The Civil war was probably the precursor to modern wars, and many new techniques and equipment were used, while older practices had to be dropped. I believe all American students of history, North and South, must agree with this. The Number One *military* lesson of the American Civil War is as follows:
NO CAVALRY CHARGES INTO MACHINE GUN BANKS!!
Now, this just seems to be common sense. But at the very beginning of World War One, possibly the strangest war in history, the French army opted to ignore this hard learned lesson of the American Civil war, figuring "elan" would win the day. They were wrong. Le Grande Armee eventually dropped the practice along with the famous "pantaloons rouge" (red pants), which made for a very visable target.
Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net
NO CAVALRY CHARGES INTO MACHINE GUN BANKS!!
Now, this just seems to be common sense. But at the very beginning of World War One, possibly the strangest war in history, the French army opted to ignore this hard learned lesson of the American Civil war, figuring "elan" would win the day. They were wrong. Le Grande Armee eventually dropped the practice along with the famous "pantaloons rouge" (red pants), which made for a very visable target.
Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net
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