War Stories of Times Past
If I were to tell you that I love stories about war, would you believe me?
Have you ever had an interest in stories of bravery and valor, of honor and courage? Well, if so, then good for you! This site is worth checking out: https://youtube.com/channel/UCQ4Dt4LmFZp4nohcV_B6iXw
Reading about the war is my favorite thing to do. Here’s why. War isn’t pretty–that’s a given. But it also means people are doing some really awesome things outside of killing each other with bullets or grenades or bombs. It involves putting your life on the line for something bigger than yourself. Some put themselves through hell just for their buddies next to them; others fearlessly charge up hills with bullets flying by their heads because they’re the only ones left standing between victory and defeat; some sacrifice their own health and well-being just to provide a sense of safety for the people they love.
That’s what I think about when I hear stories about war. It makes me feel better knowing that even in times of despair, there is some good to be found. Stories about war mean so much more than anyone can imagine–it reminds you you’re not alone. We have always been here fighting together, and we will continue to fight until the end because this is our home…our planet to protect from those who seek its destruction.
These days we do not see how war is like in ancient warfare or maybe even modern warfare. The Revolutionary War took place between 1775-1783. This war was fought with the original 13 colonies against Great Britain for independence from British rule. During this time George Washington (who later became president) was a general and led troops into battle and victory against the British Army. Many people did not know that during this Revolutionary War, most soldiers who fought were young men in their twenties; they most likely joined because there was no one else to fight for them at home while most of their fathers went to battle on the front lines.
Some Revolutionary War uniforms were blue with long jackets and white or brown trousers. The outfit was a stark contrast to what the soldiers have to wear in the Civil War, but nevertheless they fought for their country in these clothes. During this time many things had not been invented yet so fighting consisted of armies meeting face-to-face and shooting at each other with muskets from a distance of about 100 yards. Revolutionary War soldiers survived by trading supplies from local towns people when they ran out of food supplies on the battlefields which could be up to 3 days away from home camp.
The Revolutionary War was probably one of the most famous wars during it’s time because, unlike any war before it, leaders of the Revolutionary War wrote down specific rules for how to fight wars which are now known as the rules of war. The Revolutionary War was not won with one battle, it took many battles and long sieges until the British Army surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781. It is important for us to learn about these War Stories of Times Past because it may teach future generations what not to do during combat situations.
The Civil War was fought between 1861-1865. This war started because 11 southern states seceded from the United States and formed their own government called The Confederate States of America . Abraham Lincoln was the president at this time who tried to keep these states united force but failed, so he ordered a naval blockade of southern ports in order to force them back into the United States. However, when doing this Lincoln was criticized by countries from all around the world because these countries had been trading with America since 1846 when The Rush-Bagot Agreement was signed which limited the number of ships and ammunition allowed in North America’s Great Lakes region.
The Civil War soldiers wore a grey uniform that is similar to Revolutionary War dress but more modernized. This uniforms were made out of wool and they were hot and itchy in hotter weathers, especially in summertime when the humidity was high. These soldiers fought with a shorter rifle than Revolutionary War soldiers did called a rifled musket . They also fought with cannons, but did not have horses to ride like Revolutionary War soldiers did. They would call out orders and sing songs while they fought, such as this ode to war:
‘We are coming Father Abraham, 300 thousand more
We leave our homes and firesides with bleeding hearts and sore;
By the stench from camps in which we dwell, by all that heaven holds dear,
We will show our spirit true. I tell you we will fight!
The Civil War was a very deadly war because it involved so many people fighting at once. The dead were piled up in heaps of hundreds or thousands depending on the battle during the last major battle in 1865 called The Battle of Palmito Hill . Both American and Confederate soldiers were killed in this battle. See more about Civil War stories here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ4Dt4LmFZp4nohcV_B6iXw
World War 1 was a war that started because of the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand , heir to the throne of Austro-Hungary, by someone trying to kill him named Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914. This happened because years before when Austria annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina on October 6, 1908 against Serbia’s will. So when the archduke died many people blamed it on Serbia even though they were just one of hundreds thrown into chaos after his death. These countries were Russia, France, England (UK), Canada, Australia/New Zealand, South Africa(not independent at this time)and other smaller European countries. Each country had a different reason to fight in this war, but the common ground was they wanted Germany to pay for starting it.
World War 1 soldiers wore a French style helmet that has become iconic ever since then called a Brodie Helmet . They also fought with a new firearm at the time called the bolt action rifle which had more stopping power than Revolutionary War Musket’s and Civil War Rifled Muskets did. World War 1 is significant because it was the first war where weapons of mass destruction were used such as mustard gas , tear gas, chlorine gas, and phosgene gas which is sometimes called The Silent Killer because if you inhaled enough of it your lungs would fill up with fluid and you would die.
Although World War 1 was a horrible, bloody war it did spur many advancements in medicine after the war such as blood banks and x-ray machines. The reason for this is because they realized how important having clean water and sterilized tools were to prevent infections from happening. So, next time you give blood at your local Red Cross thank Revolutionary War soldiers because giving blood was first practiced during Revolutionary War times when George Washington’s doctor used leeches to suck out the blood of his men who had been injured by Hessian mercenaries.
World War 2 had more countries involved than World War 1 had, including almost every country on every continent except one called Antarctica. This war started just under two decades later than World War 1 did when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Many changes happened in this war compared to all the other wars before it. One of these was that women were given the right to vote in America after they proved their worthiness by doing many jobs men used to do such as working assembly lines during war production and becoming nurses for injured soldiers.
World War 2 had changes in uniforms too because this time clothes could be mass produced much faster than Revolutionary War or Civil War times so instead of everyone wearing their own individual uniform there was one standard uniform made for everyone called The Army Green Uniform . They also fought with a new kind of firearm called semi-automatic rifles which are still used today in every country’s army called The M1 Garand Rifle . World War 2 not only changed the way America fought wars but it changed the way all other countries fought wars. After World War 2 was over many soldiers were given back their guns, but they noticed that some countries’ guns used bullets at a much higher velocity than others did because of this soldiers started to use something called ball ammunition which has less power behind it compared to armor piercing rounds that are like tiny rockets flying through the air. So, next time you see your grandfather’s old rifle or shotgun check to see if it’s legal for hunting with in your area or else you could get fined up to $10,000 dollars by using an illegal firearm!
To see more videos on history and Soldier’s War Stories, https://youtube.com/channel/UCQ4Dt4LmFZp4nohcV_B6iXw/