Michael E. Haskew – författare

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned. After his early success in the Civil War’s Western Theater, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant moved south to capture the key railroad hub at Corinth and further cut into the Confederate hold on the Tennessee and Mississippi River Valleys. But Confederate Gen. Albert S. Johnston wasn’t playing by Grant’s script. Instead of waiting for Grant to combine armies with Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell, Johnston moved north for a surprise attack. It almost worked. But after taking a beating the first day, a resolute Grant rallied his army and pushed the Confederates back, salvaging victory from what appeared to be certain defeat and further opening the Confederacy’s vulnerable Western flank. But Shiloh was also a sobering wake-up call for both sides. With carnage on a scale not seen before, all illusions of a short and low-cost war were shattered.

Get facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more in this concise summary of the Texas Revolution’s legendary “last stand.” During the Texas Revolution, the Mexican Army clashed with Texan forces on several battlefields—the most famous of which was the Alamo. During this thirteen-day siege, a small group of defenders held out against overwhelming odds only to die in the final Mexican assault on the Alamo mission. Although it was clearly a tactical defeat for the Texans, this legendary “last stand” was a sentinel event during the Texas Revolution. Today, the Alamo still evokes sentiments of patriotism, courage, and determination against great odds.Learn how Bowie, Travis, and Neill fought a desperate fight against the vastly superior army of General Santa Anna. Also learn how Santa Anna inadvertently let tactical victory turn into strategic defeat.The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

A concise summary of this turning point in the American Revolution with facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more. By the summer of 1780, Great Britain held the advantage in the American Revolution. A strategic shift to the south had borne fruit. British forces controlled the major ports of Savannah and Charleston, and Maj. Gen. Charles Cornwallis had recently trounced American forces under Gen. Horatio Gates at Camden, South Carolina. But Gen. Nathanael Greene, Gen. George Washington’s newly appointed southern commander, was about to turn things around. Instead of massing his forces, he divided them, sending Brig. Gen. Daniel Morgan southwestward.When British forces caught up to Morgan at Cowpens in January 1781, he was more than ready. Morgan’s victory was a tactical masterpiece, echoing Hannibal’s ancient triumph over the Romans at Cannae. Cowpens set in motion a chain of events leading to Yorktown and, ultimately, American independence.Learn how Daniel Morgan effectively used the Continental militia while designing a tactical plan to exploit the overconfidence and aggressiveness of his British opponent, Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton.The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

Get facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more in this concise summary of the notoriously bloody Civil War battle. During the late summer of 1862, Confederate forces launched their first invasion of the North. When Union forces met them near Sharpsburg, Maryland, along Antietam Creek, the result was the “bloodiest day” in American military history. Although the battle of Antietam was a tactical draw, Union Gen. George McClellan stopped Lee’s invasion. It was a significant enough strategic “victory” to discourage European intervention in the Civil War and for President Abraham Lincoln to broaden the moral aspects of the conflict by issuing his famous Emancipation Proclamation.Learn why Robert E. Lee took great risk in dividing his army as he moved north, and how General McClellan squandered an opportunity for victory with his uncoordinated assaults during the battle.The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

A concise guide to the Japanese attack on Hawaii that plunged America into WWII, with facts, maps, historical significance, and more.As America prepared for WWII, everything changed on December 7, 1941—described by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a “date which will live in infamy”—when Japan launched a successful surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor. The devastating attack crippled the fleet, while showing the world the new dominance of carrier-borne aircraft in naval warfare. Japan’s tactical success, however, belied her strategic failure. With America’s declaration of war the following day, Japan had created a determined and powerful enemy. And while Japan did gain time to expand in the Pacific, that time would be short-lived. Japan had awakened the “sleeping giant” of America.Learn how Admiral Yamamoto’s bold plan caught America by surprise yet doomed the larger Japanese cause. Learn also about Japan’s lost opportunities during the attack—opportunities that would have tilted the scales decidedly more in her favor.The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

Get facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more in this concise summary of Robert E. Lee’s victory in Virginia. The Confederate victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville is considered the crowning military achievement of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Against the numerically superior Union Army of the Potomac, Lee took a calculated risk by dividing his Army of Northern Virginia in what would become the largest flanking maneuver of the Civil War. The risk paid off with a stunning victory.Learn how “Fighting Joe” Hooker squandered his good strategy with his timid leadership, and how Robert E. Lee took prudent risk to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.

Sitting on the edge of empires, for more than 2000 years before the birth of Christ the Biblical lands were fought over by rival peoples – Canaanites, Philistines, Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans. Forming a land bridge between Eurasia and Africa and controlling access to the eastern Mediterranean, the territory that today makes up much of the modern state of Israel has proved a tempting prize for a wide array of would-be conquerors. Battles of the Bible Illustrated Atlas introduces 20 key battles from the Biblical era. Beginning with the Israelites’ campaign against Ai (1407 BC) and finishing with the siege of Masada (73 AD), examples from every major campaign are featured. The book contains the major Hebrew leaders such as Saul and David, the invasion of the Assyrians and the enslavement of the Israelites by the Babylonians. Each battle includes a contextual introduction, a description of the action, and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially-commissioned map illustrating the dispositions and movement of forces helps the reader grasp the course of the battle. Authoritatively written and with more than 200 maps, artworks and photographs, Battles of the Bible Illustrated Atlas is an essential companion for anyone interested in Ancient military history.