William Mclaughlin

William Mclaughlin is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE

Articles by William Mclaughlin:

Being a Footsoldier in Ancient Battles; A Frontline View of Victory

What was it actually like to fight with the heavy infantry on an ancient battlefield? The average person has their views shaped by Hollywood, but…

732 Battle of Tours: Charles Martel the ‘Hammer’ preserves Western Christianity

Few Empires emerged as quickly as that of the Muslim Caliphates. Bursting out from Saudi Arabia in the mid-7th century, the Islamic Caliphate swarmed outward…

The Roman Barbarian Wars; The Era of Roman Conquest – Review by William McLaughlin

Roman wars against “barbarians” can often be very difficult to cover. In victory, they can be deemed inconsequential or unworthy of special mention by ancient…

The Alamo, Chancellorsville And Borodino, Was Victory Really Worth The Cost?

A few weeks ago an article covering some victories throughout history provoked quite a bit of discussion. These victories came at such a cost that…

Roman Emperors Who Died in Battle, From The End Of The Roman Empire To Byzantium

Though Roman Emperors occasionally did fight while out on campaigns, it was often a major shock if they were wounded or killed. If an emperor…

The Great Siege of Gibraltar: 1779-1783 France & Spains Failed Attempt To Take The Rock

Gibraltar is small bit of land, but it is full of history; it is a little under 3 square miles in area, with most of that…

Thermopylae, Bunker Hill & 2 Other Pyrrhic Victories Throughout History: Winning isn’t always worth it.

The term Pyrrhic victory can be used where someone technically “wins”, or achieves their objective, but the cost to do so made the victory almost…

Legion Vs Phalanx: Two Powerhouse Formations of Ancient Warfare

The organization from Homeric style hero warfare to tightly packed hoplite warfare was world changing. This powerful Hellenic formation allowed the ancient Greeks to hold…

Marcus Agrippa: Augustus’ Little Known Right Hand Man Who Knew How to Limit his Ambitions.

Octavian Augustus was the first actual emperor of Rome; Caesar had held the dictatorship but was murdered a few years into his rule. Ambitious men…

Three Effective Tactical Formations Throughout History

The formation of a unit could be decisive in a battle. In a case where all things were otherwise equal, the commander who knew how…

Historical Review: Alexander; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Alexander is the quintessential Hollywood historical epic. It features grand battles and overly dramatic events aplenty. It was the subject of much controversy prior to…

Custer’s Controversial Battle of Little Bighorn

It is generally accepted that the Native Americans suffered terribly from the western movement of White Americans, but it is a misconception that all Native Americans…