Descriptions Of Battles Research Articles

Love and politics in wartime: letters to my wife, 1943-45

An intelligent and politically engaged man who was approaching forty, Ben Alper tried for nearly two years to join actively in the war against fascism. Finally, in September 1943, he was accepted by the army, assigned to the military police, and shipped out to serve in Northern Africa and Italy. Thus began a daily stream of letters to Ethel, his wife. Selected from among the eight hundred letters written during his two-year assignment, this collection reveals much about the impact of large political movements on everyday life and about the ways in which two people sustain their love throughout a long absence and over a great distance. Before the war, Ben and Ethel shared an involvement in politics. Both were committed to a vision of society that included economic justice; in the United States their idealism found focus in the New Deal and the labor movement, and internationally in antifascist struggles in Europe. They watched the triumphs of Mussolini and Hitler with horror, and they supported the Allied resistance to them after the outbreak of war in 1939. Ben's decision to enlist was based on an overwhelming desire to be part of the action he so strongly supported. Ben Alper's assignment was largely managerial, so his letters contain few of the descriptions of battles and death that we associate with wartime accounts. What they tell about are the effects of war on ordinary people; young soldiers, villagers, children; about the political attitudes and practices of British and American military commanders and soldiers, Italian workers and business leaders, Yugoslav officials and partisans; and about the values and vision of Alper himself. For Ethel, a professional artist, Ben craftedletters to evoke an emotional as well as visual response. One sees in brilliant color and detail some of the scenes he describes. Unlike a diary, these letters were addressed to a specific person and served both to create and sustain a relationship with her. These are intimate love

Casualty Figures in the Battle Descriptions of Thucydides

Casualty Figures in the Battle Descriptions of Thucydides

To Bind Up the Wounds: Catholic Sister Nurses in the US Civil War

To Bind Up the Wounds is a comprehensive, historical account of the important role of Catholic sister nurses in the Civil War and their contributions to the development of the American nursing profession. Civil War texts devoted to detailed descriptions of major battles and military strategies pay little attention to the roles of women and nurses in the war. Maher's book provides supportive evidence that Catholic sisters played a major role in caring for the wounded soldier and provided organization and structure to the provision of health care in mid-19th-century America. The first several chapters discuss the beginnings of communities of sisters in the United States. Sister communities evolved from their European counterparts and were similar in maintaining their commitment to vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience; dedicating their lives to service to others; and living in a community of like-minded women. Most Americans viewed such groups with skepticism and

The Left in the Detroit Labour Movement

The role of communists in the history of the North American Labor movement has always been controversial. In recent years some balance has been restored to that history by the growing body of work by and about Communists who were middle-level leaders in the CIO unions and a few studies that deal more broadly with their activities. Balanced, of course, does not mean less controversial. It simply means that more information and more points of view are being made available. Christopher Johnson's biography of Maurice Sugar is a solid piece of work that fills a major gap in the history of the United Automobile Workers (UAW). Sugar grew up in northern Michigan and studied law at the University of Michigan before World War I. At the university he joined the socialist movement, becoming essentially a Debsian socialist. He served time in prison for his opposition to the war (failure to register for the draft). After the war, with the rightward movement of the Socialist Party, he the Party and generally gravitated toward the Communists, although Johnson makes a convincing case that he never joined the CP and was organizationally independent. He was, from the start, a lawyer for the labour movement and remained that for most of the rest of his life. He gained a substantial reputation among Detroit unions for his abilities and his fairness. He was able to take advantage of whatever technicalities the law allowed but he was not simply a technician. His loyalty to the labour movement was widely respected. In the 1930s he became chief counsel for the UAW and remained in that post until fired by Walter Reuther on his accession to power. He was associated with the Addes-CP caucus and was a major advisor to what was then called the left wing in the union. Johnson's description of Sugar's union activities and legal battles make fascinating reading. There are, however, certain limitations to Johnson's book. The

Vittorio Alfieri: The Artist in His Creation

This study aims at discussing the tragic nature of Vittorio Alfieri as evidenced by his work, particularly his Vita (an autobiographical work that has often been defined as his own personal tragedy), Saul (which is considered by most critics as one of the finest tragedies ever written by Alfieri), and the Oresteian tragedies namely, Agamemnon and Orestes (which he derived from the classical works of Aeschylus and Seneca). In the first part we have presented Alfieri's tragic nature and discussed how it is reflected in his own literary corpus. An attempt was also made to demonstrate how the main characters of the tragedies most often reflect a complexity that tends to show great affinity to the author's personality. Alfieri's introspective analysis of his own personal nature is strongly reflected in the main characters of some of his best tragedies. In the second part we have traced the importance of the Oresteian tragedies in Alfieri's literary corpus and shown how these support and strengthen the above observations. Vittorio Alfieri appears as a truly colossal figure in the Italian literature of the eighteenth century, especially when compared to other Italian writers of that same period, as for example,Metastasio, Gaspare and Carlo Gozzi, or Baretti, with the sole possible exceptions of Giuseppe Parini and Carlo Goldoni. In fact, not since the days of the Renaissance, particularly those of Machiavelli or Torquato Tasso, had Italy been favored with the presence of such a great literary figure as Alfieri's. Indeed, we would have to return to Tasso in order to find a writer whose unique and fiery temperament and greater poetic expression is most akin to Alfieri's. One can note that in these two writers, their aspirations and personal experiences come in closest harmony to their own artistic inspiration and literary expression. It is primarily for this reason that one feels justified in comparing Tasso's works to Alfieri's. It thus becomes clear that, just as the love for the description of battles and jousts, the intrigues of the majestic, the fantastic and the supernatural elements which could have become material for the narration of clamorous actions, moved and inspired Tasso to create his poetic masterpiece, The Jerusalem Delivered, the same can, and will be shown to be true for Alfieri as well. For Alfieri, it was his love of freedom and his heartfelt hatred of

Vittorio Alfieri: the Artist in His Creation

Vittorio Alfieri: the Artist in His Creation Erasmo G. Gerato The Florida State University This study aims at discussing the tragic nature of Vittorio Alfieri as evidenced by his work, particularly his Vita (an autobiographical work that has often been defined as his own personal tragedy), Saul (which is considered by most critics as one of the finest tragedies ever written by Alfieri), and the Oresteian tragedies namely, Agamemnon and Orestes (which he derived from the classical works of Aeschylus and Seneca). In the first part we have presented Alfieri's tragic nature and discussed how it is reflected in his own literary corpus. An attempt was also made to demonstrate how the main characters of the tragedies most often reflect a complexity that tends to show great affinity to the author's personality. Alfieri's introspective analysis of his own personal nature is strongly reflected in the main characters of some of his best tragedies . In the second part we have traced the importance of the Oresteian tragedies in Alfieri's literary corpus and shown how these support and strengthen the above observations. Vittorio Alfieri appears as a truly colossal figure in the Italian literature of the eighteenth century, especially when compared to other Italian writers of that same period, as for example.Metastasio, Gaspare and Carlo Gozzi, or Baretti, with the sole possible exceptions of Giuseppe Parini and Carlo Goldoni. In fact, not since the days of the Renaissance, particularly those of Machiavelli or Torquato Tasso, had Italy been favored with the presence of such a great literary figure as Alfieri's. Indeed, we would have to return to Tasso in order to find a writer whose unique and fiery temperament and greater poetic expression is most akin to Alfieri's. One can note that in these two writers, their aspirations and personal experiences come in closest harmony to their own artistic inspiration and literary expression. It is primarily for this reason that one feels justified in comparing Tasso's works to Alfieri's. It thus becomes clear that, just as the love for the description of battles and jousts, the intrigues of the majestic, the fantastic and the supernatural elements which could have become material for the narration of clamorous actions, moved and inspired Tasso to create his poetic masterpiece, The Jerusalem Delivered, the same can, and will be shown to be true for Alfieri as well. For Alfieri, it was his love offreedom and his heartfelt hatred of 92ROCKY MOUNTAIN REVIEW tyranny and all of those tyrants who were forcing whole nations to live in a state of semibarbarism and slavery, which prompted him to dedicate himself to the classic tragic style of writing, the style that showed itself to be most akin to his personality. In his exhaustive and acclaimed essay on Alfieri, Bruno Maier states that many of Alfieri's personal characteristics are to be attributed primarily to his aristocratic background and upbringing. Indeed, when one speaks of personal characteristics, the intrinsic qualities present within each individual render a study relatively more complex. Maier states that if Alfieri's nature took an ever more tragic personal tendency, this also was directly related to his environment: "è senza dubbio da collegare alla sua origine aristocr ática quella natura altera, orgogliosa, ribelle, che indusse l'Alfieri ad appartarsi sdegnosamente, il più possibile, dalla società del suo tempo ed a vivere in un clima di fiera solitudine, con la donna amata e con pochissimi amici devoti, tutto intento alla sua attività o, piuttosto , alla sua 'missione' letteraria."1 If we read the Vita, the true nature of its author as well as the interrelationship between the work and its writer becomes evident . His solitary, ill-tempered, arrogant, proud and fiery personal characteristics help us to understand why Alfieri chose the classic tragic style of writing as his foremost form of poetic expresión. Alfieri was convinced that man is nothing but a mere continuation and reflection of his childhood, and that his personality remains intrinsically what it manifested itself to be as a child. On this, Alfieri states that,'T uomo è una continuazione del bambino."2 We feel that the above seemingly simple generalization is a key factor...

The Face of Battle

The Face of Battle is military history from the battlefield: a look at the direct experience of individuals at the point of maximum danger. Without the myth-making elements of rhetoric and xenophobia, and breaking away from the stylized format of battle descriptions, John Keegan has written what is probably the definitive model for military historians. And in his scrupulous reassessment of three battles representative of three different time periods, he manages to convey what the experience of combat meant for the participants. Whether they were facing the arrow cloud of Agincourt, the musket balls at Waterloo, or the steel rain of the Somme.

Frontier Regulars: The United States Army and the Indian, 1866-1891.

An excellent piece of scholarship and writing. Lucid, balanced, comprehensive, interpretative, and thoroughly documented, it is a scholar's dream and a layman's delight.--Library Journal In Frontier Regulars Robert M. Utley combines scholarship and drama to produce an impressive history of final, massive drive by Regular Army to subdue and control American Indians and open West during twenty-five years following Civil War. Here are incisive accounts of campaign directed by Major General Wil-liam Tecumseh Sherman--from first skirmishes with Sioux over Bozeman Trail defenses in 1866 to final defeat and subjugation of Northern Plains Indians in 1890. Utley's brilliant descriptions of military ma-neuvers and flaming battles are juxtaposed with a careful analysis of Sherman's army: its mode of operation, equipment, and recruitment; its lifestyle and relations with Congress and civilians. Proud of United States Army and often sympathetic toward Indians, Utley presents a balanced overview of long struggle. He concludes that frontier army was not the heroic vanguard of civilization as sometimes claimed and still less the barbaric band of butchers depicted in humanitarian literature of nineteenth century and atonement literature of twentieth. Rather, it was a group of ordinary (and sometimes extraordinary) men doing best they could. Other Bison Books by Robert Utley are Billy Kid: A Short and Violent life, Custer and Great Controversy: The Origin and Development of a Legend, and Frontiersmen in Blue: The United States Army and Indian, 1848-1865.

Typical Battle Scenes in the Ilaid: Studies in the Narrative Techniques of Homeric Battle Description

Typical Battle Scenes in the Ilaid: Studies in the Narrative Techniques of Homeric Battle Description

Typical Battle Scenes in the Iliad: Studies in the Narrative Techniques of Homeric Battle Description

Typical Battle Scenes in the Iliad: Studies in the Narrative Techniques of Homeric Battle Description

The First Volunteers: History of the First Minnesota Volunteer Regiment, 1861-1865 (review)

98CIVILWAR HISTORY It is of note that when, in 1961, Frederick Fennell gave us that authentic reproduction of Civil War music, "The Civil War: Its Music and Its Sounds," the Confederate pieces he used were selected from the music books of the 26th North Carolina Band. Kenneth A. Bernard Boston University The First Volunteers: History of the First Minnesota Volunteer Regiment , 1861-1865. By John Quinn Imholte. (Minneapolis: Ross and Haines, Inc., 1963. Pp. v, 238. $6.75.) This slim volume tells the story of one of the famous regiments of the Army of the Potomac, the 1st Minnesota. Attached to the Second Corps during most of its history, this regiment saw much action and suffered many casualties, especially in the climactic engagement at Gettysburg. It was here that the 1st Minnesota gained undying fame for its celebrated charge, late on the second day of the battle, against a vastly superior Confederate force, thereby giving Winfield S. Hancock, commanding the Second Corps, time to bring up reinforcements. But this book is more than the battle account of a regiment. The author has gone into the background of the establishment of the regiment as well as into the political story surrounding the appointment, election, and promotion of officers. In fact the nonmilitary side of the regiment's history receives more extended treatment than does the account of its battle record. This tends to slow the pace considerably, and those who are not interested in the history of Minnesota politics in the early years of the Civil War will find this part of the book somewhat tedious. The battles in which the 1st Minnesota had a really active part were First Bull Run, Fair Oaks, the Seven Days, Antietam, and Gettysburg; yet the action of a single regiment is not of sufficient significance to warrant extended comment. Thus it was with the 1st Minnesota except for its role at Gettysburg. Here the author has attempted, with apparent success, to arrive at the truth concerning the famous charge on the second day. Apparently it was not all that has been claimed for it, but it was a heroic feat nonetheless. Following Gettysburg, this sadly depleted regiment was sent to New York City to help restore order at the time of the Draft Riots. Its remaining service, until disbandment early in 1864, was uneventful. Unlike the regimental histories written by a generation of active participants, this account of the history of the 1st Minnesota is a restrained , scholarly work. The author has, it seems, consulted all available records and has presented his material without passion or prejudice, but also without color. There is a minimum of error, so far as one who is not intimately acquainted with the history of Minnesota politics can tell. One small error is the author's statement that the 6th Massachusetts had been fired on in Baltimore the week before the 1st Minnesota passed through BOOK REVIEWS99 that city on June 26, 1861. The 6th Massachusetts made its memorable trip through Baltimore on April 19. The First Volunteers should appeal especially to Minnesotans, but it also will find acceptance from the serious student of the Civil War who demands reliability and thoroughness rather than vivid battle descriptions and treatises on strategy and tactics. The book is equipped with notes, bibliography, maps, and an index as well as a complete roster of the regiment. John A. Carpenter Washington and Jefferson College Inside Lincoln's Army: The Diary of Marsena Rudolph Patrick, Provost Marshal General, Army of the Potomac. Edited by David S. Sparks. (New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1964. Pp. 536. $10.00.) Articles of War approved by King Charles I contained a phrase with which all veterans of every war will agree. "The Provost," it was stated, "... is but one man and must correct many and therefore he cannot be loved." Unloved, provosts can also be ignored; few students of our military institutions and of our civü-rnilitary relations have troubled to dip deeply into the large accumulations of provost marshal records which exist for several American wars. Adequate justification exists for bypassing provosts as sources—usually. Their duties almost never bring provosts close enough to the bestarred galaxy of...

Gettysburg Farmer

Robert K. Murray and Warren W. Hassler, Jr. are both on the staff of the History Department at Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Murray is author of "The Red Scare" (1955); Dr. Hassler wrote "General George B. McCleuan, Shield of the Union," published by the Louisiana University Press in 1957. Gettysburg Farmer ROBERT K. MURRAY WARREN W. HASSLER, JR. INTRODUCTION Vast indeed is the expanding Uterature on the American Civil War. So massive in fact has it become that only a specialist in the field can be expected to know much of it intimately. Of aU of this material, none has more universal appeal than descriptions of camp Ufe and battles and of the soldier's intimate thoughts and feelings. Certainly the most revealing of such accounts is found in Civil War letters, preserved with loving care—or with indifference—by descendants from Bar Harbor to Biloxi. Only when a soldier was writing to his loved ones at home was he likely to pour out his heart without restraint or false coloring. The letters which serve as the basis for the article below came into the possession of the authors from a university student who found them while cleaning the attic of his home in Gettysburg. Written by the student's great-grandfather to his wife, these letters, numbering about 150 and covering the years 1861-1864, record the daily life, tribulations, and fears of a typical Union soldier. Because these letters were written by a farmer from Gettysburg, instead of by one of the 150,000 (more or less) men in blue and gray who came to Gettysburg to fight in July of 1863, imparts to them a uniqueness in 179 180MURRAY AND HASSLER, JR. Civil War records. Few of the Northern troops engaged in the battle of Gettysburg were fighting simultaneously to defend the Union and their own home town. Moreover, more than most, these letters reflect the passing moods and struggles of the average soldier in the ranks during the Civil War. The reader wiU quickly discover that the emotions, reactions, and complaints of this Union soldier vary Utile from those of the soldiers in any war—the Spanish-American, the First World War—or in fact from those of the GI who fought in World War II and in Korea. Indeed, many of the letters might have been those of any soldier in any army at any time or place in history. Michael Murray MiUer was scarcely twenty years old when roaring guns at Fort Sumter broke the morning calm of April 12, 1861. Like most Pennsylvanians, this small Gettysburg farmer met the news with a sense of indignation and foreboding. A foUower of the local press and an interested observer of national affairs, MiUer was prepared from the beginning to take his stand with the Union. He had little use for those who were wiUing to let the South "depart in peace," and, although strongly antislavery in sentiment, he followed the general Pennsylvania pattern in basing his decision largely on the preservation of the Union. President Lincoln's first call for volunteers on April 13, 1861, found MiUer in a quandry. Much as he wanted to fight, he had a wife and child who also had claims on his loyalty. Besides, he had a farm to work, which, if he left, would be unattended. Prudence seemed to indicate that he wait. Yet in late May, as war fervor continued to mount and the interrelated thoughts of adventure, excitement, patriotism, and principle played on his mind, Müler enlisted as a three-year volunteer and was caUed to duty in early June with Company K, First Regiment, Pennsylvania Reserve Corps.1 During the war the Pennsylvania Reserves etched their name high on the Union's roll of honor. Of aU the distinguished units serving with the Army of the Potomac, none achieved a more immediate or lasting reputation for meritorious service than did this famous group. A number of the great names associated with the Union Army came from the Pennsylvania Reserves—men such as George G. Meade, John F. Reynolds, George A. McCaU, and Abner Doubleday. EspeciaUy prominent was the role played by the P.R...

On the Meaning of BaΔhn and ΔpomΩi in Greek Historians of the Fifth Century

Since the English author, who has written in the greatest detail and with most acceptance on Greek warfare in the fifth century, has now declared definitely that δρÓμψ cannot mean ‘at the run,’but should be translated both in Thucydides and Herodotus ‘at the quick step’in contrast to βúδην‘at the slow step,’ it may be worth while to re-examine the evidence, and to give some reasons for maintaining the translation ‘at the double’ at least in the descriptions of battles given us by Thucydides, Xenophon, and Herodotus.

Description of Battles

Description of Battles