What do you think is the most famous battle or battle that affected the outcome of history?

LTC David S. Chang, ChFC®, CLU® — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 12:36:24 -0500

Studying past battles is important to learn lessons on tactics, leadership, strategy, etc. I enjoy history and the outcome of some of these battles. There are lesser known ones like Admiral Yi-Soon Shin who was the first to invent an iron-clad warship (The Turtle Ship, not the Monitor and Merrimac) and with 13 of them defeated 133 japanese ships, saving the country from annihilation.

I believe the battle of Hastings in 1066 where William of Normandy invaded England, the battle of stalingrad, the battle of Gettysburg, and Incheon Landing are other really big battles that changed the outcome of history.

What are your battles and why?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 27 at 2014 2:53 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 14:53:03 -0500

You can't forget Thermopylae. They've got two movies based on it now.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 8 at 2014 10:20 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 22:20:08 -0400

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Aug 2 at 2016 3:09 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 15:09:53 -0400

LTC David S. Chang, ChFC®, CLU® Kursk and Midway affected WWII dramatically. Agincourt and Crecy affected the 100 years war and mounted knights recognized they were vulnerable.

Response by SGT Michael Szachnitowskik1035 made Jan 2 at 2018 5:29 PM

SGT Michael Szachnitowskik1035 — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 17:29:58 -0500

Battle of the buldge

Response by SFC Greg Bruorton made Jan 2 at 2018 6:12 PM

SFC Greg Bruorton — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 18:12:56 -0500

Custer's Last Stand--25 June 1876 became the pivotal point when the U.S. Army began focusing all its manpower and weaponry against the Plains Indians with the objective to bring that war to an end.

Although this was a major victory for Crazy Horse, Chief of the Oglala Sioux, it was only the beginning of the demise of the American Indian on the Great Plains. He knew it, as for a full year, he and his small band of Oglalas tried their best to reach the Canadian border and to ultimate safety. But that was not to be.

Crazy Horse and his followers had depleted their ability to protect themselves from the overwhelming power of the U.S. military and consequently turned himself over to the Commander at Robinson Barracks, Nebraska Territory, in September 1877. The chief was thrown into the brig.

Having only a knife he kept hidden, Crazy Horse broke loose from the escort that was proceeding toward the freshly constructed gallows in his honor. As a result, one of his tribesman, on duty as an Indian policeman at the time, thrust his bayonet through the side of the chief, thus fulfilling a vision Crazy Horse had had when he was a youth that he was to end his days of mortality by one of his own.

With the spirit and backbone of the Sioux finally broken, the U.S. Army was now ready to focus strongly on the capture of Geronimo and his renegade followers in Arizona by the full activation of the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments--the Buffalo Soldiers. Geronimo surrendered for the second time in 1886 and was shipped to a Florida prison by train, accompanied by the loyal Apache scouts of the U.S. Army as dictated by General Nelson A. Miles.

The Seventh Cavalry was not ready to forgive and forget their humiliating defeat at the Little Big Horn. As a consequence, troopers from the Seventh rounded up unarmed men, women, and children of the Oglalas and massacred them in December 1890 (The Wounded Knee Massacre.)

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 8 at 2018 6:10 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 18:10:52 -0500

As a true blooded American... I say the Battle of Saratoga, which was the turning point of the American Revolution. It proved to the rest of the world that the American colonists could actually win against the British forces. It is also the battle that led to Benedict Arnold (hero of the battle) to become disenfranchised and eventually turncoat.

Response by CPT Charley Watkins made Jan 10 at 2018 10:27 PM

CPT Charley Watkins — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 22:27:47 -0500

The battle of Milvain bridge in 312. World history was changed forever. Look it up.

Response by SSG Thomas Barry made Jan 12 at 2018 10:56 PM

SSG Thomas Barry — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 22:56:51 -0500

The Alamo

Response by CSM William Payne made Feb 7 at 2018 11:50 AM

CSM William Payne — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 11:50:37 -0500

I don’t believe the relavance of the Battle of the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia was that they were the first ironclads, but that this was the first battle between ironclads.

With the battle pretty much being a draw, the real losers were wooden warships, which became almost immediately obsolete.

Though the original designs of the early ironclads limited them more to coastal and river duty, the days of the wooden warship were effectively over.

Response by CW4 Chad Balwanz made Feb 7 at 2018 6:00 PM

CW4 Chad Balwanz — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 18:00:26 -0500

The battle for Iwo Jima must be included where uncommon valor was a common virtue.

Response by SSG Brian Edwards made Mar 25 at 2018 11:53 PM

SSG Brian Edwards — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 23:53:10 -0400

Battle of Gettysburg definitely decided the future of our nation