100 Decisive Battles From Ancient Times to the Present

by Davis, Paul K.

• ISBN13: 9780195143669
• ISBN10: 0195143663
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-06-14
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

From the ancient Egyptian battle at Megiddo in 1469 BC to the recent military actions in Iraq, great battles have had an enormous impact on the shaping of history. Now, in this fully illustrated book, one hundred of the world's most important military confrontations are described in detail.100 Decisive Battles gives us the facts about the battle and also explains where it fits in to the scope of world history. In each entry we are given the name and date of the battle, the commanders, the size of the opposing forces, and casualties. An account of the battle plan and the military action are strategically discussed, and each description closes with a valuable consideration of how history was affected bythe outcome of the conflict. Among the battles presented are the Battle of Thymbra (546 BC), the Battle of Chalons (451 AD), the Battle of Cajamarca (1532), the Battle of Dien Bien Phu (1954), and the Tet Offensive (1968). Accompanying maps and sidebars help further orient us with each militaryaction. Global in scope, with excellent coverage of American, Central American, European, Asian, and Middle Eastern battles, and with its stirring accounts of familiar battles and many lesser known military conflicts, 100 Decisive Battles is essential reading for military buffs and anyone interested in howthe modern world came to be.

Author Biography

Paul K. Davis is Lecturer at the University of Texas and at St. Mary's University in San Antonio.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
100 Decisive Battles
Megiddo (1479 B.C.)	1	(5)
Thymbra (546 B.C.)	6	(3)
Marathon (490 B.C.)	9	(5)
Salamis (480 B.C.)	14	(4)
Syracuse (415-413 B.C.)	18	(5)
Leuctra (371 B.C.)	23	(4)
Chaeronea (338 B.C.)	27	(4)
Gaugamela (Arbela) (331 B.C.)	31	(3)
Ipsus (310 B.C.)	34	(5)
Metaurus River (207 B.C.)	39	(4)
Kai-hsia (203 B.C.)	43	(4)
Zama (202 B.C.)	47	(4)
Pydna (168 B.C.)	51	(4)
Alesia (52 B.C.)	55	(4)
Pharsalus (48 B.C.)	59	(4)
Actium (31 B.C.)	63	(5)
Teutoburger Wald (Teutoburg Forest) (A.D. 9)	68	(3)
Beth-horon (66)	71	(7)
Milvian Bridge (312)	78	(4)
Adrianople (378)	82	(5)
Chalons (451)	87	(5)
Tricameron (533)	92	(3)
Badr (624)	95	(4)
Constantinople (717-718)	99	(4)
Tours (Poitiers) (732)	103	(3)
Pavia (773-774)	106	(4)
Lechfeld (955)	110	(3)
Hastings (1066)	113	(5)
Manzikert (1071)	118	(4)
Jerusalem (1099)	122	(5)
Hattin (1187)	127	(5)
Second Battle of Taraori (1192)	132	(3)
Bouvines (1214)	135	(3)
Ain Jalut (1260)	138	(4)
Hsiang-yang (1268-1273)	142	(3)
Hakata Bay (1274 and 1281)	145	(6)
Brusa (1317-1326)	151	(3)
Crecy (1346)	154	(5)
Orleans (1428-1429)	159	(6)
Constantinople (1453)	165	(5)
Granada (1491)	170	(4)
Tenochtitlan (1521)	174	(7)
Panipat (1526)	181	(5)
Vienna (1529)	186	(4)
Cajamarca (1532)	190	(4)
Lepanto (1571)	194	(5)
Spanish Armada (1588)	199	(5)
Sekigahara (1600)	204	(5)
Breitenfeld (1631)	209	(4)
Shanhaikuan (1644)	213	(4)
Naseby (1645)	217	(4)
Battle of the Dunes (1658)	221	(5)
Blenheim (1704)	226	(5)
Poltava (1709)	231	(5)
Culloden (1746)	236	(4)
Plassey (1757)	240	(4)
Quebec (1759)	244	(4)
Trenton (1776)	248	(6)
Saratoga (1777)	254	(4)
Yorktown (1781)	258	(5)
Valmy (1792)	263	(6)
Rivoli (1797)	269	(4)
Aboukir Bay (Battle of the Nile) (1798)	273	(4)
Trafalgar (1805)	277	(5)
Jena/Auerstadt (1806)	282	(4)
Prophetstown (Tippecanoe) (1811)	286	(4)
Borodino (1812)	290	(4)
Leipzig (Battle of the Nations) (1813)	294	(3)
Waterloo (1815)	297	(5)
Ayacucho (1824)	302	(4)
San Jacinto (1836)	306	(5)
Mexico City (1847)	311	(6)
Antietam (Sharpsburg) (1862)	317	(5)
Gettysburg (1863)	322	(6)
Atlanta/March to the Sea (1864)	328	(4)
Sedan (1870)	332	(3)
Tel el Kebir (1882)	335	(4)
Manila Bay (1898)	339	(4)
Mukden (1905)	343	(4)
Tsushima (1905)	347	(3)
Marne, First Battle (1914)	350	(5)
Verdun (1916)	355	(5)
Brusilov Offensive (1916)	360	(4)
Marne, Second Battle (1918)	364	(4)
Warsaw (1920)	368	(4)
Poland (1939)	372	(5)
Dunkirk (1940)	377	(4)
Battle of Britain (1940)	381	(5)
Moscow (1941)	386	(5)
Pearl Harbor (1941)	391	(4)
Singapore (1942)	395	(3)
Midway (1942)	398	(4)
Normandy (1944)	402	(5)
Okinawa (1945)	407	(5)
Israel's War of Independence (1948-1949)	412	(3)
Huai Hai (Suchow) (1948-1949)	415	(5)
Inchon (1950)	420	(4)
Dien Bien Phu (1953-1954)	424	(6)
Tet Offensive (1968)	430	(4)
Desert Storm (1991)	434	(7)
Bibliography	441	(12)
Index	453