Collections: Total Generalship: Commanding Pre-Modern Armies, Part IIIb: Officers

This is the continuation of the third part of our four(ish) part (I, II, IIIa) series looking at the role of the general in commanding pre-gunpowder armies in battle. Last time we looked at how an army's discipline could limit or expand the options available to its general: drill creating synchronized discipline could expand the … Continue reading Collections: Total Generalship: Commanding Pre-Modern Armies, Part IIIb: Officers →

Collections: Total Generalship: Commanding Pre-Modern Armies, Part IIIa: Discipline

This is the third(ish) part of our four(ish)-part (I, II) look at the role of the general in the command of pre-modern armies, particularly in the context of a pitched battle. Last time, we looked at the limits on the ability of the general to communicate his orders to his army. While films and video … Continue reading Collections: Total Generalship: Commanding Pre-Modern Armies, Part IIIa: Discipline →

Collections: Total Generalship: Commanding Pre-Modern Armies, Part II: Commands

This is the second of a four-part (I) look at the role of the general in a pre-modern army, particularly in the context of a pitched battle. Last week, we looked at the information a general might have before and during a battle. What we found was that, in contrast to the broadly omniscient generals … Continue reading Collections: Total Generalship: Commanding Pre-Modern Armies, Part II: Commands →

Collections: Total Generalship: Commanding Pre-Modern Armies, Part I: Reports

This week we're going to start a four-part look at the role of the pre-modern general or army commander, particularly in the context of a pitched battle. This is of course a vast topic, but we are going to focus not on tactical or strategic questions but on a lot of the nuts and bolts … Continue reading Collections: Total Generalship: Commanding Pre-Modern Armies, Part I: Reports →

Fireside Friday, May 20, 2022

Fireside this week! Next week we'll be diving into a series (I am imagining four parts) on pre-modern generalship (with a particular emphasis on the broader Mediterranean world in classical antiquity and the middle ages) and the ways that it was shaped by key constraints which are often removed in modern imaginings of command (particularly … Continue reading Fireside Friday, May 20, 2022 →

Collections: Ancient ‘Tanks’? Chariots, Scythed Chariots and Carroballistae

Building on last week's post on tanks and a few of the comments there, this week I wanted to talk about the ancient (and medieval) weapon-systems often analogized to tanks and the degree to which they had a role similar to tanks. I have lost count of how many times I have seen in this … Continue reading Collections: Ancient ‘Tanks’? Chariots, Scythed Chariots and Carroballistae →

Collections: When is a ‘Tank’ Not a Tank?

(There were some technical difficulties with this post when it first went live. They should be resolved now. My apologies for anyone who got multiple email updates as a result of efforts to get the post working.) This week we're going to look at everyone's favorite kind of armored fighting vehicle, the tank. In part … Continue reading Collections: When is a ‘Tank’ Not a Tank? →