interesting bits of history.

[ROX]

The Battle of Brices Cross Roads at Baldwin, MS was a turning point that sent Union forces retreating back to Memphis.  General Forrest's Cavalry turned the tide and it was one of the few Confedereate victories in Mississippi.

There is ONE single grave of a Union Soldier who was wounded at the battle, and staggered some 10 miles away to a southern homestead.  The family fed and gave basic medical care, but the soldier later died of his wounds, at a small farm 1 mile south of Wheeler, Mississippi.

His grave is located on a small rise right off the Wheeler/Baldwin Road, and is one of the few SINGLE American soldier's graves in existance that is recognized with an official war-dead headstone.

The soldier had to traverse my ancestor's family farm to get there.


ROX

[Angus]

In 1922 the Texas Cattleman's Association challenged the US Army to a horse race from Dallas/Fort Worth to San Antonio. They each put up their best riders.  Took 4 days ~ the Soldier sent back feed to the Cowboy to make sure he could finish the race.   One of my favorite stories ever. I could go on & on about it, but I won't.

"Army At Dawn" has a small account of it.
"Terrible Terry Allen" gives more interesting tidbits.

In 1976 there was a cross-country horcerace, - across the USA- some 4000 miles if I recall it correctly.
Contestants were groups of various breeds from across the world.
The Arab team won, second were the Icelandic ponies (!)
After the long race came a 100 mile race. The Icelanders won that one.
Some horse

Edit: the great race was won by a mule. So I guess the other results apply to horses. Would have been interesting to have camels too
Book here:
http://www.greatamericanhorserace.com/index.html

[Furball]

Cuthbert Collingwood, who was Nelson's deputy at Trafalgar, and some argue the real man behind the victory, would scatter acorns around the countryside wherever he walked in England to ensure that there was enough oak to sustain the shipbuilding industry and Britains dominance at sea.

It is rumoured that he is responsible for a large percentage of the oak trees currently standing in England.

[SD67]

The Assassin movement, called the "new propaganda" by its members, was inaugurated by al-Hasan ibn-al-Sabbah (died in 1124), probably a Persian from Tus, who claimed descent from the Himyarite kings of South Arabia. The motives were evidently personal ambition and desire for vengeance on the part of the heresiarch." (heresiarch: leader of heretical group) "As a young man in al-Rayy, al-Hassan received instruction in the Batinite system, and after spending a year and a half in Egypt returned to his native land as a Fatimid missionary. Here in 1090 he gained possession of the strong mountain fortress Alamut, north-west of Qazwin. Strategically situated on an extension of the Alburz chain, 10200 feet above sea level, and on the difficult by shortest road between the shores of the Caspian and the Persian highlands, this "eagle's nest," as the name probably means, gave ibn-al-Sabbah and his successors a central stronghold of primary importance. Its possession was the first historical fact in the life of the new order.

THE ASSASSINS by Philip K. Hitti
From _The Book of Grass: An Anthology on Indian Hemp_, edited by George Andrews and Simon Vinkenoog.

[JB88]

great bits.

 

[Blooz]

12 men have walked on the moon.

Armstrong, Aldrin, *Conrad, Bean, *Shepard, Mitchell, Scott, *Irwin, Young, Duke, Cernan and Schmitt

9 are still alive. All are in their 70's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V9quPcNWZE

[Thruster]

Abraham Lincoln's dog when he was in office was named Fido.

[Angus]

Cuthbert Collingwood, who was Nelson's deputy at Trafalgar, and some argue the real man behind the victory, would scatter acorns around the countryside wherever he walked in England to ensure that there was enough oak to sustain the shipbuilding industry and Britains dominance at sea.

It is rumoured that he is responsible for a large percentage of the oak trees currently standing in England.

Is he the one who always carried them with him, and used his walking staff to poke holes at good spots for them?

Anyway, to WW2

LW ace Werner Mölders suffered badly from airsickness, but his passion for flying was strong enough for him to grind teeth and get through.
He had an encounter with the South-African Ace "Sailor" Malan,in an epic fight between the Spit I and Me 109E. Mölders tactics brought him on Malan's tail, but Malan reversed the situation with some stunning turning and peppered Mölders full of bulletholes.
Malan was famous for leaving his opponents in a shock  or wounded for morale reasons, - he wanted them to live to tell the tale how they got hammered. Morale issue. Maybe that saved Mölders who humpled home and crash-landed. He did not participate in the BoB after that because of his injuries.
Mölders was actually shot down and captured by the french in the Battle for France. The English put emphasis on getting LW POW to Britain, but the French were to slow there...So Mölders was back in action after the fall of France.

[badhorse]

June 25th  1876

Sioux and Cheyenne warriors under Crazy Horse, Gall and others defeated Col. (Brevert Lt. Gen.) George A. Custer and men of the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.  Custer, ignoring warnings from his Crow and Ree scouts, split his forces and attacked what was probably the largest gathering of plains Indians there had ever been.

[derelict]

<snip>Also the US Coast Guard has only had one person awarded the Medal Of Honor....who was it??? Any of our Marines should know this one since it's taught in Marine Corp basic training.

Douglas Munro


Also....Kahoolawe is (or was) the "artillery range / practice range" for Naval Ships conducting wargames.  Blew up a truck there once with a 5"/38   Not the kind of place you want to live!

[Arado381]

tripl5 is actualy a woman that whines about everything and eats puppys

[indy007]

You used to be able to buy mummies by the pound, and they were dirt cheap.

The 100 years war lasted 116 years... which is like starting a war on March 8th 1892 and having it finally end tommorrow.

George Washington fought 9 major battles, but only actually won 3.

[gweibe]

The attack on Baltimore in the War of 1812 which saw the burning of the White House was launched from Bermuda.    The attack eventually led to the penning of the Star Spangled Banner when the British forces were unable to take Fort Henry.

http://www.sacredclassics.com/keys.htm

That's Fort McHenry.

[eagl]

Abraham Lincoln's dog when he was in office was named Fido.

Abraham Lincoln's dog was in office, and later changed his name?

[potsNpans]

John Adams writing upon Americas founding principles to his friend and colleague Thomas Jefferson June 28th, 1813.
..."The general Principles, on which the Fathers Achieved Independence, were the only Principles in
which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite . . . . And what were these general
Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all those Sects were United: And
the general Principles of English and American Liberty, in which all those young Men United, and
which had United all Parties in America, in Majorities sufficient to assert and maintain her Independence.
Now I will avow, that I then believed, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity,
are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God; and that those Principles of Liberty,
are as unalterable as human Nature and our terrestrial, mundane System. I could therefore safely say,"
http://memory.loc.gov/master/mss/mtj/mtj1/046/0900/0924.jpg