The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.In the weeks following the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord, Colonial militia and volunteers rallied around Boston to besiege Lt. Gen. Thomas Gage's British garrison. But when reinforcements arrived from England, Gage devised a plan to regain the initiative by occupying Dorchester Heights south of town. When the Colonials heard of Gage's plan, however, th...

A concise summary of the fight that sparked the American Revolution, with key facts, maps, images, historical significance, and more.Tension between Britain and her North American colonies had been building for years. After numerous protests and acts of defiance, things took a serious turn after the December 1773 Boston Tea Party, when an irate King George III and Parliament took more drastic action to teach their rebellious citizens in Massachusetts a lesson. Afte...

A concise guide to this dramatic Revolutionary War campaign with facts, maps, historical significance, and more.In 1777, the British had the confidence to launch a plan to divide the Colonies along the Hudson River. After a promising British start, however, the Saratoga campaign would grind to a halt before turning into a stunning American victory. The battle rejuvenated the cause of independence while sowing the first seeds of doubt in Britain's Parliament. Most si...

A concise guide to the American Civil War battle that set the North on the path to victory, with maps, facts, historical significance, and more.Gettysburg represented a strategic turning point in the American Civil War and has thus been referred to as the "high-water mark" of the Confederacy. Although tactically a draw, strategically it was a major victory for the Union. After the battle, the Army of Northern Virginia limped home, never to regain its former strength...

A concise guide to this resounding American victory in the Revolutionary War, with facts, maps, historical significance, and more.In 1781, after six years of fighting, the future of the American colonies was far from resolved. The British were still dominant on land and sea, and except for a few bright spots like Trenton and Saratoga, the Americans had been unable to match the skills of the strongest army of the time. Against this backdrop, the brilliantly executed ...

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.After the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, it seemed nothing could stop Japanese offensive momentum in the Pacific. A string of victories and territorial conquests fueled optimism and confidence throughout Japan. But the U.S. Pacific Fleet was still a problem they had to solve. To complete its destruction and prevent fur...

A concise guide to the American-led coalition's speedy defeat of Saddam Hussein in 1991, with maps, facts, historical significance, and more.Just two years after the end of Iraq's war with Iran, an emboldened Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait. Operation Desert Storm was the final phase of the U.S.-led Coalition's effort to expel Saddam's forces from his southern neighbor's borders. In less than 100 hours of joint air and ground combat, the U.S. and its ...

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.By early 1945, American forces had been fighting their way across the Pacific for over two and a half years. General Douglas MacArthur’s drive in the Southwest Pacific had reached the Philippines, while Admiral Chester Nimitz’s drive across the Central Pacific had advanced to the island of Iwo Jima. The next objective was Okinawa.Wi...

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.In the autumn of 1862, Lincoln’s new commander, Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside, promised swift action by moving south against Fredericksburg to open a route to the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. With Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Confederate army divided, Burnside believed he could do it all before Lee could react. But when his pontoon bridg...

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned.During the Second Punic War (218 – 201 B.C.), after Hannibal had been handing Rome defeats and losses for nearly two years, the Roman Senate had finally had enough. After raising the largest army they had ever fielded, they sent it against Hannibal, who had just seized an important grain supply depot at Cannae. But Hannibal was more than re...

Get facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more in this concise summary of Andrew Jackson's, and America's, War of 1812 triumph.The War of 1812 was not going particularly well for the United States. The British were blockading America's coasts, damaging commerce, and thwarting any hopes for U.S. territorial gains in Canada. After two years of fighting, Americans were further humiliated when, in August of 1814, the British burned the U.S. Capitol. The ...

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. Natha...