My name is Dr Michael Somerville and I am a military historian based in London, England. I have long been interested in the American Civil War, and am President of the American Civil War Round Table UK.
The American Civil War is often said to have predicted the way in which later wars such as the Boer War and the First World War would be fought. As a result, the British Army has been criticised for not heeding its lessons. My recently published book Bull Run to Boer War: How the American Civil War Changed the British Army challenges that long-held view, suggesting that it really derives from British criticism of the Army’s performance in the First World War. I believe that the responses to the lessons of the war in the British Army were more complex, better informed, and of higher quality, than normally depicted. Key to this new interpretation is that it takes a 19th century perspective rather than pre-supposing what the British should have seen based upon hindsight from the South African veldt or the Western Front trenches. There were substantial changes in technology, tactics, and strategy during the Victorian period, all influenced to some extent by study of the American Civil War.
I’m available today (27 June 2020) from 13.00 to 18.00 UTC to answer any questions you may have about how the American Civil War influenced military thought in Britain prior to the Boer War.
Details of my book can be found at https://www.casematepublishers.com/bull-run-to-boer-war.html#.Xvbw9ChKjMU
39 Answers 2020-06-27
Hello all! Thank you so much in advance for any help you can provide on this topic. I am trying to get some context on an image of a family member in WWI. Here is the image via Imgur:
The only background I have is that he was 21 years old when he enlisted (June, 1917). So this would have been taken that year, or the year after, I'm assuming. Can anyone tell me about the uniform? The "shin guards"? Any specifics you can identify? I have no idea where is is stationed in this image, but it would seem that he is abroad, judging by the tents and cots?
Any context on the image would be so appreciated! Thanks a lot.
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If so, how did they feel about this connection? Did they think of the wars they waged as payback against their former invaders?
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Though the biggest protests against the war didn't start until 1967, by 1966 people had already begun burning draft cards and two protestors had self-immolated. The protest song "For What It's Worth" also came out that same year, and has remained famous while Ballad of the Green Berets is relatively obscure.
Who was listening to this sort of song? If such a thing was popular in this instance, why weren't there more like it? What did fans of the song think when anti-war songs soon started to become popular? Was there any negative reception to the song from those who had already turned against the war? Is it possible it was only or mostly popular because of its musical qualities, independent of the content of its lyrics? Were people deliberately listening to it as a show of support for the war or did they just enjoy a song that happened to be military-themed?
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I'm currently writing a story set in the late victorian era, about 1895, and the story involves quite a bit of gunfire. I was wondering what, if any, hearing protection was in place at the time. Specifically looking for practices or earplug usage. I can't seem to find any solid information on the subject and I want to avoid the complete brushing off of gunfire on hearing as is common in pop culture. Anyone out there who can help?
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One of the persistent narratives of the Civil War is that families divided over which side to actively fight for. Was this actually a common occurrence or have just a few anecdotes captured the narrative? Volunteer foreign divisions seem to be a small but recurring theme in war, and foreign mercenaries still more so. It seems somewhat tied to having split loyalties, like get attributed to Gen. Lee in his decision to fight for the rebellion rather than the United States Army. Would it be common for such volunteers to later return to the place they called home, or would they more typically resettle with the folks they had fought for?
1 Answers 2020-06-27
Today I read about the discovery of Louis XIV's entrails in a barrel at Notre Dame. The article mentioned it was a tradition since Philippe le Bel to separate French kings' remains in three: body, heart, and entrails. Can one of you wonderful folks tell me why this was done?
1 Answers 2020-06-27
'Medieval' China is broad obviously, but the question is basically if any of the Chinese imperial governments ever dabbled with policies amounting to having claim over objects of historical worth or of interest to scholars, or if such things were of any interest at all depending on the regime.
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One example of conflicting answers exist in this same page: https://www.quora.com/Were-the-Pyramids-built-once-Sahara-had-become-a-desert-or-while-it-was-still-green
I know the Egyptians farmed in the flood plain that the Nile created, but was the surrounding area lush and green?
1 Answers 2020-06-27
Hello,
I have recently stumbled upon the "Pocket Guide to Germany" created by the US army for its soldiers about to enter and occupy Germany. I am since wondering if something similar was produced by the French army, but do not know where to search for it. Could someone maybe help me find out if there is one and if yes, where?
I speak a little French so could read it even without translation, however I am terrible at researching things in French.
Thank you very much!
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By the time the Battle of Königgrätz rolled around, the Dreyse needle gun had been around for years. However, it seems to have been one of the major contributors to the Prussian victory in that battle, and in the war overall.
Did the French not know about the gun’s capabilities for some reason, or did they know about it, but fail to accommodate for it in their strategy and tactics?
More generally, how well did European nations understand one another’s materiel capabilities, and strategic and tactical doctrine in the mid 1800s?
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Hi everybody, i have a weird question.I was watching movie Brave Heart and one scene made me question myself : Was it possible in Medieval Time safely take an arrow out of chest? And how hard it would have been? Are there any historical accounts of it?....So i started gogling but i found nothing except wounds nowadays.
PLEASE if you have any knowledge about it Share with me .
3 Answers 2020-06-26
From what I know, animal sacrifice was a common practice among a lot of different early religions, in a lot of regions of the world. It seems like a strange thing to develop independently in so many cultures. Why was it so common?
1 Answers 2020-06-26
Currently reading about the 1880 US election and they keep talking about vote buying. How did that literally work? They would stop people on the street and say hey here’s two dollars to vote for Hancock for president? What’s to stop someone from taking the money and not doing it?
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