~ Mary, Queen-Consort of England's George V
When every autumn people said it could not last through the winter, and when every spring there was still no end in sight, only the hope that out of it all some good would accrue to mankind kept men and nations fighting. When at last it was over, the war had many diverse results and one dominant one transcending all others: disillusion.
~ Barbara Tuchman (The Guns of August, "Afterward")
As far as I am concerned, it will always be “The War of the Royals”, millions died for them, for what, Empires? Who really won because of it? No one. All it did was plant a seed for the next big one. We didn’t need WW I, it wasn’t our war, we got suckered into it. We had no Royals here, we were not part of anyone’s empire nor were we allied with any of them. The only reason to go was $$$$$.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand signed the exit papers for both sets of my maternal grandparents.
I don’t know what life in the Austro-Hungarian Empire offered them, but mining coal in Colorado looked like a step up!
Barbara Tuchman’s book IS the book on the first months of the war.
Her description of Joffre sitting on the swings deciding what to do is extremely moving and powerful.
Guns of August a fine read. For anyone truly interested in the First World War I highly recommend Jeff Shaara’s “To the Last Man.”
Today is also the 240th. anniversary of The Battle Of Monmouth, June 28, 1778, also known as The Battle of Monmouth Courthouse in what is now Monmouth County , New Jersey. The battlefield is located at the western edge of Monmouth County near the present day town of Freehold. It’s the county seat for Monmouth County. At the time it was the largest battle ever to occur on the North American Continent. British and German troops under the command of British General Henry Clinton clashed with American Continental Army troops under the command of General ‘’Lighthorse’’ Harry Lee. As persnickety, obstinate, incompetent and all around pain in the butt of a man ever to hold command of American troops. Lee thought The Almighty had achieved the sum of perfection when HE created Lee. Others who knew him had different opinions.The battle was notable because it was the debut of America’s first professionally trained and equipped army. Having sheltered and survived the bitter winter at Valley Forge and under the tutelage of Prussian aristocrat Von Stueben the American Army acquitted itself well on the field that day. The battle itself was a draw, owning much to the fact that Lee had never before commanded such a large force and gave a series of conflicting orders. Alternately ordering some troops to advance and others to withdraw. At one point during the day long battle General Washington arrived to find troops moving to the rear. Dismayed he asked one young solider who ordered him to retreat. ‘’General Lee sir’’ the young man replied. Washington , a man known for a calm demeanor exclaimed “Damn him!’’ and rode forth to rally the troops. What was also of note was the intense heat and humidity that day. By noon the temperature was well over one hundred degrees. There were more men felled by heat exhaustion then musket balls. General Hugh Mercer, Washington’s aide de camp said of the heat that ‘’It was as the fires of a thousand Hades’’. The Battlefeild site is about forty minutes west of where I live. God bless those patriots.