Battle of Belleau Wood
A story of a desperate stand in the woods and how it changed the wider war.
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391 results for “Battles & Campaigns”
Showing 19–36
Battle of Bennington
On August 16th, 1777, American militia under Brigadier General John Stark struck a British foraging column near Bennington in what is now Vermont. The British force, made up of German auxiliaries and Loyalists, had been sent out from General Burgoyne’s main army to gather supplies and horses for the invasion toward Albany.
Battle of Big Bethel
Early in the Civil War, Union and Confederate forces clashed near Big Bethel Church in southeastern Virginia in one of the first significant land battles of the conflict. On June 10th, 1861, mostly inexperienced Union volunteers attempted a night march and dawn attack against Confederate positions but suffered from confusing orders, difficult terrain, and misidentification of friendly units.
Battle of Boydton Plank Road
In the autumn of the Petersburg Campaign, Union commanders launched a series of flanking offensives aimed at severing the rail and wagon routes that kept Robert E.
Battle of Brandy Station
Just two years later, cavalrymen of the Union and Confederacy collided near Brandy Station, Virginia in what became the largest mounted battle ever fought in North America. On June 9th, 1863, Union cavalry crossed the Rappahannock River in a surprise attack aimed at probing Confederate movements as Robert E. Lee’s army shifted north toward Pennsylvania. Throughout the day, sabers and carbines flashed across fields an
Battle of Buena Vista
By February 23rd, 1847, the Battle of Buena Vista in northern Mexico had reached its decisive phase. General Zachary Taylor’s outnumbered American force, including U.S. regulars and state volunteer regiments, faced a much larger army led by Santa Anna along a series of ridges and arroyos near Saltillo. The terrain allowed the Americans to anchor their line, but Santa Anna probed for weak points all day, at times driv
Battle of Bull Run
Just outside Manassas, Virginia, the first major land battle of the Civil War tore away any illusion of a quick, clean victory. Union forces under Brigadier General Irvin McDowell marched out from Washington hoping to strike inexperienced Confederate troops and end the rebellion in a single blow. Instead they found determined opposition and a battlefield that quickly grew chaotic, with brigades feeding in piecemeal a
Battle of Bunker Hill
The day after Washington accepted his new burden, militiamen outside Boston met the British army in one of the Revolution’s most famous early battles. Though remembered as the Battle of Bunker Hill, most of the fighting raged on nearby Breed’s Hill, where colonial forces hastily fortified a position overlooking the harbor. British commanders, determined to break the rebel grip on the peninsulas around Boston, launche
Battle of Cambrai
Before sunrise on November 20, 1917, the British attack began without the usual warning. There was no long preliminary bombardment to announce that an offensive was coming. No days of shellfire tearing the battlefield apart in advance. Instead, the opening movement at Cambrai depended on secrecy, timing, and the strange mechanical presence of hundreds of tanks moving toward the German line.
Battle of Camden
Three years later to the day, August 16th, 1780, the Continental Army suffered one of its worst defeats at Camden, South Carolina. Major General Horatio Gates led a hastily assembled army of Continentals and militia against a seasoned British force under Lord Cornwallis. Marching through swampy country on poor rations, many of Gates’s men were already in bad condition before the battle even began.
Battle of Cantigny
When the United States entered the First World War, many allies wondered how quickly American units could adapt to the brutal demands of the Western Front. On May 28th, 1918, the Army’s 1st Division attacked the German-held village of Cantigny in France, supported by tanks, artillery, and aircraft. The assault seized the shattered village and, more importantly, held it against persistent counterattacks and heavy shel
Battle of Cape Esperance off Guadalcanal
Two decades later, another critical October engagement unfolded at night near Cape Esperance, off the embattled island of Guadalcanal.
Battle of Carrizal
During the Punitive Expedition sent into Mexico after Pancho Villa’s raid on Columbus, New Mexico, American and Mexican forces found themselves in an increasingly tense standoff. On June 21st, 1916, a detachment of the 10th U.S. Cavalry, composed largely of African American “Buffalo Soldiers,” encountered Mexican federal troops loyal to President Carranza near the town of Carrizal. Orders, warnings, and counterorders
Battle of Castle Itter
As the war in Europe neared its end, one of its strangest engagements unfolded at a medieval fortress in the Austrian Tyrol. Castle Itter held prominent French prisoners, including former prime ministers and generals, guarded by German troops who themselves faced collapse as American forces drew near. In early May, a Wehrmacht officer and Austrian resistance members decided to switch sides, seeking help from an Ameri
Battle of Cedar Creek
In the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Union forces under General Philip Sheridan awoke on October 19th, 1864 to a surprise Confederate attack that drove many units from their camps and seemed to threaten a major defeat.
Battle of Chancellorsville
Hooker’s spring offensive crossed the Rappahannock with an ambitious plan but ended in withdrawal. The main battle, Jackson’s flank march, and Sedgwick’s separate advance formed one campaign whose local actions cannot be reduced to a single surprise attack.
Battle of Chapultepec
During the Mexican–American War, United States forces under Major General Winfield Scott advanced on Mexico City, meeting fierce resistance at fortified positions west of the capital.
Battle of Chosin Reservoir
A story of a frozen fighting withdrawal and how it reshaped the war in Korea.