Battle 100: The Stories Behind History's Most Influential Battles

Front Cover
Sourcebooks, Inc., 2005 M04 1 - 368 pages
A single day in the heat of armed conflict can shape the future of the world. Throughout history, individual battles have inspired the birth of nations, the devastation of cultures and the triumph of revolutions. Yet while some battles rise up as the cornerstones of history, others fade in our cultural memory, forgotten as minor skirmishes. Why is this so? What makes a battle "important"?
Celebrated veteran and military expert Michael Lee Lanning offers a provocative response with The Battle 100: The Stories Behind History's Most Influential Battles. Lanning ranks history's 100 greatest battles according to their influence, both immediate and long-term. Thought-provoking and controversial, Lanning's rankings take us to the heart of the battles and reveal their true greatness.

From inside the book

Contents

1 Yorktown 1781
1
2 Hastings 1066
5
3 Stalingrad 194243
8
4 Leipzig 1813
12
5 Antietam 1862
15
6 Cajamarca 1532
19
7 Atomic Bombing of Japan 1945
22
8 HuaiHai 1948
26
54 Sardis 546 bc
183
55 Poltava 1709
186
56 Panipat 1526
189
57 Syracuse 413 bc
192
58 Breitenfeld 1631
196
59 Metaurus River 207 bc
199
60 Hampton Roads 1862
202
61 Pydna 168 bc
206

9 Waterloo 1815
30
10 Vienna 1529
34
11 Zama 202 bc
37
12 Tenochtitlán 1521
40
13 Normandy 1944
43
14 Salamis 480 bc
47
15 Saratoga 1777
50
16 Spanish Armada 1588
54
17 Gettysburg 1863
58
18 ArbelaGaugamela 331 bc
62
19 Mexico City 1847
65
20 Actium 31 bc
69
21 Mecca 630
72
22 Moscow 1941
76
23 San Jacinto 1836
79
24 Tours 732
83
25 Indus River 1221
86
26 Alesia 52 bc
89
27 Sedan 1870
92
28 Marathon 490 bc
95
29 Quebec 1759
98
30 Milvian Bridge 312
101
31 Manzikert 1071
105
32 San Juan Hill 1898
108
33 Crécy 1346
112
34 Tsushima Strait 1905
115
35 Granada 149192
119
36 Trafalgar 1805
122
37 Adrianople 378
125
38 Marne 1914
129
39 Châlons 451
132
40 Britain 194041
135
41 Constantinople 1453
139
42 Teutoburger Wald 9
142
43 Valmy 1792
145
44 Midway 1942
148
45 Orleans 1429
152
46 Manila Bay 1898
156
47 Kursk 1943
159
48 Blenheim 1704
162
49 Vicksburg 1863
165
50 Plassey 1757
168
51 Chaeronea 338 bc
171
52 Tet 1968
174
53 Lepanto 1571
179
62 Pearl Harbor 1941
209
63 Tannenberg 1914
213
64 Dien Bien Phu 1954
216
65 Poland 1939
220
66 Leuctra 371 bc
223
67 Carabobo 1821
226
68 Cerignola 1503
229
69 Bosworth Field 1485
232
70 Austerlitz 1805
235
71 Madrid 1939
238
72 El Alamein 1942
242
73 Sadowa 1866
245
74 Lexington and Concord 1775
248
75 Golan Heights 1967
252
76 Inchon 1950
256
77 Ayacucho 1824
260
78 Port Arthur 1904
264
79 Agincourt 1415
267
80 Yenan 193435
270
81 Hattin 1187
273
82 Guadalcanal 194243
277
83 Naseby 1645
280
84 Kadesh c1294 bc
284
85 Charleston Harbor 1864
287
86 Desert Storm 1991
291
87 KovelStanislav 1916
295
88 Santa Clara 1958
298
89 Jidda 1925
301
90 Malplaquet 1709
304
91 San Pasqual 1846
307
92 La Bicocca 1522
310
93 Megiddo c1479 bc
313
94 Rocroi 1643
316
95 Carthage 146 bc
319
96 Thames River 1813
322
97 Paardeberg 1900
326
98 TelelKebir 1882
329
99 Vyborg 1918
333
100 Little Big Horn 1876
336
Index
341
Bibliography
349
About the Author
356
Back Cover
357
Copyright

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About the author (2005)

Lt. Col. Michael Lee Lanning retired from the U.S. Army after more than twenty years of service. He is a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, where he served as an infantry platoon leader and company commander. Lanning has written fourteen books on military history, including The Military 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Military Leaders of All Time. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

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