From January 6th, 2026 through January 12th, 2026, the calendar lines up with a set of moments that stretch from the founding of the American republic to the jet age and beyond. This week in history brings together a pamphlet that helped launch a revolution, a battlefield victory that closed out a young nation’s second war with Britain, and early flashes of the crisis that would become the American Civil War. It also highlights how the United States moved from a continental power to a global one, sending fleets across oceans and aircraft into distant skies. Across the decades, decisions in Congress, experiments in new technology, and the actions of individual soldiers and sailors all nudged the nation’s course. This edition of “This Week in U.S. Military History” traces some of those turning points and considers how they echo into the present.
“Common Sense” and the road to independence
In the winter of 1776, the Continental Army still clung to a shaky foothold around Boston, and many colonists remained uncertain whether they wanted a full break with Britain. The publication of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “Common Sense” on January 10th, 1776 poured fuel on the growing fire for independence. Written in direct, forceful language, it argued that a small island should not rule a vast continent and that monarchy itself was an insult to natural rights. Copies spread quickly through the colonies, discussed in taverns, homes, and camps where soldiers waited out the cold. By giving ordinary readers a clear case for a final break, “Common Sense” helped create the political will needed to sustain a long war. Its influence would be felt when delegates later voted for independence and when soldiers marched under a new American flag.
Open the Wiki entryThe Battle of New Orleans crowns the War of 1812
On January 8th, 1815, Major General Andrew Jackson’s polyglot American force faced veteran British troops advancing on New Orleans. Behind earthworks hastily thrown up along the Chalmette Plantation, regulars, militia, free men of color, sailors, and frontiersmen waited with cannon loaded and muskets ready. When the British columns marched into range, American artillery and small arms tore into their ranks, cutting down officers and breaking the assault in bloody minutes. The battle came after a peace treaty had already been negotiated in Europe, but news had not crossed the Atlantic. Even so, the victory had real strategic weight, confirming American control of the Mississippi River and the gateway to the interior. It also became a powerful symbol of national resilience, lifting morale after a war that had seen the capital burned and the young republic tested.
Open the Wiki entryThe Star of the West repulsed at Charleston
In the tense weeks after South Carolina seceded, a small Union relief ship named Star of the West steamed toward Charleston Harbor. Its mission was to bring supplies and reinforcements to Major Robert Anderson’s garrison at Fort Sumter. On January 9th, 1861, as the ship approached the harbor’s defenses, shore batteries manned in part by South Carolina forces and cadets from the state’s military academy opened fire. The shots splashed around the vessel, and although Star of the West was not sunk, her captain broke off the attempt and turned back to sea. No formal state of war yet existed, but the exchange was a stark sign that compromise was slipping away. The incident hardened attitudes on both sides and served as a rehearsal for the bombardment of Fort Sumter that would soon ignite full-scale civil war.
Open the Wiki entryAlabama leaves the Union
Just two days after the Star of the West was fired upon, delegates in Montgomery voted on Alabama’s future in the Union. On January 11th, 1861, the state convention adopted an ordinance of secession, aligning Alabama with the already departed South Carolina and Mississippi. The decision brought another of the Deep South states into the emerging Confederate camp, tightening the ring of seceded territory along the Gulf Coast and adding manpower, industry, and strategic ports to the rebellion. In the weeks that followed, more states would follow this path, creating the Confederate States of America and setting the stage for four years of war. Alabama’s choice underscores how quickly the crisis escalated from political dispute to military confrontation, and how state-level decisions could reshape the balance of forces on the map.
Open the Wiki entryTheodore Roosevelt’s last reveille
In the early hours of January 6th, 1919, Theodore Roosevelt died in his sleep at Sagamore Hill, closing the life of a man who had left a deep imprint on American military history. As a young politician, he had resigned his post to help raise the volunteer cavalry regiment that would be remembered as the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War. His charge up the hills above Santiago, alongside regular Army units and fellow volunteers, became part of the nation’s martial legend. As president, he championed a modern battle fleet, sent the “Great White Fleet” on a global cruise, and pushed for reforms that shaped the professional officer corps. His death came just months after the end of the First World War, at a moment when the United States was deciding how it would engage with the world. Roosevelt’s passing marked the end of an era of exuberant expansion and signaled a changing generation of leaders.
Open the Wiki entryLend-Lease and the “arsenal of democracy” take form
As war raged across Europe and Asia, the United States still officially stood neutral in January 1941, but the lines were beginning to blur. On January 10th, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt’s administration saw the Lend-Lease bill introduced in Congress, proposing that the United States could lend or lease war material to nations whose defense was deemed vital to American security. The idea was simple but far-reaching: instead of demanding immediate payment, the United States would supply ships, aircraft, weapons, and food to embattled allies like Britain and later the Soviet Union. This marked a decisive step toward using American industrial power as a weapon long before American troops arrived on distant battlefields. The legislation, debated and refined in the months that followed, helped transform the nation into what Roosevelt called the “arsenal of democracy,” shaping logistics and strategy for the rest of the Second World War.
Open the Wiki entryLingayen Gulf and the return to Luzon
On January 9th, 1945, American forces surged ashore along the beaches of Lingayen Gulf on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Supported by a powerful naval and air armada, soldiers of the United States Sixth Army waded through surf under the threat of mines, artillery, and kamikaze attacks that had already cost the fleet dearly during the approach. The landings opened the main campaign to liberate Luzon, fulfilling General Douglas MacArthur’s pledge to return and freeing a key archipelago that sat astride vital sea lanes. Inland, troops pushed toward Manila and the mountainous interior, facing dug-in Japanese defenders who had prepared for a last stand. The operation was one of the largest amphibious assaults of the Pacific war and demonstrated how the United States had mastered complex joint operations by its final year.
Open the Wiki entryOperation Chopper and the age of air mobility
By early 1962, American involvement in Vietnam was still officially described in terms of advisors, but the character of that involvement was already changing. On January 12th, 1962, Operation Chopper saw United States Army helicopters lift South Vietnamese troops into action against insurgent forces near Saigon. The mission may have seemed modest at the time, but it showcased the emerging doctrine of air mobility, using rotary-wing aircraft to move infantry quickly over difficult terrain. Crews and troops learned hard lessons about coordination, landing zones, and the vulnerability of aircraft under fire. In the years ahead, helicopter-borne operations would become a defining feature of the Vietnam War, from air cavalry assaults to medical evacuation flights. Operation Chopper thus stands as an early marker of how new technology was reshaping the way American forces moved and fought.
Open the Wiki entryCongress authorizes war in the Persian Gulf
As the deadline for Iraqi forces to leave Kuwait approached in the winter of 1991, the United States confronted a crucial decision. On January 12th, 1991, after intense debate, Congress passed a resolution authorizing the use of military force to uphold United Nations demands and drive Iraqi troops out of Kuwait. The vote affirmed the president’s ability to lead a coalition into combat but also underscored the constitutional role of the legislature in questions of war and peace. For American service members already deployed to the Persian Gulf, the decision signaled that a massive air and ground campaign was imminent. The authorization helped define how the United States would handle large-scale interventions in the post–Cold War world, combining alliance diplomacy, advanced technology, and televised conflict in ways that would shape public memory and military planning for decades.
Open the Wiki entryAcross the Week
Taken together, these events show how a single week on the calendar can link pamphlets, plantations, harbor channels, and helicopter landing zones across centuries. They trace the path from a fragile rebellion tying its cause to common sense, through a young republic fighting for control of its rivers, to a divided nation sliding toward civil war. They follow the rise of leaders who believed in a strong navy and global reach, the use of factories and shipyards as weapons, and the steady expansion of American commitments overseas. They also remind us that each decision, whether in a state convention hall or on the floor of Congress, can shape where and why service members deploy. As we mark these anniversaries, we honor the people who stood in the mud, on the decks, and under the rotors when history called their names.