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I'm on the search for more information about this battle scene for my grandmother, as she's looking to restore it. Perhaps this isn't the proper subreddit to ask though 😯. Thanks in advance!

I found this difficult to word well so I'll elaborate: I'm familiar with siege warfare up to the middle ages, where gunpowder wasn't a factor (except perhaps cannons) and am also familiar with the modern concept of siege warfare as was practiced in WW2, but in between there's a gap. How did sieges work in the musket and pike/full musket adoption periods where troops usually fought by standing in line to shoot each other?

I know that Aristotle and Pliny wrote about strandings, but could not find exact wording and source. I also wonder if there are other accounts, or maybe even cave drawings or something?

I am doing research for my PhD proposal. My research involves early 19th century US diplomacy.

The most important documents are in the National Archives in College Park, MD. The issue is that most people are only allowed access to microfilm. The documents are old, handwritten, and fragile, so I completely understand why. Short version: I really need to just consult the original documents and not use the microfilm records most people use. Should I write to the people at the National Archive via e-mail or will I have more success if I go in person?

Long version is that I need access to originals because:

a) A good many are written on thin paper leading the ink to bleed through, causing the microfilm to be semi-illegible.

b) All of the microfilm readers are over a quarter of a century old. As such the quality of images they project are rather poor, and none are compatible with flash drives, causing me to have to digitally photograph badly projected images which were difficult to read to begin with. This also means that if I need to review a great many documents I have to spend hours photographing these crappy microfilm screens and hoping the images that come out are legible once I get home.

c) The microfilm is in a deteriorated state. One key roll has a scratch through half of it, making hundreds of documents completely illegible. Others have tons of lines and other issues that compounded with the issues mentioned above make it all the more difficult to work with them.

I've reviewed original records from the 1820s before, for my undergraduate degree, but I got the feeling that I was allowed access to them in error and that the supervisor chewed out the guy who let me see them ("Wait, why are you even looking at the originals?"). I'm worried that if I write the request as an e-mail I'll get shot down, but I worry that maybe I'm over thinking this and should just make the request.

James W. Loewen cites a claim by Edward Pessen in The Log Cabin Myth that (up to Reagan), Andrew Johnson was the only president representing the "lower class" (with six from the "middle" or "lower middle" class). Is this claim valid, or was Andrew Johnson really the only lower class president? Robert Caro's work details Lyndon Johnson's impoverished childhood, and I recall hearing that Andrew Jackson was born into "crushing poverty", so this claim seems a bit far-fetched.

EDIT: Furthermore, does Pessen only consider the president's wealth at the time of their inauguration in determining their social class?

I'm have always had a fascination with military history and asian culture but my knowledge of both subjects is rather limited, so bare with me. I recently decided to start studying the history of the japanese samurai, particularly their weaponology. Having little former knowledge of the subject, but I had been led to believe that the katana and wakizashi where the traditional weapons of the samurai, even though they also used bows and spears. However, from what I have been reading the tachi and tanto seemed to be far more common as weapons up until the edo period. If I'm correct and the katana wakizashi combo didn't become common until the edo period, which was a very peaceful point in time, where katanas ever really a traditional wartime tool of the samurai? Is the perception of a samurai riding into battle with a katana and a wakizashi at his side just a western myth, or do I have my facts completely incorrect? If I'm incorrect, what time period did katanas become common place and when/why did they replace the tachi?

I know this question is pretty pedestrian, but I was thinking earlier about how actually, seriously weird the incident with North Korea and the Interview (the movie) was. I really couldn't think of any other time in history something like that had happened. I doubt there will be anything in history as strange as a stupid Seth Rogan film precipitating a cyber war, but I would love to hear about any examples that even comes close.

I cannot find any reliable source to this; some say it is due to the need for childlabour during harvest a 100 years ago, others say otherwise.

You hear that "Religious anti-science killed scientific progress in its tracks" during the dark ages. How true is that?

I've read a bunch (of historical fiction) about the times of wooden sailing ships (both military and merchant). But, I've never been able to reconcile how these companies (and navies to a lesser extent) could continue to maintain internal economics and relationships with customers with what had to be very high loss rates. It seems that just charging more money doesn't really answer the question or account of the vagaries of international high finance.

But we call Ivory Coast, 'Ivory Coast' not 'Côte d'Ivoire'. Same goes for Spain, Germany, Italy, etc.

I know what happened and the general stuff but I am visited the beaches with my family today and I became incredibly interested in the specifics of Omaha. I would like to find out more regarding how many machine guns the germans had, where they were placed, how many bunkers/concrete casemates were built (for any that have visited there is the one at dog green right on the beach), and information of the sort. I would also like to know some specifics from the American side, such as where on the beach they were dropped off. And other than the tank obstacles what actual cover they were able to run too. Currently there is a sea wall but I am not sure if it was present back then.

Noticing the incredible distance from the water at low tide to the base of the large hill in the rear of the beach(for those that have visited) made me very curious about the landing and how it was achieved. Really got to give credit to the boys and all those at d-day.

Edit: Also any information about the infantry fighting itself at D-day would be great! Number of german troops at the start, how many were moved in since the landing, distances of engagement, etc.

Recommend the trip to the beach as well as the grave site. Very eye opening. Thanks!

Hello everyone, I wanted to know how does one go about becoming a Napoleonic Historian? More specifically, one about naval warfare, tactics and such of the period? I have been self studying for many years but would like to go further in my knowledge. How do I go about this specifically.

Let me make myself a bit clearer. I don't mean pictures like in a childrens book but rather filled with maps and diagrams of the equipment. I find it more intereasting if I can get a good overview this way and quicker to get a grasp on since I don't have an abundant amount of free time.

I know some basics. I have read The Art of War, The Gallic Wars and some other books concerning military tactics and have also read alot on here and other articles. So I'm not really looking for something over simplified just an enjoyable read with visual explanations. Can be of any place or period if you have a good suggestion for it.

I read a little bit on the Battle of Stalingrad and in the end, about 110,000 Germans became PoW's and were sent to the Soviet Union. About only 5,500 survived up until 1955 when they were returned to Germany, specifically West Germany. What I want to know is what were the multiple reactions to them returning home.What were their reactions to them seeing Germany after the Third Reich? What were their families reactions to seeing them knowing what they had done? What was the public's reaction in West Germany to seeing them return home?