u/GameCraze3

This campaign was one of the most important conflicts of the late Han dynasty and a major turning point in the struggle that eventually led to the Three Kingdoms period. It took place in 200 AD between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, two of the most powerful warlords in northern China. Although Yuan Shao commanded a far larger army and controlled richer territory, Cao Cao held the strategic advantage through better organization, discipline, and leadership.

The campaign began with a series of clashes along the Yellow River, where Cao Cao scored early successes by defeating Yuan Shao’s generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou. These victories weakened Yuan Shao’s forces and gave Cao Cao momentum before the main confrontation. The decisive struggle unfolded at Guandu, where both armies settled into a long stalemate. Yuan Shao tried to break Cao Cao’s defenses through repeated assaults and siege tactics, but Cao Cao focused on holding his position and conserving supplies.

The turning point came when Cao Cao learned that Yuan Shao’s grain stores were kept at Wuchao. In a bold surprise attack, Cao Cao sent forces to burn the supply depot. Once Yuan Shao’s food supplies were destroyed, his army fell into confusion and panic. The collapse of his logistics proved more damaging than battlefield losses, and Cao Cao emerged victorious despite being outnumbered from the start.

Yuan Shao never fully recovered from his defeat, and after his death, his sons fought among themselves, weakening the Yuan family’s power. Cao Cao then expanded his control over northern China, laying the foundation for the state of Wei.

This art is from the Xuchang City Museum in Henan Province

Artist is Seán ó Brógáin

In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte led the French expedition to Egypt as a part of a strategy to weaken Britain by threatening its route to India and by establishing a French base in the eastern Mediterranean. The force sailed in May, landed near Alexandria in July and took the city. Egypt was still formally Ottoman territory but effectively governed by the Mamluks, who had long dominated its military and political life.

The Battle of the Pyramids (also called the Battle of Embabeh), fought on July 21st 1798 near Embabeh outside Cairo, was the decisive land victory of the campaign’s opening phase. Napoleon’s troops used large infantry squares to absorb repeated Mamluk cavalry charges, and the French won a clear victory, inflicting 10,000 casualties and only suffering 298. The victory allowed them to occupy Cairo the next day. That success did not end the campaign, however, because the French fleet was soon destroyed at the Battle of the Nile, leaving Napoleon’s army stranded in Egypt (among other setbacks). Even so, the battle shattered Mamluk military dominance in Lower Egypt and marked the beginning of the end of their old political supremacy, which would be fully swept away later under Muhammad Ali in 1811.

I recommend reading this for more info on the aftermath at Culps Hill: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/aftermath-battle-culps-hill

In 1519, Hernán Cortés took the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II hostage in order to control the empire indirectly. Tensions grew rapidly, especially after the Spanish massacred Aztec nobles during a religious festival while Cortés was temporarily away from the city. The people of Tenochtitlan revolted, surrounding the Spanish and their Indigenous allies inside their compound.

Realizing they could no longer hold the city, Cortés ordered a nighttime escape along the causeways leading out of Tenochtitlan on June 30th 1520. The retreat quickly turned disastrous as Aztec warriors attacked from canoes and rooftops, while many Spanish soldiers, weighed down by stolen gold, drowned in the waters of Lake Texcoco. Hundreds of Spaniards and thousands of Indigenous allies were killed. According to later tradition, Cortés wept beneath a tree after the defeat, giving the event its famous name (La Noche Triste, “The Night of Sorrows”).

Although it was a major Aztec victory and a humiliating setback for the Spanish, it did not end the conquest. Cortés regrouped with his allies, returned months later, and eventually captured Tenochtitlan in 1521 after a long siege.

In the nineteenth century, the Balinese rulers of the Mataram-Cakranegara kingdo (closely tied to the Balinese kingdom of Karangasem) governed a largely Muslim Sasak population. Tensions between the Balinese elite and the Sasaks had grown throughout the century after forced conscription campaigns and harsh repression of local resistance. By the early 1890s, rebellion spread across eastern Lombok, creating instability and famine. Several Sasak leaders eventually appealed to the Dutch for protection and military assistance.

The Dutch colonial government saw the rebellion as an opportunity to extend its authority deeper into Bali and the eastern islands. Initially, Dutch officials imposed a naval blockade to weaken the Balinese rulers by cutting off weapons and supplies from Singapore. When diplomacy failed, the Dutch launched a full military expedition in 1894. A large force of European and indigenous colonial troops landed at Ampenan on Lombok under Generals P.P.H. van Ham and Jacobus Augustinus Vetter. The Dutch demanded that the rulers of Mataram and Karangasem submit to colonial authority, but resistance soon followed.

One of the most dramatic moments of the campaign occurred in August 1894 at Mayura Palace in Cakranegara. Balinese forces launched a surprise nighttime assault on a Dutch encampment, killing more than 500 Dutch soldiers, sailors, and laborers, including General van Ham. The defeat shocked the colonial authorities and temporarily forced Dutch troops to retreat to fortified coastal positions. However, reinforcements were quickly dispatched and the war escalated.

In November 1894, the Dutch returned with overwhelming military strength. Using heavy artillery and systematic bombardment, they attacked the royal center of Cakranegara and destroyed much of the palace complex. Thousands of Balinese defenders and supporters were killed, while many others carried out puputan (ritual suicide attacks) rather than surrender. The Balinese ruler eventually capitulated, and the resistance collapsed. Dutch troops looted enormous royal treasures, including gold, silver, jewels, and ceremonial objects, many of which were transported to the Netherlands.

The aftermath of the intervention transformed the political landscape of Bali and Lombok. Lombok and Karangasem were absorbed into the Dutch East Indies and administered under Dutch colonial supervision. The conquest also marked an important stage in the broader Dutch campaign to dominate Bali, which culminated in later interventions in 1906 and 1908.

Painting by Jan Hoynck van Papendrecht

This battle was a devastating defeat suffered by French forces in the Thirty Years War. It took place near the town of Tuttlingen in what is now southwestern Germany and resulted in a decisive Imperial-Bavarian-Spanish victory that temporarily reversed French gains in the region.

At the time, the wider war had already been raging for over two decades, involving shifting alliances between Catholic and Protestant powers across Europe. France, though Catholic, had entered the conflict against the Habsburgs (Spain and the Holy Roman Empire) in order to curb their dominance. In southern Germany, French forces under Marshal Josias Rantzau were operating alongside German mercenaries formerly loyal to Bernard of Saxe-Weimar, forming a loosely organized and widely dispersed army.

The Imperial side, commanded by Franz von Mercy and supported by Bavarian, Spanish, and Lorraine contingents, saw an opportunity when the French army encamped near Tuttlingen. Exploiting poor French coordination and the element of surprise, Mercy launched a carefully planned attack in harsh winter conditions. Heavy snowfall helped conceal Imperial movements, allowing their cavalry and infantry to strike isolated French detachments before they could properly assemble.

The battle quickly turned into a rout. French outposts were overwhelmed, their artillery was captured early, and their own cannons were turned against them. Confusion and fragmentation among French units prevented an effective defense. Within a short time, large portions of the French force collapsed or surrendered. Marshal Rantzau himself was captured along with several senior officers, while thousands of French troops were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner.

By the end of the battle, the French army in the region had effectively ceased to function as a coherent force. Survivors retreated across the Rhine into Alsace, and the Imperials regained control of much of southwestern Germany. The victory was strategically significant for the Habsburg side, balancing earlier French successes such as the Battle of Rocroi and restoring momentum in parts of the German theater.

Artist is Dariusz Bufnal

He was also the highest-ranking American officer killed in action during the Boxer Rebellion.

Some more information on him: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson\_H.\_Liscum

At first, the First Battle of Bull Run looked like it would end as a Union victory. General Irvin McDowell had pushed Confederate troops back toward Henry House Hill. But Confederate reinforcements arrived by railroad, and the line anchored by Thomas J. Jackson held firm. Late in the afternoon, Confederate counterattacks shattered exhausted Union formations.

What followed was what contemporaries called “the Great Skedaddle.” Union soldiers began streaming back toward Washington on the narrow roads leading across Bull Run. Wagons overturned, artillery pieces jammed bridges, horses bolted, wounded were left behind, and rumors spread that Confederate cavalry was right behind them. Many troops were inexperienced 90 day volunteers who had never before been under heavy fire so once panic spread, discipline basically evaporated. Civilians were also present alongside the soldiers. Because many people in Washington believed the war would be short and even somewhat theatrical, congressmen, journalists, socialites, families, and government officials rode out with picnic baskets to watch the battle from nearby hills. When the Union army collapsed, these civilians clogged the same roads the army needed for retreat. Carriages tangled with ambulances and supply wagons in total confusion.

This painting is from the Mongol Invasion Memorial Museum in Hakata

This action occurred on September 15th 1815 near the fortress town of Montmédy in northeastern France. At this late stage, most major fighting of the Napoleonic Wars had already ended following Napoleon’s defeat earlier that year. However, some isolated garrisons and fortified positions still held out. Medy-Bas, a settlement located below the main fortress of Montmédy, became one such target.

The assault was carried out by a combined force of Prussian and allied German troops, including around 400 soldiers from the 21st Infantry Regiment and about 100 troops from Sachsen-Weimar. Their goal was to seize control of the town and weaken the defenses of the nearby fortress.

As the attackers advanced, their approach was detected, and the defenders opened fire, wounding several of the assaulting troops. Despite this resistance, the attackers managed to press forward. A small group succeeded in scaling the walls of the town, allowing them to open the gates from within.

The Battle of Stone Bridge at Northfleet on June 1st 1648 was a brief engagement that was a part of the opening phase of the Second English Civil War, the renewed conflict between Royalist supporters of King Charles I and the Parliamentarian forces led by Sir Thomas Fairfax.

The battle should be understood within the context of the Kentish Royalist uprising of 1648. After years of war, many in Kent had grown discontented with Parliament’s rule, particularly its religious policies and the continued burden of taxation. This unrest culminated in a petition movement that expressed loyalty to the king and called for peace. When Parliament responded by sending Fairfax and the experienced New Model Army to suppress the rebellion, the situation escalated into open conflict. The Royalists, largely composed of local and relatively inexperienced fighters, began to retreat through Kent as Fairfax advanced.

By the end of May, the Royalists had fallen back toward Northfleet, where they attempted to make a defensive stand at Stone Bridge, a crossing over the River Ebbsfleet. Control of this bridge was strategically important, as it was on the main route toward Gravesend and Maidstone. Around 600 Royalist rebels under Major Childs prepared the position by barricading the bridge and devising defensive measures. Among these measures was the placement of sharp plough harrows in the riverbed, intended to cripple any Parliamentarian cavalry attempting to ford the stream and outflank the position.

On the morning of June 1st, Fairfax ordered a detachment of approximately 300 cavalry and 100 infantry under Major Husband to attack the Royalist position. The Parliamentarian forces initially attempted to outmaneuver the defenders by crossing the river at another point. However, this effort was thwarted when the concealed harrows inflicted serious injuries on the horses, halting the flanking attempt. Forced to change tactics, the Parliamentarians launched a direct assault on the barricaded bridge.

Despite their preparations, the Royalists were unable to hold their ground against the disciplined New Model Army troops. The Parliamentarian charge succeeded in breaking their defenses, and the Royalists quickly retreated from Northfleet. Many fled toward Gravesend and then onward to Maidstone, abandoning their forward position. The engagement was short-lived and involved relatively few troops, but it effectively removed the last obstacle to Fairfax’s advance deeper into Kent. The battle preceded the much larger and decisive Battle of Maidstone, fought later the same day. In that subsequent battle, Fairfax’s forces achieved a major victory over the Royalists, effectively crushing the Kentish rebellion and securing Parliamentarian control of the region.

https://www.crayfordhistory.org.uk/new-contributions/the-crayford-new-model-army-muster-and-the-battle-of-stone-bridge-northfleet-1st-june-1648

After WW1 came to an end, there was widespread anger in China over the Treaty of Versailles as it transferred former German-controlled territory in China’s Shandong province to Japan rather than returning it to Chinese sovereignty. On May 4th, 1919, more than four thousand students from universities in Beijing gathered to protest the treaty and the government’s response.

They marched through the city, shouted nationalist slogans, burned and boycotted Japanese goods (seen in picture 7), and targeted officials seen as collaborators with foreign powers. The protests quickly escalated, leading to arrests and violence. Under pressure, the Chinese government dismissed certain officials believed to be pro-Japanese and ultimately refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles.

Beyond the movement’s immediate political impact, it was also a profound cultural and intellectual revolution. It was closely connected to the earlier New Culture Movement, which sought to reform Chinese society by rejecting traditional Confucian values and embracing new ideas such as democracy. Intellectuals like Chen Duxiu and Hu Shi promoted the use of vernacular language in writing, making literature and political ideas more accessible to ordinary people. The movement stimulated the rise of nationalism and encouraged broader political participation across different social classes. It also contributed to the spread of new ideologies, including liberalism, socialism, and Marxism, which would shape China’s future political landscape. Notably, the movement helped lay the organizational groundwork for the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921.

Artwork by Nat Youngblood.

The Battle of Salsu was one of the most significant military victories in Korean history and arguably one of the most devastating defeats ever suffered by an invading army. Fought in 612 AD between Goguryeo (modern day Korea and Manchuria) and the Sui dynasty, it took place during the broader Goguryeo–Sui Wars, when the Sui emperor Yang tried to conquer Goguryeo and bring it under Chinese control.

The Sui dynasty was attempting to expand its power after reunifying China. Goguryeo, a strong kingdom in northern Korea and Manchuria, refused to submit. In response, the Sui launched a massive invasion, sending an army so large that it strained the empire’s entire military and economic system. Although the Sui had overwhelming numbers, they were burdened by poor logistics, long supply lines, and difficult terrain. As the campaign dragged on, the army became tired, disorganized, and increasingly vulnerable.

Goguryeo’s defense was led by the general Eulji Mundeok. He harassed the enemy, weakened their morale, and lured them deeper into hostile territory. When the Sui force began retreating, Eulji chose to strike at the Salsu River. The retreating army was trapped in a disastrous position and attacked at the worst possible time. Traditional accounts say that a large portion of the Sui army was destroyed, with only a small number of soldiers surviving (sources say 302,300 casualties out of 305,000 men, but that’s is almost certainly exaggerated).

The Sui invasion had failed completely, and Goguryeo remained independent. The battle had even crippled the Sui dynasty as the loss of manpower, resources, and prestige was so severe that it weakened the empire internally. The Sui launched further campaigns, but they also failed, and the dynasty collapsed in 618 AD, replaced by the Tang Dynasty.

By the 1620s, Sweden possessed a powerful navy that allowed it to control maritime trade routes and impose blockades on enemy ports. One of its key objectives during the Polish–Swedish War was to strangle the economic lifeline of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by blockading Gdańsk, the region’s most important commercial hub.

In response, the Commonwealth hastily assembled a small fleet (largely composed of purchased vessels and manned in part by foreign sailors) to challenge Swedish control. On November 28th 1627, the Polish fleet sailed out of Gdańsk and launched a surprise attack on the Swedish squadron enforcing the blockade. The engagement quickly split into two main clashes. In the first, the Polish flagship Ritter Sankt Georg, commanded by Admiral Arend Dickmann, engaged the Swedish flagship Tigern. The Tigern was boarded and captured after fierce close quarters combat. In the second engagement, another Polish vessel attacked the Swedish galleon Solen. Facing imminent capture, the Swedish commander detonated his ship’s powder magazine, destroying the vessel rather than surrender it. The remaining Swedish ships retreated, ending the battle. Both commanding admirals (Dickmann and the Swedish leader Nils Stiernsköld) were mortally wounded during the fighting.

While the battle was a victory for the Commonwealth, it had limited long-term impact. Sweden retained overall naval superiority in the Baltic, and the broader war continued without a decisive shift in balance. Nonetheless, the battle held considerable symbolic importance as it became a source of national pride for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and was celebrated in propaganda and later commemorated as the greatest naval success in Polish history.

Painting by Andrzej Krajewski

This photo is from the Tabaruzaka Seinan Civil War Museum at the Tabaruzaka battlefield, a place I would like to go to if I am ever able to travel to Japan. Based on pictures I’ve seen, the museum looks really cool and the battlefield appears to be very well reserved and, in spite of the carnage that took place there, very beautiful.

Following the lifting of the Siege of Orléans, French forces sought to clear out remaining English garrisons along the Loire River. Jargeau, an English-held strongpoint east of Orléans, controlled a key bridge and crossing. Joan of Arc, recently arrived at the French court, played a leading role in urging the continuation of the campaign.

French troops under Jean d’Orléans and Joan of Arc approached Jargeau on June 11th. After a brief bombardment and direct assault on June 12, the town walls were breached. Joan was struck by a stone during the fighting but continued to rally her soldiers. English forces, commanded by William de la Pole, were overwhelmed. The victory at Jargeau was the first in a series of swift French successes along the Loire, followed by victories at Battle of Meung-sur-Loire and Battle of Beaugency, significantly weakening English control in France.

"Joan was on a ladder, holding her standard in her hand, when it was struck and she herself was hit on the head by a stone which broke her helmet. But she was thrown to the ground and raising herself, said to the men-at-arms: 'Friends, friends! Come on! Come on! Our Lord has condemned the English! Now they are ours; have good courage!' In an instant the town of Jargeau was taken and the English retreated towards the bridges chased by the French." - The Duke of Alençon