-tech master blaster weapons.

 

It would not be an overstatement to say that "The "300 Spartans" (which is the name of a really good movie about the battle) probably saved Western Civilization from extinction.

 

The Battle at Bloody Angle near Spotsylvania (Civil War), Virginia is one my friend and I were most "curious" about.

The couple of times I was at Bloody Angle, however, it just felt downright eerie to me. I can't explain how it felt, other than to say it was an eerie feeling being there. There was a quietness to the area that I don't believe I have ever felt anywhere else.

NomadsWife

 

Battle of Los Angeles, February 25, 1942

2,000 AA rounds fired.
6 Fatalities.
0 Bombs dropped.
0 Aircraft destroyed.

Target: A stationary object in the sky, believed at the time to be either a Japanese observation balloon gathering targets for naval guns... or a new Japanese aircraft.

After numerous direct hits, the object slowly flew off and vanished. It was the largest display of AA bursts above the continental US since... ever.