America at War

Born out of conflict during the War of Independence with Great Britain, the United States has gone from colony to global superpower in little over 230 years. In America at War, we’ll explore how the USA has been defined by warfare, its most iconic engagements and the weapons and technology it’s used throughout history. We start by looking at the conflicts that shaped the nation’s formation and early years – from the American Revolution to the Civil War. From here we’ll uncover how the United States established itself on the global stage, playing a key role in the 20th century’s two world wars and going head-to-head with the USSR during the Cold War. As a world superpower the US has become a target for terrorism, which led to the attacks…

“THE WAR HAD BEEN WON ON THE BACKS OF BRITISH TAXPAYERS, AND THE COLONISTS HAD BUILT A PROSPEROUS ECONOMY. THEREFORE, MPS REASONED THAT THE COLONIES SHOULD SHARE THE EXPENSES” Nearly two centuries after the first permanent English settlement in North America had been established at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, an amazing and perhaps completely unexpected phenomenon had developed in the 13 colonies where Great Britain had invested enormous treasure, nurtured and defended its people and now expected similar support. Although succeeding generations had been born and raised in North America, the colonists still considered themselves subjects of the British crown. However, separated from the mother country by the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, they were a diverse people, particularly as exploration and settlement of the North American continent spread inexorably westward. A…

On 19 October 1781, the opposing forces at Yorktown gathered in a meadow near the village, the victorious American and French ranks flanking the dirt road along which the British and Hessian troops marched to lay down their arms. General Cornwallis was mortified with the defeat and feigned illness, choosing not to attend the ceremonies. Instead, he sent his sword with his subordinate, General Charles O’Hara. As the British and Hessian soldiers marched down the surrender road, their band struck up the children’s nursery tune The World Turned Upside Down. Indeed it had. The story goes that as O’Hara approached the victors he first tried to surrender to the French commander, Comte de Rochambeau, who refused to accept the sword. Rochambeau nodded toward General George Washington, who also refused and pointed…

For most of the Revolutionary War the British Royal Navy maintained a crippling blockade of American ports, stifling the flow of precious materials needed badly for the Continental Army to continue the conflict. British warships chased blockade runners and engaged vessels of the fledgling American navy, often getting the best of the rebels with superior firepower and tactics. On two occasions, though, the Royal Navy lost the upper hand. On 23 September 1779, Captain John Paul Jones, commanding the old frigate Bonhomme Richard, engaged the British frigate Serapis in the North Sea off Flamborough Head near the coast of Yorkshire. When the British captain inquired as to whether Jones had surrendered, the upstart replied, “I have not yet begun to fight!” The slogan remains a favoured motto in the modern United…

“THE NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES WERE FOR THE MOST PART WARRIOR SOCIETIES, WITH TRIBES FIGHTING THEIR NEIGHBOURS FOR LAND AND RESOURCES BEFORE THE EUROPEANS ARRIVED. A MAJOR SHIFT OCCURRED WHEN THE TRIBES OBTAINED HORSES” The Indian Wars in the United States of America consisted of many raids and ambushes: major clashes were few and far between. In the former, the Native American warriors were able to even the odds, but in the latter they found themselves outgunned by a foe that possessed far greater resources both in manpower and equipment. These conflicts stretched over the course of nearly three centuries, from the earliest time that European colonists arrived in America to the final decade of the 19th century. The Native American tribes were for the most part warrior societies, with tribes fighting their…

01 DIVISION INTO THREE BATTALIONS Seventh Cavalry Regiment commander Lt Col George Armstrong Custer divided his 12 companies into three battalions. He ordered Major Marcus Reno to take three companies (A, G, and M) and attack the encampment on the valley floor from the south. Custer took five companies to strike the enemy rear from the east. He ordered Captain Frederick Benteen to take three companies (D, H and K) and block the enemy’s retreat by moving around it to the west. Captain Thomas McDougall guarded the pack train with Company B. 02 RENO’S FAILED CHARGE Reno deployed at 3.00pm. After a brief charge, the men dismounted and formed a skirmish line. The Lakota warriors counterattacked in strength, forcing Reno to withdraw to a stand of timber along the river. 03 RENO’S DESPERATE RETREAT Believing…