This is a multifaceted question on a subject I just want a little more clarification on. I've often heard that in many campaigns or battles that, in a general sense, that "this road junction/crossroad is a vital importance". I've also noticed that the names of a handful of battles in the American Revolution and American Civil War end with either "courthouse". My questions are:

1. Did most of these "courthouse" named battles occur on major road junctions; hence the name? Were courthouses in colonial America usually built on major road intersections?
2. What prevented armies from moving off road and avoiding battles at road intersections? Is it becuase supply trains and their ability to maneuver only on roads on not rough terrain?
3. I don't have any examples for this, but what constitutes the holding of key terrain such as this? What prevents another force from threatening that position yet again? How did armies secure key roads or towns/courthouses to prevent another force from retaking it?

I can re-clarify if my question might seem too vague.

Do we know anything about their reasoning at all? It seems that at one point they have conquered pretty much entire Byzantine East. Were they actually convinced they'll be able to conquer the entire Empire? Would Byzantines concede defeat at that point, or were they unyielding?

Or Japan, for that matter?

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Edit: specifically in historic eastern Asia and Japan.

I'm doing some fictional writing, and I was wondering how mediaeval commanders might order the soldiers around. Any lexis they might have been used would be very useful. For e.g I'm already aware of nock, draw, loose.

In one scene particularly an army is retreating, then reinforcements arrive and begin attacking the enemy from a separate direction. What might the commander say to negate the retreat, get his men back into formation, and advance once more?

Like when they took southern britain in the 40s, how did Claudius (or who ever he delegated the task to) go about dividing up the province afterwards

Alsace is culturally, ethnically and linguistically distinct from the rest of France, and seems to have a strong sense of Germanic identity. Why couldn't it manage to become an independent country? Smaller areas that were nearby and neighboured France managed to become independent countries, e.g. Liechtenstein, Monaco and Luxembourg.

I remember back in my History classes being told that Capital Punishment in the UK was stopped because it was ineffectual. It didn't lower the crime rate, so they stopped using it.

Now that I am older I am more hesitant to believe this. What was the reason for the end of Capital Punishment?

I've pondered this question for a while. A lot of people insist that we're immigrants in a country that our forefathers claimed, fought, and killed to control. Why is this considered different than any other scenario where a militarily superior country invades and conquers land?