USAHEC: USAHEC Educators' Toolbox: Additional Military History Vignettes

Short Vignettes for your Classroom

From 1979 through 1985, the Military History Institute (USAMHI) of the USAHEC drew submissions from students and scholars from within the MHI and from throughout the country to publish as Military History Vignettes. Each of these short stories is a well-researched look at a specific topic in military history and is perfect for small group readings and critical thinking discussion in the classroom.

101: Watch on the Rhine
Theme: Loyalty
Description: A young Russian soldier persuaded Frederick the Great to give him a watch.
Notable Persons/Locations: Frederick the Great; Russia
105: L'Affaire Redl
Theme: Loyalty
Description: Colonel Alfred Redl, an Austro-Hungarian officer and Russian spy, was caught after his extravagant lifestyle aroused suspicion.
Notable Personas/Locations: Colonel Alfred Redl; General Dmitri Gourko; Russia
109: On Military Critics
Theme: Leadership
Description: A Roman Consul addressed the public on the topic of learning the art of war.
Notable Personas/Locations: Lucius Paulus; Rome; Macedonia
117: The Sword of Jean Louis Michel
Theme: Personal Courage & Selfless Service
Description: French fencer Jean-Louis Michel ended a feud between an Italian and French regiment.
Notable Personas/Locations: Jean-Louis Michel; Giacomo Ferrari
122: Esprit de Corps and Morale
Theme: Morale
Description: A discussion of the importance of developing esprit de corps in the military, and how its development contributes to increased morale.
Notable Persons/Locations: John Fortescue
127: Frederick the Great and the Prussian Officer Corps
Theme: Leadership
Description: Frederick the Great had a habit of questioning the nobility of each of his new officers, including this humorous instance.
Notable Persons/Locations: Frederick the Great
133: Granddaughter of One Great Captain
Theme: Unconventional/Innovation
Description: A brief biography of the granddaughter of President Ulysses S. Grant, Russian Princess Cantacuzene.
Notable Persons/Locations: Ulysses S. Grant; Princess Cantacuzene
136: In Defense of Studying History
Theme: Organization & Conduct
Description: A declaration that it is important to study history because the foundations of the present are built on the past.
Notable Persons/Locations: Pierre Chalmin
142: Hostages in Persia
Theme: Organization & Conduct
Description: Tension between English and Russian spheres of influence in Persia erupt into violence.
Notable Persons/Locations: Isfahan, Persia; Shiraz, Persia
150: Marching Through History
Theme: Organization & Conduct / Unconventional/Innovation
Description: A comparison of the marching rates of different Armies over time.
Notable Persons/Locations: Vegetius; Frederick the Great; Napoleon Bonaparte; Sicily; Rome; France; China
152: The Ramrod
Theme: Leadership
Description: A young officer’s letter illustrating the unchangeable nature of the Army and human ego.
Notable Persons/Locations: Lieutenant Jno. G. Leefe; Matthew F. Steele
156: 1525 Year of the Lost Ideology
Theme: Organization & Conduct
Description: Christians have a long history of attempted communal living.
Notable Persons/Locations: Martin Luther; Thomas Muentzer; Prince Phillip of Hesse
158: First and Last
Theme: Logistics
Description: A discussion of the difficulty in applying the terms “first” and “last” to historical places and events.
Notable Persons/Locations: Carlisle Barracks
162: Don't Run Off With Tehe Bride Without Letting Your Secretary Know
Theme: Organization & Conduct
Description: A 1904 newspaper article dampened young soldiers’ hopes of marrying.
Notable Persons/Locations: Major General Henry Clarke Corbin
169: On the Far Side of Fame
Theme: Unconventional/innovation
Description: Anonymity and lack of cultural awareness have obscured the fact that, while white men are often given credit for achieving certain “firsts,” people of color often achieve them first without realizing their significance.
Notable Persons/Locations: Big Hawk; Commander Robert Peary; Matthew Henson; the North Pole
174: Ex Uno Plures
Theme: Organization & Conduct
Description: Throughout military history, sometimes companies of American soldiers have been ethnically oriented.
Notable Persons/Locations: None
175: A Soldier's Manual
Theme: Organization & Conduct
Description: This vignette traces the history of soldier guidebooks.
Notable Persons/Locations: None
179: A Case for Universal Military Service-Franco-German, 1870-71
Theme: Organization & Conduct
Description: This is a comparison of the German and French forces involved in the Franco-German War, and their respective strengths and weaknesses.
Notable Persons/Locations: General W.B. Hazen; Napoleon III; France; Prussia
180: Of Berets and Bonnets
Theme: Organization & Conduct
Description: The history of berets in the military, from their development to mass usage.
Notable Persons/Locations: None
193: Winged Warriors (or, Look Out Below)
Theme: Logistics
Description: Homing pigeons have been used for military communication throughout history.
Notable Persons/Locations: N/A
205: In Case of Defeat
Theme: Leadership / Morale
Description: Advice to defeated military leaders: bear up against your misfortune with resolution.
Notable Persons/Locations: Emperor Valens; Flavius Vegetius Renatus; Adrianople
214: Tennyson Revisited
Theme: Personal Courage & Selfless Service
Description: An excerpt from Cecil Woodham-Smith’s The Reason Why describes the charge of the Heavy Brigade and General Scarlett’s heroism in the Crimean War.
Notable Persons/Locations: General James Scarlett; Russia; Great Britain
216: Infantry Optimism
Theme: Leadership / Morale
Description: The Greek Commander Xenophon raised the spirits of his men, who were discouraged because their enemy had a large cavalry while they had none.
Notable Persons/Locations: Xenophon; Persia; Black Sea Coast
237: The Ubiquitous Necktie
Theme: Organization & Conduct
Description: A history of the necktie in military uniforms, from the time of Louis XIV through modern usage.
Notable Persons/Locations: King Louis XIV; France
239: Western Allies Intervene in Russia
Theme: Logistics
Description: The Russians learned and applied the lesson that there are exploitable differences between Western powers.
Notable Persons/Locations: William S. Graves; Russia; Germany
244: Rating, Writing, and Rancor
Theme: Leadership
Description: Irreverent quotes from Officer Efficiency Reports display remarkable wit, candor, and cruelty.
Notable Persons/Locations: N/A
245: Call Your Shots - Shrapnel or Fragments
Theme: Unconventional/Innovation
Description: The meaning of the word “shrapnel” has changed over time from spherical case-shots to anything coming out of a cannon.
Notable Persons/Locations: Henry Shrapnel; General H.W. Blakely
248: The Education of a General
Theme: Leadership
Description: Excerpts from General William DePuy’s memorandums on the topics of “leadership,” “learning from the enemy,” and “who fights.”
Notable Persons/Locations: William E. DePuy
254: Black Hawk-Combat Leader
Theme: Personal Courage & Selfless Service
Description: The great warrior Black Hawk passes on his memoirs to preserve the Native tradition of the “national dance.”
Notable Persons/Locations: Black Hawk; General Henry Atkinson; West Point, NY
262: Perspectives on Discipline
Theme: Leadership
Description: It is vital that Army officers establish correct authority and disciplinary measures over his subordinates to create a successful squad.
Notable Persons/Locations: N/A
263: Technology. Bottleneck or Ally
Theme: Unconventional/Innovation
Description: The Army must develop and integrate new technologies to be compatible with and assist military operations.
267: A Formal Declaration of War
Theme: Leadership
Description: The Sultan of Turkey and Cossack troops threaten to go to war against each other.
Notable Persons/Locations: The Sultan of Turkey; Cossack Troops
276: Redirected Energy Weapons in the Persian Gulf
Theme: Logistics
Description: Britain introduced new weapons and strategic tactics during their campaign in the Persian Gulf.
Notable Persons/Locations: Ottoman Empire; Britain; France
278: Colonel May, The Medicine Man
Theme: Unconventional/Innovation
Description: New developments of medicine, specifically chloroform, were introduced to Native Americans.
Notable Persons/Locations: Colonel Augustus May