July 10, 1460 - King Henry VI is captured after the Battle of Northampton. Returning to England after the Yorkist defeat at Ludford Bridge, the Earl of Warwick landed at Sandwich on June 26, 1460, with 2,000 men. Quickly increasing his numbers to around 20,000-30,000, he marched into London where he learned that the Henry VI was at Coventry with his army. Aware of Warwick's return, Henry and the Duke of Buckingham shifted their army to Northampton and assumed a defensive position along the River Nene. Approaching the Lancastrian army, Warwick twice attempted to send a representative to negotiate with the king. These overtures were rebuffed by Buckingham and as a result Warwick prepared for battle. Advancing at 2:00 PM, Warwick's men endured a shower of arrows before striking the Lancastrian right. As they reached the enemy lines, the commander of the Lancastrian right, Lord Grey of Ruthin, defected and ordered his men not to fight. Swarming into Henry's camp, Warwick's men quickly routed those troops who remained loyal to the king. Buckingham and several other nobles died in a failed attempting to prevent Henry from being captured.
Wars of the Roses:
First Battle of St. Albans
Battle of Blore Heath
Battle of Towton
Battle of Barnet
Battle of Bosworth Field
Wars of the Roses: Henry VI Captured at Northampton originally appeared on About.com Military History on Tuesday, July 10th, 2012 at 01:00:25.
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July 9, 1944 - After a month of fighting, Allied troops enter the city of Caen. A key target of Allied forces on D-Day, the city of Caen was a main road hub in Normandy. Landing on Sword Beach, the British 3rd Infantry Division drove on the city but was prevented from capturing it by the 21st Panzer Division. Over the next several weeks, British and Canadian forces commenced a grinding battle of attrition to take Caen. In doing do, they drew the bulk of German forces away from the Americans to the west. In early July, Allied troops began to enter the city during Operation Charnwood. Caen was finally secured on July 20 following Operation Goodwood. The fighting helped pin German forces in place prior to American troops conducting Operation Cobra and breaking out of the Normandy beachhead.
World War II in Europe:
Battle of Britain
Battle of Anzio
Battle of Monte Cassino
Operation Dragoon
Operation Market-Garden
Battle of the Bulge
Photograph Source: Public Domain
World War II: Allied Forces Enter Caen originally appeared on About.com Military History on Sunday, July 8th, 2012 at 01:00:57.
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July 6, 1736 - Brigadier General Daniel Morgan (right) is born. A veteran of the French & Indian War, Morgan became one of the Continental Army's best tacticians during the American Revolution. Initially commanding a company of Virginia riflemen at the Siege of Boston, he was later captured during the failed attack on Quebec. Exchanged in early 1777, Morgan led light infantry formations for Gen. George Washington before receiving orders to join Gen. Horatio Gates' Northern Army. In this role he played a critical part in the pivotal Battle of Saratoga. Hampered by severe sciatica, Morgan briefly left the army in 1779 but later returned and saw service in the South. Leading American forces at Cowpens in January 1781, he won a decisive victory over Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton. Following the war, Morgan returned to the military to aid in putting down the Whiskey Rebellion and later served in Congress.
Commanders of the American Revolution:
Brigadier General George Rogers Clark
Major General Henry Knox
Major General John Stark
General Sir Henry Clinton
General Thomas Gage
Vice Admiral Richard Howe
Photograph Courtesy of the National Park Service
American Revolution: Daniel Morgan is Born originally appeared on About.com Military History on Friday, July 6th, 2012 at 01:00:26.
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July 4, 1754 - Lieutenant Colonel George Washington departs Fort Necessity (right) after surrendering to the French. Dispatched into the Ohio Country in 1754, by Virginia Governor Robert Dinwiddie, Lt. Col. Washington was tasked with aiding in the construction of a fort at the Forks of the Ohio (present-day Pittsburgh, MD). Before he could arrive, the construction party was driven off by the French. Reporting this, Washington received new orders to build a road from Wills Creek (present-day Cumberland, MD) north towards the forks. Camping in the Great Meadows, Washington was alerted to the presence of a French detachment on May 27. Ambushing the French, his men killed 10 and captured 21, including the French commander, Ensign Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville. After the battle, an allied chief named Half King killed Jumonville while the Frenchman was being interrogated by Washington. Retreating to Great Meadows, Washington ordered a small stockade be constructed along with some earthworks. Reinforced in June, Washington concentrated his force at the newly named Fort Necessity. On July 3, the fort was attacked by 600 French soldiers and 100 Indians led by Jumonville's brother Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers. Quickly finding that the fort was situated on poor ground, Washington's men suffered as the French fired on their position. That night, Washington entered into negotiations to surrender the post. Handing it over the next day, he and his men were allowed to retreat south into Maryland.
French & Indian War - Battles:
Battle of the Monongahela
Battle of Carillon
Battle of Fort Niagara
Siege of Louisbourg
Battle of Quebec
Photograph Courtesy of the National Park Service
French & Indian War: Washington Departs Fort Necessity originally appeared on About.com Military History on Wednesday, July 4th, 2012 at 01:00:16.
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July 1, 1862 - Union troops hold at the Battle of Malvern Hill. Having been the subject of repeated Confederate attacks during the first six days of the Seven Days Battles, Union forces under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan (right) retreated back towards Harrison's Landing on the James River. Reaching Malvern Hill on July 1, McClellan rode ahead and left Brig. Gen. Fitz John Porter in command. Assuming a strong position on the hill, he was supported by the army's artillery led by Col. Henry Hunt. Advancing to the hill, Confederate forces led by Gen. Robert E. Lee began a series of futile assaults around 3:30 PM. Repeatedly turned back by Hunt's guns and Porter's infantry, the Confederates continued their attacks until nightfall sustaining heavy losses in the process. The last of the Seven Days Battles, Malvern Hill was a Union victory and allowed their retreat to continue the next day.
Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration
Civil War 150th: Union Holds at Malvern Hill originally appeared on About.com Military History on Monday, July 2nd, 2012 at 01:00:12.
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June 30, 1862 - Union troops hold at the Battle of Glendale. Fought during the Seven Days Battles, Glendale saw Union forces come under attack while withdrawing to the James River. Having taken part in major engagements at Beaver Dam Creek, Gaines' Mill, and Savage's Station, the Army of the Potomac found itself clustered around the crossroads of Glendale on June 30. Sensing an opportunity to inflict a decisive defeat on the enemy, General Robert E. Lee devised a plan calling for four columns to attack the Union position. As the day unfolded, only one of these, led by Major Generals James Longstreet and A.P. Hill actually moved forward with any vigor. Striking Union forces at Glendale, they fought a bloody, seesaw battle from around 4:00 PM until around 9:00 PM but were unable to breakthrough. Having held, the Union forces continued their retreat south where they were attacked at Malvern Hill the next day.
Civil War Battles in the West - 1862:
Battle of Fort Donelson
Battle of Shiloh
Capture of New Orleans
Battle of Perryville
Battle of Stones River
Photograph Source: Public Domain
Civil War 150th: Fighting Continues at Glendale originally appeared on About.com Military History on Saturday, June 30th, 2012 at 01:00:05.
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June 27, 1862 - Confederate troops attack at the Battle of Gaines' Mill. Seeking to regain the initiative after being defeated at Beaver Dam Creek on June 26, Gen. Robert E. Lee (right) moved to renew attacks on Brig. Gen. Fitz John Porter's Union V Corps. Retreating from Beaver Dam Creek during the night, Porter established a strong new line behind Boatswain's Swamp near Gaines' Mill. On the afternoon of June 27, his corps came under increasingly heavy assaults from Confederate forces. Though stretched, the Union soldiers successfully repelled these attacks and inflicted heavy losses. At 7:00 PM, Lee, reinforced by the arrival of Maj. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's command, launched his largest attack of the war. Overwhelming Porter's corps, it broke the Union line and forced V Corps to retreat south of the Chickahominy River. The defeat badly unnerved the already cautious Maj. Gen. George McClellan and led him to abandon his campaign on Richmond.
Civil War Generals:
Major General Ambrose Burnside
Major General Joseph Hooker
Major General Daniel Sickles
General P.G.T. Beauregard
General Albert S. Johnston
Major General Joseph Wheeler
Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration
Civil War 150th: Battle of Gaines' Mill originally appeared on About.com Military History on Thursday, June 28th, 2012 at 01:00:00.
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