LTC Francis Smith
Royal Army

“The Shot Heard Round the World…”
“NCA:”
George III
“Warlords:”
Adams & Hancock
“What We See Usually
Depends On Where We Sit”

MS 494 : The History of the
American Military Experience
History/Heritage
Instruction
Critical
Thinking/Analysis
INTER-
MEDIATE
LEVEL
- ADVANCED HISTORICAL CONCEPTS
- ADVANCED BATTLE ANALYSIS
- STAFF RIDE EXECUTION
Pre-
Commissioning/
Initial Entry
- HERITAGE
- HISTORY OF ARMY
- BATTLE ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION
- STAFF RIDE INTRODUCTION
SENIOR
LEVEL
- APPLIED HISTORY
- STRATEGIC ANALYSIS
- ANALYSIS OF STAFF RIDE

“Nature” of History
• History “proves” nothing, but it illuminates a great deal
•
The power of history lies in its suggestiveness, and in the power of discernment it conveys to its user
•
The great value of history in the practical world is in the habit of mind that it encourages:
–
Unwillingness to accept arguments based on simplistic assumptions
–
Understanding of how, bias, perception, cause and effect work

Continuity In Military Culture
“We trained hard but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.”
- Petronius Arbiter 210 BC

The “Basics”
Light Infantry
Artillery
Light Cavalry
Heavy Infantry Heavy Cavalry

English Soldiers Break the Charge of Scots
“Warriors” at Culloden, 1746

Military History Objective
“ To teach the officer how to teach himself should be the avowed objective of every course in military history”.
Prof. Jay Luuvas

MS 494
The History of the American Military Experience
The TEXT:
Weekly on-line Quizzes, Midterm and Final Exams
Articles/Podcast Reviews
Book Review &
Presentation
Participation
Like drinking from a
Fire Hose