Revolutionary War Forts: New York by Michael Garlock

Casemate's "Revolutionary Forts: New York" is an illustrated history and travel guidebook. It features 23 forts, spread along Long Island, the Hudson, Delaware, and Mohawk Rivers and Lake Champlain. Some are famous and well preserved, like Fort Ticonderoga, others are obscure and have disappeared without a trace, like Fort Defiance. After the title page featuring a modern photograph of French Castle at Fort Niagara, this oversized work commences with a timeline running from the building of the first Fort Amsterdam in 1625 and continuing to the British cession of the six Northwest Territory and two upstate New York forts to the United States in 1796. Between those dates it fixes the actions at New York forts in the context of the greater war. The easy-to-read map is a valuable aid to follow while progressing through the book. After an introduction to the evolution of forts and their nature during the Revolutionary era, the narrative for each fort is presented, all concluding with a…

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George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved The American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger

War History Network members often look for the story behind the headlines and "George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution" takes the reader behind the shades into the world of espionage. The heart of the story is the Culper Ring that gathered information from their British customers and acquaintances in New York that was surreptitiously transmitted to General Washington as he sought to recapture the city. So secret was their identity, even to Washington, only documents surfacing in the twentieth century lifted their cover. Robert Townsend, the reserved Quaker merchant and reporter headed the ring. Tavern keeper Austin Roe risked his employment and life to protect the mission. Caleb Brewster ferried messages between New York and Connecticut. Abraham Woodhull used his business and family to justify travel to Manhattan. Printer and coffeehouse proprietor James Riverton relayed copies of printing jobs and military gossip to the American Commander. Then…

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King John: Treachery and Tyranny in Medieval England; Road to Magna Carta by Marc Morris

I opened King John expecting to add to what I knew from old movies, that he was a disgruntled usurper who had to face his brother, Richard the Lionhearted, when Richard returned from captivity after leading a Crusade, who was eventually forced to sign the Magna Carta by rebellious nobles.  I discovered this and much more.  In Marc Morris has woven a biography of a Medieval warrior king, into an account of warfare in the England and France of his day.  John was one of the kings “who never should have been king.”  Born in 1166, the fourth son of Henry II, he appeared to be destined for a minor post until the deaths of his older brothers moved him up the line of succession.    Succeeding his brother, King Richard I, in 1199, John embarked in a disastrous reign until his death in 1216.  John presided over years of seemingly interminable dynastic and international warfare.   For the Plantagenets, the dynasty of which Richard and John were monarchs, war was seemingly a fact of life. To set…

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Book review: Warfare in the Age of Crusades: Europe by Brian Todd Carey

Brian Todd Carey's Warfare in the Age of Crusades: Europe is a must-read for historians and Medieval Studies scholars seeking to deepen their understanding of the complex military landscape during the crusading period in Europe. This meticulously researched work adds a much-needed contribution to the literature by exploring the key campaigns, battles, and sieges that shaped this era, with a keen focus on the evolution of military technologies, tactics, and strategies. Carey's narrative is comprehensive, covering a wide range of geographical and political contexts. He delves into the Iberian crusades or Reconquista, which spanned from the eleventh century to the final surrender of the Emirate of Granada in 1492. The book also sheds light on the often-overlooked northern or Baltic crusades, detailing the involvement of the Holy Roman emperors, the popes, and the military capabilities of the Baltic peoples, as well as the roles played by the Scandinavians, Russians, and Mongols. One of…

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The Dawn of Guerrilla Warfare by Benjamin J. Swenson

The Dawn of Guerrilla Warfare: Why the Tactics of Insurgents against Napoleon Failed in the US Mexican War is a thoroughly researched tome that deftly explores the transformation of military strategy through the lens of two pivotal conflicts separated by mere decades. Benjamin J. Swenson anchors his analysis in the broader context of the Atlantic World and its evolving concepts of warfare, providing readers with an expansive view of military innovations and their historical consequences. Swenson begins by transporting us to 19th century Europe, where the Spanish insurgency’s novel use of guerrilla tactics played a critical role in debilitating Napoleon’s forces. These strategies challenged the conventional wisdom of the era's warfare and underscored the importance of asymmetric tactics. The book compellingly argues that this shift not only undermined one empire but also, more vitally, sowed the seeds for the strategy and conduct of future military campaigns. Transitioning to the North…

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Generals and Admirals of the Third Reich for Country or Fuehrer: Volume 1: A–G

Generals and Admirals of the Third Reich For Country or Fuehrer: Volume 1: A–G is a work of exceptional scholarship that stands as a testament to the exhaustive nature of historical research. Authored with academic rigor, this volume — the first in a triumvirate of works — sets out to provide an unprecedented biographic lexicon of the German military elite during the period of the Third Reich. The Introduction of the book is expertly crafted, seamlessly drawing readers into the complex and nuanced world of the Third Reich's military leadership. It provides a clear and compelling framework for the chapters that follow, setting the stage for an in-depth exploration of the subjects' lives and legacies. With precision and authority, the author articulates the historical context and the intricate challenges faced by these military figures, both on the battlefield and in their allegiance to the Fuehrer. This thoughtful groundwork enriches the reader's understanding and piques curiosity…

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Tohopeka: Rethinking the Creek War and the War of 1812, Edited by Kathryn E. Holland Braund

“Tohopeka; Rethinking the Creek War and the War of 1812” consists of twelve essays by multiple authors chronicling the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the defeat of the Creek Indians that opened the Southeast to white settlement.  Topics include casualties and consequences from the Creek viewpoint and the description of the Red Sticks, the Creek warriors so named, probably because of the weapons they carried.  Like many Indian wars, the sides were not as clearly distinct as would be expected today. What started as a Creek Civil war over accommodation or resistance to white settlement saw Cherokee, the Creeks’ sometime ally, sometime enemy, fighting with the Americans.  A massacre of Americans at Fort Mims generated a cry for retribution that was answered by militia under the Command of General Andrew Jackson.  Jackson’s victory set dispersal of Indians to Florida and along the Trail of Tears in motion.  Later chapters of this book address Americans’ Unrelenting War on the Indians of the…

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American Midnight: The Great War, A Violent Peace and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis

The story of any war is broader than its tales of the battlefield.  “American Midnight” is the saga of an era, during and in the wake of the World War I in which popular sentiment and law focused on any deemed disloyal, un-American or different.  It was a time in which labor unrest and war combined to incite a perfect storm that swept away traditional American rights.  Underlying tensions were brought to the surface was American involvement in the World War I.  Led by a president, Woodrow Wilson, who saw dissent as treason, Americans united to purge disloyalty from the nation.  Guilt was established by association.  Membership in the Industrial Workers of the World, the “Wobblies” was sufficient to draw investigation, prosecution and imprisonment.  German names established disloyalty and subjected their holders to vigilante violence.  Unwillingness to purchase Liberty Bonds merited social ostracization and worse. In St. Louis, their purchase was offered as satisfaction for speeding…

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Asleep in the Deep; Nursing Sister Anna Stamers and the First World War By Dianne Kelly

Asleep in the Deep is the story of the Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC), loosely told through the experience of Nursing Sister Anna Stamers of St. John, New Brunswick.  As Stamers left neither diary nor first person narratives, author Dianne Kelly was forced to rely on newspaper articles, military records or writings of others from which Stamers’ location and actions could be determined or inferred.  Two years after graduation from Saint John School of Nursing, Stamers was one of 50 CAMC nurses to sail from Montreal on June 4, 1915, arriving at Plymouth on June 13 after an uneventful crossing.   Beginning on July 2, 1915, Anna spent her first eight months at Moore Barracks near Folkestone, Kent;.  As more Canadian troops entered the lines in France, CAMC established two Canadian Casualty Clearing Stations (CCCS), Canadian Stationary Hospital (CSH) No. 1 and Canadian General Hospital (CGH) in France.  Anna was one of nine Canadian nursing sisters to arrive at CGH near Etaples, France…

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The Pirates’ Code: Laws and Life Aboard Ship by Rebecca Simon

During the Golden Age of Piracy, Pirates sailed into and out of the fog of war.  Though not fighting for prizes rather than God, King and country, they can be classified as irregular warriors.  Shifting between status of outlaw pirates and authorized privateers, the preyed on enemy shifting, or just shipping of weakened powers, for personal profit of course, aiding their national sponsors only incidentally.  Though not through the pirates’ choice, their suppression was often the task of national naval forces.  An instance of fluidity between privateers, who preyed on enemy shipping under cover of Letters of Marque issued by a belligerent, and pirates was associated with the War of Spanish Succession of the late Seventeenth Century.  The outbreak of war over the heir to the throne of Spain, led to an offer of a pardon to any pirate willing to fight for the Grand Alliance (England, Holland, Prussia and Austria).  Hundreds of pirates and thousands of sailors jumped at the chance,…

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