McArthur’s Gamble: The Bold 1814 American Raid Into Canada
Amid the War of 1812 an American general eager to strike a blow against the British mounted a risky raid deep into western Upper Canada
Dún Nechtain: The Celtic Victory that Shaped Scotland
In 685, the Picts clashed with Angles in a fight that some historians believe forged the roots of present-day Scotland
Twilight of the Galleys off Lepanto
In 1571 Christian and Muslim fleets met off the coast of Greece, rowing into battle one last time
A Turn for the Worse: The 1775 Ambush at Bloody Angle
After the ‘shot heard round the world,’ as Redcoats retreated to Boston, Patriots sprang an ambush at a bend in the road known since as the Bloody Angle
SOS Indianapolis: Behind the Sinking of the Heavy Cruiser
It took a sailor, a schoolboy and survivors more than half a century to disperse the cloud hanging over the sinking of the heavy cruiser
German Failure at Chemin des Dames: How They Lost in 1918
A German feint over the Chemin des Dames in May 1918 gained more ground than expected before devolving into a logistical nightmare
Translating for Yamashita, the ‘Tiger of Malaya’
In 1945 a young Marine with an aptitude for languages landed in the midst of a war crimes trial with international ramifications
Rogers’ Rangers’ Risky 1759 St. Francis Raid
In 1759 British Maj. Robert Rogers and his vaunted rangers raided deep into Abenaki territory in Quebec—but fewer than half would make it back alive
The Modoc War: A Little Indian War Goes Big
What appeared just another police action against off-reservation Indians quickly flared into the dramatic and costly 1872–73 Modoc War
The Somers Mutiny: Justice From the Yardarms
In 1842 the captain of the brig USS Somers hanged three of his sailors for having plotted a mutiny—but had they?
The Yank Coastwatcher Who Risked All in the Pacific
During World War II, young American cattle rancher Franklin Nash served as a member of Australia’s covert Coastwatchers
Tommy’s Other Guns: Firearms Inventor John T. Thompson
Thompson’s namesake submachine gun became the stuff of legend, but his other firearms and ammunition innovations are nothing to sneeze at
Odyssey of the Ten Thousand
Hiring on for a Persian war they didn’t understand, Greek mercenaries faced an epic fight for their lives
Warplanes of a Different Stripe
A tragic 1943 friendly fire incident in Sicily prompted development of aircraft identification markings that saved countless lives on D-Day
Fort William Henry, 1757: A Fate Worse Than Surrender
On capturing Fort William Henry in 1757, the French commander offered his British prisoners safe passage—but his Indian allies weren’t feeling as magnanimous
The Fight for the ‘14th Colony,’ Nova Scotia
At the onset of the American Revolution the British and Americans each sought to sway New England settlers and First Nations tribes in Nova Scotia
