Angry Staff Officer Profile picture
Jan 9, 2022 7 tweets 3 min read Read on X
Ben Butler, man. Saving thousands of lives from an epidemic. Between this and his advocacy for USCT, it might be time to revisit his historiography

(An Environmental History of the Civil War, 32)
Good note here: smallpox vaccinations were also enforced in the US Army in the Civil War, beginning in 1861
This is the kind of nerdery I live for. The effects of weather and geology on the Peninsula Campaign of 1862.
And this right here, military history needs more of this type of analysis. What were the environmental effects on an army, and what did that do to the commander's decision making process? Nearly 40% of the AoP being combat ineffective is a big deal.
What did it mean for the confederacy that 75% of its horses died every year and that they could not get a reliable supply of horseshoes?

Reduced mobility and firepower

Logistics wins and loses wars. Always.
Holy crap. @megankatenelson, this is mind-boggling. Adding "Ruin Nation" to my reading list, now.
Finished this in one sitting - a fascinating perspective on warfare. Much of it is merely summaries of secondary sources, but thru a different lens. There's also some original research. Definitely a good way to change one's thinking about war and conflict, highly recommend

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More from @pptsapper

Mar 15
So, I'm finishing up Sears' "Lincoln's Lieutenants" for the 2d time, and it remains an exceptional work. One of the most solid examinations of brigade and higher leadership of the Army of the Potomac that exists. But while I love everything Sears does, he's in the tactics trap
For example, he has nothing but disdain for Sigel and Butler, and other "political" generals

And yes, from a tactical level, they're not great. Not really bringing in the battlefield Ws

But that's only half the story.
By keeping Franz Sigel in a US Army uniform, Lincoln is ensuring continued German American enlistments

Political generals ensure continued Congressional and state financial and materiel support for the war

Building a national army is hard

Building a national idea is harder
Read 7 tweets
Aug 26, 2023
There's a decent chance y'all are gonna hear about some conspiracy theorist shit from the 1600s based on my consumption of the alcohols this evening

This acts as your WARNORD

So, like, be warned or whatever
Ok so like, you think America today is bad with conspiracy theories

I mean, it's pretty shitty, I won't lie, but it's got nothin on 1689 when everyone apparently lost their shit and just decided to overthrow govt

This historic rant brought to you by 3 incredibly generous G&Ts
Look, it's the 1680s,and shit in the English colonies on north America is getting weird af. Lots of pacts and shit for common defense against those evil papist French who are hiding behind every tree and also probs behind you right now

With baguettes or whatever
Read 18 tweets
Aug 20, 2023
Modern war remains artillery intensive. Ever since the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, belligerents have been constrained by availability of artillery ammunition. To believe that precision fires significantly changes this is to live in a delusional world. We need more production.
And for the love of the gods, spare me with the "faltering offensive" takes. Operational offensives require mass reserves and mass logistics, as well as incredibly difficult synchronization of combined arms -- and they don't look flashy. They are nasty, grinding, bloody things
If you can achieve a breakthrough, you need more reserves, more logistics to sustain the momentum, but it's very very hard to predict where a breakthrough will happen and then quickly mass combat power at that site. Technology cannot eliminate the tyranny of time and space
Read 4 tweets
Aug 1, 2023
Ok SO

I may have had some wine and yo, if you think this was the first time in American history a presidential candidate tried this exact thing, baby, have I got a story for you

It's been a hot minute since we did some #drunjhistory huh

Let's remedy that
So it's 1876, and America is, as many historians have said, a hot ass mess

Like, former treasoners in the south are actively fighting the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments and using lots of violence to try to keep white supremacy, US troops are actively fighting them
The election is between Rutherford Hayes, who ate a bullet at South mountain in 62 so you know he's a badass G, and samuel tilden, who's like, a guy. He opposed Lincoln but was like "I guess the union is ok"

And the election is TIGHT. CLOSW. LIKE. super duper close
Read 18 tweets
Mar 30, 2023
Dear god, who deconflicts SDZs on Mandalorian firing ranges
A warrior culture but literally no one is on guard duty against the MANY large hostile creatures on their planet

Well, that's what "warriors" gets ya
Bets on how long Bo Katan will put up with the crazy cultists before she decides to bounce
Read 4 tweets
Mar 19, 2023
Teaching cadets about the 2003 invasion of Iraq...They would look at me quizzically after doing the reading, saying "this still doesn't make sense, everyone knew this was a bad idea, why did it happen?"

I'd sigh, and say

"Well, you kinda had to be there at the time"
Well that blew up. Been off Twitter all day.

A few thoughts

One, I was one of those neocons who thought it was a good idea - all of 17 years old, of course. I believed that we wouldn't go to war without true and valid reasons for doing so. I was one of many, many Americans
Two, with the cadets, we had just emerged from a discussion on Vietnam and the Powell Doctrine. They were flabbergasted that Powell agreed to such an open violation of his principles. We spent a lot of time discussing hindsight, politics, and a nation's emotional reaction to 9/11
Read 6 tweets

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