The Military History Thread

[deepsepia]

Excellent museum exhibition at the British Museum in London through June 23rd, with remarkably preserved Roman armor and other military rarities

https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/legion-life-roman-army

Among the extraordinary Roman military archaeological finds in Britain included in the exhibition are the celebrated "Vindolanda Tablets" -- hand written wood tablets, essentially a notepad, that recorded everyday business, a kind of medium that mostly didn't survive. This includes something we otherwise have little evidence for elsewhere in Roman studies -- the daily military logistics correspondence, including most famously, unit strength reports

The most famous of these is an article detailing the discovery of these tablets in the mid 1980s: "A Military Strength Report from Vindolanda"
The Journal of Roman Studies , Volume 81 , November 1991 , pp. 62 - 73

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/300489

link to full text at

https://mega.nz/file/RoZRwIjQ#v77A8Q_Q9m0Z_3hCh0UM2pmJ0NeOQl7-vZyWh_xbLxM

The details of this are fascinating, revealing unit dispositions and detached formations, for example this

Most of the tablets preserve only a few words, but some are much more complete. The 'strength report' tablet is probably the most important military document ever discovered in Britain. Dating to around AD 90, it tells us that the fort was occupied by 752 men of the First Cohort of Tungrians, who came from present-day Belgium. Somewhat surprisingly, only 265 men were considered fit for active service. Vindolanda also boasts around 30 unique 'military reports', which tell us who was 'present and correct' at particular times. Unique too are requests for leave, for example from a soldier called Messicus who requests leave at nearby Coria (Corbridge). One document describes the fighting habits of the locals, who are referred to disparagingly as 'wretched Britons' while, in a letter, a junior officer complains to his superior that 'My fellow soldiers have no beer – please order some to be sent'.

This was how the Romans did much of their writing, but the medium is very fragile, most tablets long since disintegrated -- most of what we have of Roman writing are either inscriptions on things, or works that were copied over. A few papyrii survive, but not many . . . the Vindolanda tablets are therefore a really remarkable look into a world which once produced masses of correspondence, of which only the tiniest fraction survives.

[george anson]

Originally Posted by deepsepia

Excellent museum exhibition at the British Museum in London through June 23rd, with remarkably preserved Roman armor and other military rarities

https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/legion-life-roman-army

Among the extraordinary Roman military archaeological finds in Britain included in the exhibition are the celebrated "Vindolanda Tablets" -- hand written wood tablets, essentially a notepad, that recorded everyday business, a kind of medium that mostly didn't survive. This includes something we otherwise have little evidence for elsewhere in Roman studies -- the daily military logistics correspondence, including most famously, unit strength reports

The most famous of these is an article detailing the discovery of these tablets in the mid 1980s: "A Military Strength Report from Vindolanda"
The Journal of Roman Studies , Volume 81 , November 1991 , pp. 62 - 73

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/300489

link to full text at

https://mega.nz/file/RoZRwIjQ#v77A8Q_Q9m0Z_3hCh0UM2pmJ0NeOQl7-vZyWh_xbLxM

The details of this are fascinating, revealing unit dispositions and detached formations, for example this



This was how the Romans did much of their writing, but the medium is very fragile, most tablets long since disintegrated -- most of what we have of Roman writing are either inscriptions on things, or works that were copied over. A few papyrii survive, but not many . . . the Vindolanda tablets are therefore a really remarkable look into a world which once produced masses of correspondence, of which only the tiniest fraction survives.

They've found more of those tablets at several sites excavated in the former Londinium layers. All quite hum drum but recording the everyday transactions of life.

Invitations to parties, sales of goods but occasionally messages between loved ones and family. Which brings it home that they're not at all different from us in their hopes, dreams and desires. I still remember as a child when the history teacher Mr.Allchorn related how one of those tablets at Vindolanda was a letter from a soldier requesting socks and warmer footwear.

This is he much older here:
https://www.thecomet.net/news/educat...mies-takeover/

Great teacher. Year One he caught me reading a book and asked what it was (we were supposed to be covering the Iceni revolt). I turned the cover round and it was Panzer Leader by Heinz Guderian. Just said that's a great insight into armoured warfare, logistics in war, and the role of ego. Keep reading with a big smile.


This channel
https://www.youtube.com/c/RememberWW2/videos

It's recollections of former WW2 veterans conducted by Rishi Sharma. And one of the most valuable things being conducted on Youtube. Once these chaps are gone they're gone so it's great that these recollections are being stored for future generations and historians.

There comes a time when a historical event passes out of living memory into recorded memory and for WW2 that time is sadly approaching with great rapidity. Just as with the American Civil War when old veterans came to their last ever unit reunions in the forties, WW1 in the 1990s.

[deepsepia]

Originally Posted by george anson

They've found more of those tablets at several sites excavated in the former Londinium layers. All quite hum drum but recording the everyday transactions of life.

Invitations to parties, sales of goods but occasionally messages between loved ones and family. Which brings it home that they're not at all different from us in their hopes, dreams and desires. I still remember as a child when the history teacher Mr.Allchorn related how one of those tablets at Vindolanda was a letter from a soldier requesting socks and warmer footwear.

Yes, some of the footwear has actually been painstakingly reassembled from surviving scraps. And when you think about it -- the way that the Roman Army campaigned, footwear mattered. The Roman Army was trained to march 20 miles a day with full pack on good roads, 10 miles in more difficult terrain . . . modern soldiers basically train to that standard. Romans had some impressive hobnail boots, but also had lighter weight gear. It took the Romans a fair amount of time to get new recruits up to standard, and they kept them in shape, at least the active units. Garrisons and auxiliaries were likely not up to the legionary standard.

* *. *. *

Interesting auction item -- these are Grant's memoirs, with handwritten annotations by Sherman . . . very rare to have this kind of association item.

Originally Posted by GENERAL WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN’S PROFUSELY ANNOTATED COPY OF GRANT’S MEMOIRS, WITH ADDITIONAL LAID-IN REMINISCENCE

2 volumes, 8vo. Engraved portrait frontispieces, numerous facsimile letters (2 folding), maps, and wood engravings. EXCEPTIONALLY RARE ORIGINAL DELUXE TREE CALF.


FIRST EDITION of Grant’s exceptional memoirs, profusely annotated by his close friend, General William Tecumseh Sherman.

This copy is entirely singular, owned by Grant’s close friend and most esteemed general: William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman evidently read the book in great detail, making marginal notes on at least 18 pages in volume I, several of them signed with his initials. On the last page of volume I, Sherman wrote: “Read at St. Louis Mo. Dec 5 + 6, 1885. / This account of the Civil War is wonderfully accurate and him. W.T.S.". Many of the notes are small corrections and additions by Sherman.

On a passage regarding the Yazoo Pass Expedition on page 435, Sherman pointedly writes: "This conforms literally [to my] memoirs on the point most contested by Grant's pretended friends. W.T.S.". He provides further thoughts regarding political interference on the next page: "If Grant had gone ahead, living off the country, we would have been inside of Vicksburg by Christmas 1862, the distance from Grenada to Vicksburg is little more than the circuit we afterward made from Bruinsberg via Jackson to Vicksburg --- This was my understanding when we parted at Oxford, and the intervening country was better supplied with hay + hominy. W.T.S."

On pp. 440-441, Grant wrote about the need to assign politically-connected John McClernand as Corps Commander: “I would have been glad to put Sherman in command, to give him an opportunity to accomplish what he had failed in the December before; but there seemed no other way out of he difficulty, for he was junior to McClernand. Sherman’s failure needs no apology.” In the margins, Sherman’s distinctive hand writes passionately: "because it was no failure at all."

Volume II contains only one marginal annotation. However, a 2-page note written by General Sherman is laid in between pages 123 and 124, at a section regarding Grant being given full command of the Armies by President Lincoln. General Sherman seems to have added his recollection of Grant's first meeting with Lincoln to supplement Grant's account. While Sherman was not present at the meeting between Grant and Lincoln, he almost certainly heard about what transpired from Grant himself. Sherman's note reads in full:

"Grants Memoirs Vol 2, Page 123 / A good story is very correct. "Si non vero, ben trovalo". [Even if it is not true, it is well conceived]. This is the conversation between Genl. Grant, President Lincoln and Secretary of War Stanton at the time he was addressed to command all the Armies of the U.S. [Grant] said in his usual quiet manner "Mr. Lincoln, I am told that several well planned campaigns in Virginia have been marred by interference from Washington, viz from the Secretary of War or the President, now if I am to command I must insist that no military order be issued to any detachment or part of the Army except through me," Mr. Lincoln, in his inimitable way, turning to Stanton said, "Stanton, you and I have been running this machine for two years and have not made a brilliant success. I guess we had better trust this little man" (Grant) and then, then and there, the promise was made. And it is to the credit of Mr. Lincoln to say that he kept his word literally, never interfering, or making any order even when Washington was in real peril from Early's Army in 1865."

This inclusion of Sherman's memory of when Grant was given full military authority by President Lincoln is significant. Grant's insistence that there would be no political interference was likely particularly important to General Sherman, who loathed politicians.

The fine highly polished gilt tree calf binding exhibited by these volumes is exceedingly scarce, with only 3 other known copies. The first prospectus of Grant's "Memoirs" listed only 4 bindings: fine cloth, full sheep, fine half morocco, and full Turkey morocco. A handbill dated 20 July 1885 with the headline "The Book is Finished" was added to later copies of the prospectus. It updates the prospective buyers of the increased amount of content: "600 pages instead of 500, 50 chapters instead of 25, and from 30 to 40 maps instead of 6". The handbill also has the first mention of the rare binding not listed in the original prospectus: "Agents are authorized to take orders for bindings in TREE CALF at $25.00 per set." (Huntington Library, 25479, vol. 1).

Despite it being, presumably, commercially available, only other copy of Grant's memoirs bound in tree calf has sold at auction- a copy presented to Mark Twain by Julia Grant and inscribed by both (Christie's, The Forbes Collection of American Historical Documents, Part V, 2 November 2006, Lot 103). An extensive survey was conducted in the course of cataloging and only two other known copies were located, both in private collections. To date, no copies bound in the tree calf have been traced to institutional collections.

Its scarcity may be in part that Twain’s initial subscription push was so successful that most readers had already ordered their copies in one of the four originally offered bindings. In practice, the binding seems to have been reserved for only the most important presentations. As Grant died before publication was complete, the only copy that he saw before his death was a prospectus bound in cloth (now held at The Huntington Library, 26479, vol. 1), and as such, no author presentation copies exist. The extant tree calf copies suggest that the binding was perhaps reserved exclusively for presentations made by Julia Grant. Even the copies presented by publisher Mark Twain to his friends and colleagues were bound in one of the other available bindings. (C.f. a copy presented by Twain to Frank Mason, US Consulate at Frankfurt, bound in the common publisher’s green cloth, Christie’s, Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts Including Americana, 5-19 October 2023, Lot 268).

Though this copy bears no presentation inscription by Julia Grant, Mark Twain, or anyone else, it is plausible that one of these figures would have sent the copy directly to General Sherman.

A TREASURE OF AMERICAN HISTORY.

After his second presidential term and world tour, Grant was left near penniless when he was swindled by conman Ferdinand Ward. At the same time, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, and became deeply concerned about the financial stability of his wife and family after his death. Grant had forfeited his (and his widow’s) military pension when he resigned as general to assume the presidency, which granted no pension. In this moment of crisis, just as he would have during the war, Sherman rushed to Grant's aid. Sherman assisted Grant in restructuring his debt, ensuring that Grant was able to keep his most prized possesions. Importantly, Sherman also encouraged Grant to do what he should have done years ago- write his memoirs.

By June 1884, Grant had begun publishing articles on his major engagements of the Civil War for "Century Magazine," which paid him $500 for each submission. The articles were received with great enthusiasm, and Grant met with Century Magazine's representatives in early September to arrange for the publication of his memoirs. However, when Samuel Clemens (1835-1910, popularly Mark Twain), learned of the potential arrangement with "Century Magazine," he convinced Grant to sign with his own subscription publishing company, which was able to offer Grant 70% of the net profit made from the sale of his memoirs. This rate was exorbitantly higher than what "Century Magazine" had proposed.

Grant began writing his memoirs in earnest, racing against the illness to finish and secure his family's financial stability. During this time, Grant welcomed Sherman’s repeated visits. On December 24, 1884, Sherman wrote to his wife, Ellen: "Grant says my visits have done him more good than all the doctors.’” (Flood, p.395). Grant, with the moral support of Sherman, lived to finish the memoir, dying five days after its completion. Widely considered the finest military narrative ever published, the memoirs were a national bestseller, and Grant's widow Julia would eventually receive nearly $450,000 (~$14,000,000, today) in royalties from their sale.



References:

Charles Bracelen Flood, Grant and Sherman: The Friendship that Won the Civil War.
Mary Drake McFeely and William S. McFeely, editors. Grant: Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant, Selected Letters 1839-1865. Library of America, 1990.
Robert L. O’Connell. Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman.

Condition: Vol. I both boards detached (this may have happened early as the later applied bookplates are affixed upside down); spines detached on both volumes, but present; folding map between pp. 312-313 torn/fully separated.

PROVENANCE:

The Sherman-Fitch Library

Primarily assembled by General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891), the collection of books was inherited and curated by his son, Philemon Tecumseh Sherman (1867-1941). Before his death, Philemon transferred the library to his niece, Eleanor Sherman Fitch (1876-1959). Eleanor was the granddaughter of General Sherman through his eldest daughter, Maria "Minnie" Ewing Sherman Fitch (1851-1913). Until now, the Sherman-Fitch library was held at the family estate in Washington County, Pennsylvania.

The library includes a range of diverse material owned by General Sherman that principally relates to the Civil War, American history, and the Sherman family. Many works in the Sherman-Fitch library are historically significant, including General Sherman's annotated copy of Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs, the Sherman family bible, and Barnard's "Photographic Views of Sherman's Campaign."

Most examples in the collection are affixed with bookplates that bear both General Sherman's and Philemon's names. In some cases, where General Sherman's ownership was clear, his bookplate was not always affixed. However, books with just Philemon's bookplate were generally acquired after his father's death in 1891. General Sherman’s bookplates were likely added by Philemon after his father’s death. Philemon’s bookplates were placed by Tecumseh Sherman Fitch (1908-1969) after he inherited the library in 1942.

Auction estimate is $7,500 USD - $15,000; this is from an auction house which tends to put low estimates on unusual things (not a bad policy -- low estimates are better at attracting bidders than are high ones, all things being equal). I expect this will likely go for much more than the estimate . . .

[george anson]

Originally Posted by deepsepia

Yes, some of the footwear has actually been painstakingly reassembled from surviving scraps. And when you think about it -- the way that the Roman Army campaigned, footwear mattered. The Roman Army was trained to march 20 miles a day with full pack on good roads, 10 miles in more difficult terrain . . . modern soldiers basically train to that standard. Romans had some impressive hobnail boots, but also had lighter weight gear. It took the Romans a fair amount of time to get new recruits up to standard, and they kept them in shape, at least the active units. Garrisons and auxiliaries were likely not up to the legionary standard.

* *. *. *

Interesting auction item -- these are Grant's memoirs, with handwritten annotations by Sherman . . . very rare to have this kind of association item.

Auction estimate is $7,500 USD - $15,000; this is from an auction house which tends to put low estimates on unusual things (not a bad policy -- low estimates are better at attracting bidders than are high ones, all things being equal). I expect this will likely go for much more than the estimate . . .

That should hopefully make it's way into the Library of Congress. Such items are priceless artefacts of history. I'd rather they were not in private hands. The British Library holds an immense amount of manuscripts, rolls, title deeds, diaries, bills of sale, orders of battle from the Anglo Saxon kingdoms to the present.

Which is why historical researchers from all over the world come over to that institution to work on new theories of why events happened, and new insights into historical characters and their motivations.

I've yet to read Global Crisis by Geoffrey Parker an immense volume covering all facets of the 17th century. Which means an in depth look at global economics, demography, religion, weather events and climate change.

Parker also recently published a work on Philip the second (Bloody Mary's husband and the one who sent several Armada's our way). He gained new insights into the monarch and his internal and foreign policies through documents discovered in New York of all places. Thousands of pages of hand written text by Philip revealing an obsessively compulsive man, who tried to micromanage every aspect of Spain and it's Empire.

I don't know about you chaps but when I see an old document, or signature it makes me think about the writer in that moment.

As to the legionaries. They were their own Royal Engineers too. Formidably disciplined for the most part. Incredibly tough too. No wonder they were the elite troops of the world for almost three centuries. I recall that letter again though from the soldier to his mother about wanting warm socks and like many a soldier today another from a legionary stationed in Pannonia saying he missed his mother, hoped she was well and if she did reply he'd ask his CO for leave to visit them.

[deepsepia]

Originally Posted by george anson

I've yet to read Global Crisis by Geoffrey Parker an immense volume covering all facets of the 17th century. Which means an in depth look at global economics, demography, religion, weather events and climate change.

Geoffrey Parker is a key figure in 20th century military history -- he coins the term "the Revolution in Military Affairs" which is the transformation in the early modern period from a feudal military organization to a firearms drill with volleyed fire, with the Battle of Nieuwpoort [1600] and the army of Maurice of Nassau being hugely influential.

His book "The Military Revolution" is well worth a read, here's an old article of his on Niewpoort specifically

Parker, Geoffrey. "The Limits to Revolutions in Military Affairs: Maurice of Nassau, the Battle of Nieuwpoort (1600), and the Legacy." The Journal of Military History 71.2 (2007): 331-372.
[access through libraries or mega.nz link]

https://mega.nz/file/wwoXCQ5Q#DGGkoXUMgGDd1SSEVE_AHFk2FTm1OauY1OLmLPwvhqQ

abstract

“Revolutions in Military Affairs” (RMAs) currently interest both historians
and strategic analysts, but how exactly do they occur, why do
they prove so decisive, and what (if any) are their limits? This essay
seeks answers through the detailed study of one critical element of
an earlier “Revolution in Military Affairs”—infantry volley fire—tracing
its invention, first in Japan in the 1560s and then in the Dutch Republic
in the 1590s, and its first use in combat at the battle of Nieuwpoort
in 1600 by a Dutch army commanded by Maurice of Nassau. It then
examines the current RMA in the light of that case study.

One of the fascinating lacuna mentioned here is the role of Japan -- firearms introduced to Japan in the mid 19th century, with tactical innovations in their use spreading back to Europe and/or invented independently

Volley fire was invented twice in the sixteenth century: in Japan during
the 1560s and in the Dutch Republic in the 1590s. The first Portuguese
visitors to Japan in 1543 arrived with some harquebuses
(smoothbore muzzle-loading guns about 1.3 meters long that fired 20-
gram lead balls) in the middle of an era of civil war. Many local warlords,
seeing the advantage of adding a powerful new weapon to their arsenals,
ordered their metalworkers to make Western-style harquebuses but, like
all smoothbore muzzle-loading firearms, the Japanese guns proved both
highly inaccurate and slow to reload.

In the 1560s, the warlord Oda Nobunaga, perhaps inspired by the fact that Japanese archers normally fired volleys in rotation, realized that soldiers with firearms drawn up in
ranks could maintain a constant barrage, however long it took them to
reload, if the first rank fired and then reloaded while subsequent ranks
fired. In 1575, at the battle of Nagashino, Nobunaga deployed 3,000 men
with guns who delivered volleys with devastating effect.3 Handheld
firearms soon became the most important infantry weapons in Japanese
armies. At the siege of Hara castle in 1638, the last major deployment of
Japanese troops in action for two centuries, 30 percent of the government
forces possessed handguns.4

Meanwhile, “Firearms Schools” proliferated throughout Japan, and
many of their teachers produced beautifully illustrated instruction manuals—
albeit mostly in manuscript because they contained Hiden (secret
traditions to be shared only with the initiated). Both the schools and the
manuals privileged accuracy over speed: for example, thirty of the
images in the manuscript “Book Illustrating Thirty-Two Positions [for firing
a gun],” composed by instructors of the prestigious Inatomi Firearms
School, showed different positions for individual sharpshooters engaged
in hunting, in fighting (see Fig. 1), and in target practice (against a prisoner
with his hands tied behind his back [see Fig. 2, p. 336]).5

Did Europe get the idea of volley fire from Japan? After all, Oda
Nobunaga entertained many Western visitors, and military conversation,
with Westerners among others, formed one of his principal passions.6

Although no known Western source mentions Japanese volley fire, this
is merely absence of evidence, not evidence of absence: the discovery of
just one document in (say) the Jesuit Archives in Rome, in which a European
missionary described Japanese volley fire, perhaps associated with
evidence that the recipient mentioned it to a soldier, would transform the picture. Certainly, many Europeans proposed a similar tactic, for
infantry everywhere faced the same problem as the Japanese: how to
recharge muzzle-loading firearms before being overrun by the enemy.

Note that Oda Nobunaga is one of the three "makers of modern Japan" -- feudal warlords who ended centuries of civil war . . . Oda is the first, Hideyoshi the second, and Tokugawa the third and final, he's the Shogun in "Shogun" [Clavell chose to change the names and story a bit, but "Toranaga" is Tokugawa . . .]

[AmadeusEndymion]

Originally Posted by deepsepia

quoted...Volley fire was invented twice in the sixteenth century: in Japan duringthe 1560s and in the Dutch Republic in the 1590s.

Methinks the origin of the concept of "volley fire" is lost in the mists of history, probably shortly after the bow was first used in warfare. Possibly, when spears were organized into phalanxes, schiltrons or what have you.

[deepsepia]

Originally Posted by AmadeusEndymion

Methinks the origin of the concept of "volley fire" is lost in the mists of history, probably shortly after the bow was first used in warfare. Possibly, when spears were organized into phalanxes, schiltrons or what have you.

Talking about something slightly different here. In the century from about 1550 to 1650 there is a "military revolution", with volleyed infantry fire in precisely defined drills, sequences of steps performed in unison, that completely changes warfare.

That _doesn't_ come from earlier European archery. Europe's first gunmen -- "harquebusers" are more like crossbowmen, snipers. They do not volley fire, they are sharpshooters, not not line infantry. They are men of great technical skill and training, don't fight as an organized unit, and their skills aren't transferable to conscripts . . .

Originally Posted by Drill, Discipline, and the Rise of the West

In 1955, when historian Michael Roberts introduced the idea of the military revolution, he described one innovation as being at its heart: the development in Western Europe of new forms of military discipline and drill, or rather the return to ancient modes. The Romans had drilled their infantry in strict formations, but after the barbarian invasions the practice had died out. Roberts noted that in the late 1500s, ancient techniques were revived and applied to gun-toting infantry units, in an attempt “to return to Roman models in regard to . . . discipline and drill.”2 That’s not to say that the medievals hadn’t trained. According to Roberts, individual training was common. But there was no—or little—drilling in groups, a practice that allowed units to work in cohesion.

Systematic drill solved the problem of handheld guns. By the mid-1500s, European firearms had improved notably over the primitive guns of the late medieval period, but they were still dangerously slow. Under ideal circumstances, they required between twenty seconds and a minute to load, an eternity under fire.3

Infantry drill allows relatively untrained men to fire weapons, without aiming at anything in particular beyond their command, and to keep up a continuous fire through volleys. This is a genuine novelty, and together with the invention of the plug and then ring bayonets, completely changes the composition and professionalism of militaries. This is "the military revolution"

In Europe, Prince Maurice of Nassau explicitly referenced Roman military tactics in his writings where he introduces the forms of infantry drill , but given the Dutch contacts with Japan at the time, its quite possible that the Shogun's use of volley fire might have attracted attention. There's also some suggestion from Ottoman sources as well, indeed, you can find many groups claim this, for example the Poles

Originally Posted by Volley fire in Europe in the mid-16th century

The article explores the application of volley fire in European armies in the mid-16th century. On the basis of Polish sources, the authors established that shooting volleys was applied by Polish infantry in 1558. There was also training in collective loading and shooting conducted by a commander every few days. Fire was conducted in the Turkish manner, i. e. having fired a salvo the rank would kneel and load the weapon in this position. The painting referred to in the article «The Battle of Orsha» (created in the 1530s or 1540s) shows the West European manner of conducting combat by an infantry unit. It involved setting the shooters in three ranks and alternating firing at enemy positions with a simultaneous countermarch. This suggests that the method described for the first time by the Spanish in 1592 was spread half a century earlier. The sources show that in the mid-16th century, volley fire was known in vast Eurasian tracks from remote China, through the Ottoman Empire to the western ends of Europe. The difference lay in the way of conducting the volley fire, and the most effective form of fire applied in battles was invented by the Dutch in the 1590s. As a result of the enlargement of weapon size and the introduction of muskets, the method proposed by Tarnowski of loading firearms in kneeling position became increasingly obsolete.

This topic -- "the Military Revolution" -- is likely the most important idea to emerge in recent military history. Its not just the effectiveness of the tactic militarily, its that with the drill a group of conscripts could be readily become combat effective through a simple training process. So you get a transformation of armies from specialists, professional soldiers like the condottieri who require years and decades to achieve any degree of military effectiveness, to armies that could be conscripted in a matter of months.

So the Military Revolution doesn't just change armies, it changes societies. Earlier European armies are much smaller, and to be any good at anything required a huge amount of professional expertise . . . years, not months of experience and training. People spent a lifetime learning to ride and fight on horseback, for example . . .

[deepsepia]

Tanks for auction sale in the six figures

. . . includes a Swiss [UK made] Centurion tank and domestic Swiss Panzer 61, along with a Hotchkiss 37 mm five barreled wheeled gun.


The Hotchkiss is unusual enough to warrant listing the auction catalog in full. Its a kind of a crazy design, firing a heavy shell in a Gatling gun type design.

Rare and Highly Desirable Hotchkiss 37mm "1-Pounder" 5-Barrel Revolving Cannon with Iron Carriage

This is an attractive and highly desirable example of a rarely seen Hotchkiss 37mm "1-Pounder" 5-barrel revolving cannon mounted on an iron carriage. The Hotchkiss revolving cannon is similar in operation from an outside perspective to the more famous Gatling gun, though scaled up and with an entirely different internal operating mechanism; the 37mm bore dwarfs the .45 and .30 caliber Gatlings. Using a five-barrel cluster, the Hotchkiss cannon is fed with 9-round gravity driven magazines, which would be replaced by a gunner's assistant while the gunner operates the elevation and traverse knobs along with the main crank handle for firing, with capability of around 68 rounds per minute with a skilled operator and accuracy up to around 2,000 yards (over a mile).

These were invented in 1872 by Benjamin B. Hotchkiss. Versions were designed for field, fortress and naval use. They were used by several countries throughout the world, including the U.S., France, and Russia. A 37 mm Hotchkiss field gun is known to have been used by the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars including during the Ute Uprising in Colorado in 1879. Others were used during the Spanish-American War by both sides. Hotchkiss naval revolving cannons continued to be used even into World War I primarily as defensive weapons used by larger vessels against torpedo boats.

Marked with a circular "HOTCHKISS * PATENT/* PARIS 1875 *" around "No 17" on the rear. "17" marked on the end of the crank. Iron cone front sight with a detachable elevation and windage adjustable notch rear sight. The crank handle is iron with a swiveling brass grip, and mounts with a quick release latch. The iron carriage has a large shield, a storage compartment in the rear that has inserts to hold the included rear sight, oiler, crank handle and firing pin, and a fold out brass tipped transport rod is located on the rear. With this rod out, a single man can aim the cannon with some effort. "DIREITA" (right) and "ESQUIERDA" (left) marked in Spanish on the brass windage knob on the carriage. Included with the lot is a modern wood cartridge block spacer for use with cycling unloaded shell casings, and a metal box containing some modern empty shell casings.

More details can be found on Rock Island's May 17th sale "Premier Firearms Auction #4091"