Battle Digest

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned. In the autumn of 1862, Lincoln's new commander, Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside, promised swift action by moving south against Fredericksburg to open a route to the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. With Gen. Robert E. Lee's Confederate army divided, Burnside believed he could do it all before Lee could react. But when his pontoon bridges failed to arrive, Burnside's campaign started unraveling. When the bridges finally arrived, it was too late: Lee had been given the time he needed to prepare his defense. What happened next was arguably the greatest military blunder of the American Civil War. Burnside launched a piecemeal frontal assault into the strength of Lee's defenses. The result was disastrous.

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned. After the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, it seemed nothing could stop Japanese offensive momentum in the Pacific. A string of victories and territorial conquests fueled optimism and confidence throughout Japan. But, the U.S. Pacific Fleet was still a problem they had to solve. To complete its destruction and prevent further interference with Japan's expansion plans, Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto devised a plan to surprise U.S. forces by seizing Midway — key strategic terrain that Japanese naval leaders were certain the U.S. would contest. The plan was designed to force the weakened U.S. fleet into battle.

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned. After his early success in the Civil War's Western Theater, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant moved south to capture the key railroad hub at Corinth and further cut into the Confederate hold on the Tennessee and Mississippi River Valleys. But Confederate Gen. Albert S. Johnston wasn't playing by Grant's script. Instead of waiting for Grant to combine armies with Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell, Johnston moved north for a surprise attack. It almost worked. But after taking a beating the first day, a resolute Grant rallied his army and pushed the Confederates back, salvaging victory from what appeared to be certain defeat and further opening the Confederacy's vulnerable Western flank. But, Shiloh was also a sobering wake-up call for both sides. With carnage on a scale not seen before, all illusions of a short and low-cost war were shattered.

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned. During the Second Punic War (218 — 201 B.C.), after Hannibal had been handing Rome defeats and losses for nearly two years, the Roman Senate had finally had enough. After raising the largest army they had ever fielded, they sent it against Hannibal, who had just seized an important grain supply depot at Cannae. But Hannibal was more than ready. On that fateful day, he handed Rome one of the most crushing defeats in history.

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned. By early 1945, American forces had been fighting their way across the Pacific for over two and a half years. General Douglas MacArthur's drive in the Southwest Pacific had reached the Philippines, while Admiral Chester Nimitz's drive across the Central Pacific had advanced to the island of Iwo Jima. The next objective was Okinawa. With the capture of this key island, only 340 miles from the Japanese mainland, the Allies would secure their final staging base for the invasion of Japan. In the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific War, soldiers and Marines would grind through 82 days of combat. At the same time, U.S. and Allied ships would suffer their worst losses of the war from waves of Japanese kamikazes. But, with this important victory, the Allies' path to Japan was finally open.

Get facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more in this concise summary of the Texas Revolution's legendary "last stand." During the Texas Revolution, the Mexican Army clashed with Texan forces on several battlefields-the most famous of which was the Alamo. During this thirteen-day siege, a small group of defenders held out against overwhelming odds only to die in the final Mexican assault on the Alamo mission. Although it was clearly a tactical defeat for the Texans, this legendary "last stand" was a sentinel event during the Texas Revolution. Today, the Alamo still evokes sentiments of patriotism, courage, and determination against great odds. Learn how Bowie, Travis, and Neill fought a desperate fight against the vastly superior army of General Santa Anna. Also learn how Santa Anna inadvertently let tactical victory turn into strategic defeat. The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

A concise summary of this turning point in the American Revolution with facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more. By the summer of 1780, Great Britain held the advantage in the American Revolution. A strategic shift to the south had borne fruit. British forces controlled the major ports of Savannah and Charleston, and Maj. Gen. Charles Cornwallis had recently trounced American forces under Gen. Horatio Gates at Camden, South Carolina. But Gen. Nathanael Greene, Gen. George Washington's newly appointed southern commander, was about to turn things around. Instead of massing his forces, he divided them, sending Brig. Gen. Daniel Morgan southwestward. When British forces caught up to Morgan at Cowpens in January 1781, he was more than ready. Morgan's victory was a tactical masterpiece, echoing Hannibal's ancient triumph over the Romans at Cannae. Cowpens set in motion a chain of events leading to Yorktown and, ultimately, American independence. Learn how Daniel Morgan effectively used the Continental militia while designing a tactical plan to exploit the overconfidence and aggressiveness of his British opponent, Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton. The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

Get facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more in this concise summary of Andrew Jackson's, and America's, War of 1812 triumph. The War of 1812 was not going particularly well for the United States. The British were blockading America's coasts, damaging commerce, and thwarting any hopes for U.S. territorial gains in Canada. After two years of fighting, Americans were further humiliated when, in August of 1814, the British burned the U.S. Capitol. The people in the young republic yearned for respect. Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson would finally give them what they wanted with his lopsided victory at New Orleans. The victory was significant enough for the U.S. to earn the respect of Britain, which never again treated America as anything less than an independent power. It would also launch the political career of a future president. Learn how Andrew Jackson's unique leadership propelled a ragtag American army to victory against great odds, while overconfidence and coordination errors contributed to British defeat. The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

A concise guide to the Japanese attack on Hawaii that plunged America into WWII, with facts, maps, historical significance, and more. As America prepared for WWII, everything changed on December 7, 1941-described by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a "date which will live in infamy"-when Japan launched a successful surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor. The devastating attack crippled the fleet, while showing the world the new dominance of carrier-borne aircraft in naval warfare. Japan's tactical success, however, belied her strategic failure. With America's declaration of war the following day, Japan had created a determined and powerful enemy. And while Japan did gain time to expand in the Pacific, that time would be short-lived. Japan had awakened the "sleeping giant" of America. Learn how Admiral Yamamoto's bold plan caught America by surprise yet doomed the larger Japanese cause. Learn also about Japan's lost opportunities during the attack-opportunities that would have tilted the scales decidedly more in her favor. The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

A concise guide to the American-led coalition's speedy defeat of Saddam Hussein in 1991, with maps, facts, historical significance, and more. Just two years after the end of Iraq's war with Iran, an emboldened Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait. Operation Desert Storm was the final phase of the U.S.-led Coalition's effort to expel Saddam's forces from his southern neighbor's borders. In less than 100 hours of joint air and ground combat, the U.S. and its allies would not only triumph, but also demonstrate to the world the superiority of a new breed of weapons. The battle also had the unintended effect of renewing a pride and confidence in the U.S. military after the long shadow of Vietnam. Learn how America built a coalition of nations to go to war, and how Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf used maneuver and deception to create one of the most lopsided victories in the history of warfare. The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

Get facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more in this concise summary of Robert E. Lee's victory in Virginia. The Confederate victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville is considered the crowning military achievement of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Against the numerically superior Union Army of the Potomac, Lee took a calculated risk by dividing his Army of Northern Virginia in what would become the largest flanking maneuver of the Civil War. The risk paid off with a stunning victory. Learn how "Fighting Joe" Hooker squandered his good strategy with his timid leadership, and how Robert E. Lee took prudent risk to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

A concise guide to this dramatic Revolutionary War campaign with facts, maps, historical significance, and more. In 1777, the British had the confidence to launch a plan to divide the Colonies along the Hudson River. After a promising British start, however, the Saratoga campaign would grind to a halt before turning into a stunning American victory. The battle rejuvenated the cause of independence while sowing the first seeds of doubt in Britain's Parliament. Most significantly, the American victory also convinced France's King Louis XVI to officially enter the war in support of the Americans. This critical French alliance would make Saratoga the turning point in the American Revolution. Learn how General Gates and Benedict Arnold outfoxed and outmaneuvered the British to create this stunning American victory. The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

A concise summary of the fight that sparked the American Revolution, with key facts, maps, images, historical significance, and more. Tension between Britain and her North American colonies had been building for years. After numerous protests and acts of defiance, things took a serious turn after the December 1773 Boston Tea Party, when an irate King George III and Parliament took more drastic action to teach their rebellious citizens in Massachusetts a lesson. After they shut down Boston's port, dissolved elected government, and placed the colony under military occupation, the dry tinder of Colonial resentment was ready to ignite. The spark came on the morning of April 19, 1775, as a British force moved west to destroy military supplies secretly stored in Concord. When the column came upon a small company of militia waiting on Lexington Green, the fateful "shot heard round the world" rang out-and the American Revolution had begun. Learn about this world-changing encounter in this summary that includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

Get facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more in this concise summary of the notoriously bloody Civil War battle. During the late summer of 1862, Confederate forces launched their first invasion of the North. When Union forces met them near Sharpsburg, Maryland, along Antietam Creek, the result was the "bloodiest day" in American military history. Although the battle of Antietam was a tactical draw, Union Gen. George McClellan stopped Lee's invasion. It was a significant enough strategic "victory" to discourage European intervention in the Civil War and for President Abraham Lincoln to broaden the moral aspects of the conflict by issuing his famous Emancipation Proclamation. Learn why Robert E. Lee took great risk in dividing his army as he moved north, and how General McClellan squandered an opportunity for victory with his uncoordinated assaults during the battle. The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

A concise guide to the American Civil War battle that set the North on the path to victory, with maps, facts, historical significance, and more. Gettysburg represented a strategic turning point in the American Civil War and has thus been referred to as the "high-water mark" of the Confederacy. Although tactically a draw, strategically it was a major victory for the Union. After the battle, the Army of Northern Virginia limped home, never to regain its former strength and confidence. And although the fighting would continue for another two years, Gettysburg instilled new confidence in the Union army. It had proven to itself, and to the world, that it could fight and win against the remarkable Robert E. Lee. Learn why each side did what it did, and how Meade outgeneraled Lee during this famous engagement. The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

A concise guide to this resounding American victory in the Revolutionary War, with facts, maps, historical significance, and more. In 1781, after six years of fighting, the future of the American colonies was far from resolved. The British were still dominant on land and sea, and except for a few bright spots like Trenton and Saratoga, the Americans had been unable to match the skills of the strongest army of the time. Against this backdrop, the brilliantly executed Yorktown campaign, in the autumn of 1781, would effectively decide the war. With America's resounding victory, the American Colonies would formally gain their independence two years later. Learn how General Washington outfoxed the British with deception and maneuver, while the French Navy cleared the way for the final checkmate of General Cornwallis at Yorktown. The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

A concise history of Custer's Last Stand with maps, facts, historical significance, and more. The battle of Little Bighorn, despite its relatively small size, was the worst defeat for the U.S. Army in the Indian Wars. Although it was a clear tactical victory for the Plains Indians, it also would be a significant strategic setback for their cause. The outrage resulting from the Indian victory only intensified efforts by the U.S. Army and its Department of the Missouri to pacify the Native Americans and return those who resisted to their reservations. Within months of their victory at the Little Bighorn, the Plains Indians were defeated in the Great Sioux War of 1876—1877 and their lands in the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory were confiscated. Learn why the controversial George A. Custer rushed into battle against his Indian opponents on that fateful day, and how Brigadier General Terry's failure to synchronize his forces contributed to "Custer's Last Stand." The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned. After his early success in the Civil War's Western Theater, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant moved south to capture the key railroad hub at Corinth and further cut into the Confederate hold on the Tennessee and Mississippi River Valleys. But Confederate Gen. Albert S. Johnston wasn't playing by Grant's script. Instead of waiting for Grant to combine armies with Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell, Johnston moved north for a surprise attack. It almost worked. But after taking a beating the first day, a resolute Grant rallied his army and pushed the Confederates back, salvaging victory from what appeared to be certain defeat and further opening the Confederacy's vulnerable Western flank. But Shiloh was also a sobering wake-up call for both sides. With carnage on a scale not seen before, all illusions of a short and low-cost war were shattered.