Pompey vs. Ceaser

[bobman0330]

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If we're putting in requests, I'd love to see something more modern, even if it's the Civil War. Or battles most of us have heard of, but know nothing about (Battle of the Bulge? Outside of watching "Band of Brothers", I'm pretty clueless).

Or if you really want to stretch, give us a battle where the hugely out-numbered force won.

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Midway?

[flatline]

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If we're putting in requests, I'd love to see something more modern, even if it's the Civil War. Or battles most of us have heard of, but know nothing about (Battle of the Bulge? Outside of watching "Band of Brothers", I'm pretty clueless).

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Lame. Ancient battles are far more awesome. Just turn on the History Channel if you want to know about WW2.

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Or if you really want to stretch, give us a battle where the hugely out-numbered force won.

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If you haven't read about it, check out the Battle of Thermopylae.

[cambraceres]

I was referring to Sextus Pompeius yea. His army was destroyed before Pharsalus in Cisalpine Gaul I think, or maybe a little farther west.

I like your theory on Actium taking a backseat. I think though, that the admiral Marcus Agrippa was the deciding factor at Actium. Octavian couldn't have lasted even hours commanding that force, and after all, he was found hiding in the bushes by days end. Octavian even named his daughter after Agrippa, and in the end his blood would find it's way into Rome's Julio-Claudian dynasty.

ExSub, if you're contemplating putting off another exceedingly important task to entertain the increasingly demanding audience of 2+2, I suggest the Battle of Hurtgen forest. It was the worst of the worst for WWII. My mother's first husband was in a division that lost 80% of frontline troops. I heard someone request something recent, this is as moving as it gets without heading into remote antiquity.

Cam

[cambraceres]

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Or if you really want to stretch, give us a battle where the hugely out-numbered force won.

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He already did Gaugamela and Thermopylae, how outnumbered do they have to be?

[Wes Mantooth]

these threads are pure awesomeness

[Exsubmariner]

Actually, I do take requests. But, I'm not going to establish a cycle of quiet zone posting codependency, here. My writings are very much a matter of whim and what interests me on any given day. I do appreciate everyone's positive remarks and I'm happy to write. So far, I've only done about one or two of these battle posts a week and that's probably the pace I'm going to keep. Swede's request for something about the thirty years war got me reading yesterday, so that's probably next. It's about time someone talked about the Swede's contributions to western civilization.

In the Que:
Midway
Sinking Bismark
Battle of the Tin Can Sailors (Laytee Gulf?)
The Bulge
Cambraceres' Mom's first husband (This might be part of the Bulge? have to see)
Thermopylae (actually not done yet)
Siege of Tyre
Trafalgar

I've even considered writing about things like how to make a sword (samauri) and how to do things like cast a cannon or lay the keel of a ship. All of these activities were economics based and had a big impact on how history unfolded. It's not just about battles, but that's typically how things end up being decided.

As I've read history, first I fell in love with the idea it was about bloodlines. Then, I got the idea it was about fighting over God. Then, I started thinking it was about wealth. Then, I fell in love with idea that it was about control of economy. These days, I'm really in love with the notion that it is about ideas competeing with each other to achieve control of economy through different means. I am really starting to think there is a metahistory, if you will and it will ultimately achieve the best system for the human species to survive.

What would be really awesome is if I start reading history here that I haven't studied yet. I welcome any discussions you guys might have to offer. Lord knows, I'm far from an authority. I can always learn more.

[cambraceres]

I held to my simplistic views more tenaciously than you did, and still have a hard time defeating the tendency to use broad generalizations in an attempt to characterize a campaign or it's causes. All human conflict seems to stem form the morbidly alluring idea of controlling the productive faculty of man. No matter if one is speaking in terms of goods, services, or ideas, the "point" of all this commotion is to take what is distinctly human and direct it in accordance with the will of what powers may be. In some societies, men owned nothing, and only an artificial legal structure held any meaningful clout. In others, citizens own exclusive property, and cannot be legally deprived of this right.

Both these systems are pointed in the same direction, disparate, not unlike. Both serve to facilitate, and in some cases initiate, the classification, quantification, and regulation of the general product of the average citizen. The ancillary benefits for government are obscene, a productive and healthy society, one with both guns and butter, makes for well off officials ans wealthy politicans. I'm not saying that should change or anything mind you.

The point is, all war and political machinations are about you and I and what we do as a matter of course. Short of naked subversion, a government can stand to allow many things, so long as the populace can find their work boots, or thinking caps, or what have you.

Got to go back to work, stupid private sector!

Cam