The Maligned Militia

The Maligned Militia PDF Author: Christopher L. Scott
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317024613
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
Despite its failure to unseat King James II, the Monmouth Rebellion had a profound influence upon English politics. In particular, it reignited the debate about whether the country should rely on a professional army under direct royal control or local country militias made up of part-time soldiers. King James favoured the former, and used criticism of the militia’s performance during the rebellion to support his argument. Contemporary commentators and historians alike all certainly seemed to agree that the king’s victory was won in spite of - not because of - the militia. But is this a fair judgement? Drawing upon a wealth of information gathered from personal accounts, private papers, letters, financial records, diaries and memoirs, this book revisits the events of 1685 to assess the militia’s performance in helping to defeat the so-called ’pitchfork rebellion’. Through an extensive investigation into the militia itself, its social composition, role, training, armament and leadership the study sets a benchmark for what could have been realistically expected of these part-time soldiers, and then sets this against the actual tasks that were asked of it in 1685. The results that emerge from this exercise paint a very different picture of the militia’s role in the rebellion than has hitherto been accepted by historians. Judged by these criteria, a convincing case is made that the militia was in fact an efficient military organisation according to contemporary expectations and demands made of it. Criticisms of it, it is argued, stem more from political expediency than impartial judgment. As well as being of interest to military and social historians, this book demonstrates the dangers to all historians of taking at face value contemporary comments. It shows how subtle and interlocking forces, that may at first glance appear unrelated, can work together to colour opinions of events and organisations.

The Maligned Militia

The Maligned Militia PDF Author: Christopher L. Scott
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317024613
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 356

Get Book

Book Description
Despite its failure to unseat King James II, the Monmouth Rebellion had a profound influence upon English politics. In particular, it reignited the debate about whether the country should rely on a professional army under direct royal control or local country militias made up of part-time soldiers. King James favoured the former, and used criticism of the militia’s performance during the rebellion to support his argument. Contemporary commentators and historians alike all certainly seemed to agree that the king’s victory was won in spite of - not because of - the militia. But is this a fair judgement? Drawing upon a wealth of information gathered from personal accounts, private papers, letters, financial records, diaries and memoirs, this book revisits the events of 1685 to assess the militia’s performance in helping to defeat the so-called ’pitchfork rebellion’. Through an extensive investigation into the militia itself, its social composition, role, training, armament and leadership the study sets a benchmark for what could have been realistically expected of these part-time soldiers, and then sets this against the actual tasks that were asked of it in 1685. The results that emerge from this exercise paint a very different picture of the militia’s role in the rebellion than has hitherto been accepted by historians. Judged by these criteria, a convincing case is made that the militia was in fact an efficient military organisation according to contemporary expectations and demands made of it. Criticisms of it, it is argued, stem more from political expediency than impartial judgment. As well as being of interest to military and social historians, this book demonstrates the dangers to all historians of taking at face value contemporary comments. It shows how subtle and interlocking forces, that may at first glance appear unrelated, can work together to colour opinions of events and organisations.

The Sergeants Major of the Army

The Sergeants Major of the Army PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description


American Military History Volume 1

American Military History Volume 1 PDF Author: Army Center of Military History
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781944961404
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
American Military History provides the United States Army-in particular, its young officers, NCOs, and cadets-with a comprehensive but brief account of its past. The Center of Military History first published this work in 1956 as a textbook for senior ROTC courses. Since then it has gone through a number of updates and revisions, but the primary intent has remained the same. Support for military history education has always been a principal mission of the Center, and this new edition of an invaluable history furthers that purpose. The history of an active organization tends to expand rapidly as the organization grows larger and more complex. The period since the Vietnam War, at which point the most recent edition ended, has been a significant one for the Army, a busy period of expanding roles and missions and of fundamental organizational changes. In particular, the explosion of missions and deployments since 11 September 2001 has necessitated the creation of additional, open-ended chapters in the story of the U.S. Army in action. This first volume covers the Army's history from its birth in 1775 to the eve of World War I. By 1917, the United States was already a world power. The Army had sent large expeditionary forces beyond the American hemisphere, and at the beginning of the new century Secretary of War Elihu Root had proposed changes and reforms that within a generation would shape the Army of the future. But world war-global war-was still to come. The second volume of this new edition will take up that story and extend it into the twenty-first century and the early years of the war on terrorism and includes an analysis of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq up to January 2009.

Renegade Revolutionary

Renegade Revolutionary PDF Author: Phillip Papas
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 0814767656
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 415

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Book Description
Charles Lee, a former British army officer turned revolutionary, was one of the earliest advocates for American independence. Papas shows that few American revolutionaries shared Lee's radical political outlook, and his confidence that the American Revolution could be won primarily by the militia (or irregulars) rather than a centralized regular army.

Getting the message through: A Branch History of the U.S. Army Signal Corps

Getting the message through: A Branch History of the U.S. Army Signal Corps PDF Author: Rebecca Robbins Raines
Publisher: Government Printing Office
ISBN: 9780160872815
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 488

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Book Description
Getting the Message Through, the companion volume to Rebecca Robbins Raines' Signal Corps, traces the evolution of the corps from the appointment of the first signal officer on the eve of the Civil War, through its stages of growth and change, to its service in Operation DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM. Raines highlights not only the increasingly specialized nature of warfare and the rise of sophisticated communications technology, but also such diverse missions as weather reporting and military aviation. Information dominance in the form of superior communications is considered to be sine qua non to modern warfare. As Raines ably shows, the Signal Corps--once considered by some Army officers to be of little or no military value--and the communications it provides have become integral to all aspects of military operations on modern digitized battlefields. The volume is an invaluable reference source for anyone interested in the institutional history of the branch.

Toward Combined Arms Warfare

Toward Combined Arms Warfare PDF Author: Jonathan Mallory House
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428915834
Category : Armies
Languages : en
Pages : 235

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Book Description


The Inspectors General of the United States Army, 1777-1903

The Inspectors General of the United States Army, 1777-1903 PDF Author: David A. Clary
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Military inspectors general
Languages : en
Pages : 492

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Book Description
A study of the establishment of inspection practices in the United States Army told chronologically, in large part through the experiences of officers assigned to the inspection service. The record of the inspectorate illustrates those daily concerns that influenced the institutional development of the Inspector General Corps as a whole.

Public Affairs

Public Affairs PDF Author: William M. Hammond
Publisher: Government Printing Office
ISBN: 9780160016738
Category : Armed Forces and mass media
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
United States Army in Vietnam. CMH Pub. 91-13. Draws upon previously unavailable Army and Defense Department records to interpret the part the press played during the Vietnam War. Discusses the roles of the following in the creation of information policy: Military Assistance Command's Office of Information in Saigon; White House; State Department; Defense Department; and the United States Embassy in Saigon.

The War of the American Revolution

The War of the American Revolution PDF Author: Robert W. Coakley
Publisher: Militarybookshop.CompanyUK
ISBN: 9781780394435
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description


A Very Brilliant Affair

A Very Brilliant Affair PDF Author: Robert Malcomson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781896941462
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
As summer turned to fall in 1812, two armies watched each other warily across the turbulent Niagara River that formed the border between the United States and British Canada. On the American side, regular soldiers and state -militia trained under the inexperienced, -politically--appointed General Stephen Van Rensselaer, while on the British side General Isaac Brock worried about defending his long frontier with a meager force of regulars and militia and a group of native warriors about whom he held serious doubts.This is, surprisingly, the first full-length study of the Battle of Queenston Heights. We see the American government stumble into war and send a weakly supplied force to invade across the Niagara River. We follow the battle through the eyes of participants: Jared Willson wonders if he is going to become a cold Yankee, and the Canadian Archie McLean ignores orders by running to the fight with his friend John Beverley Robinson. Winfield Scott strides across the field in full dress Chapeau and plume, and John Norton exhorts his warriors with Come forward whoever hold a manly heart! Artillery Captain William Holcroft retakes Queenston and writes, His Majesty's arms gained a complete victory over those of the United States yesterday in a very brilliant affair.The battle was a sharp lesson for the young U.S. Army and its political masters in Washington and a critical morale booster in Upper Canada. The death of Brock led to an outpouring of grief among Canadians and an impressive monu-ment was raised in his name.This new look at the battle tackles many of the myths that have grown over the years. Was Brock the hero of the day? Was this a victory for the Canadian militia? Were the oft--maligned New York militia responsible for their army's -defeat? What was the role of the native allies of the British? Could the American invading force have won?Robert Malcomson's exciting and readable account will add a new level of appreciation for the drama and significance of the War of 1812.