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Between 1817 and 1825, 10,000 British mercenaries, many of them veterans of the Napoleonic Wars, left Europe to join the armies and navies of Bolivar, San Martin, and other leaders fighting to liberate their countries from the colonial domination of Spain and Portugal. Very few of these mercenaries came back. Many succumbed to tropical diseases or battles, and the remainder settled in the new states that they helped to create. This two-volume edition tells the little known story of these freedom mercenaries. Using historical evidence, this work offers a complete study of the struggle of both Britons and South Americans in these Wars of Independence and analyzes their actions in the larger context of the foreign policies of the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Imperial Russia, and the German States. Each volume features self-contained, but complementary chapters that follow one major unit or volunteer. Written in an approachable style, this book offers insight into an under-examined historical epic.
In 1820, liberal revolutions broke out in the Iberian Peninsula and these conflicts led to the Portuguese War of the Two Brothers (1831-1834) and the Spanish First Carlist War (1833-1840). During this period, the Greeks fought their War of Independence (1821-1832) against Turkey. British mercenaries fought in these three wars.
Ever since the French Revolution and the rise of the rise of national armies, the mercenary has been viewed as a maligned and marginalized actor in international relations. The Mercenary challenges this view, suggesting instead that while delegated to the periphery of Great Power politics, the mercenary remained a coercive instrument of state power who was willing to discretely promote the client's foreign policy when called upon to do so. Never has this been more evident than today. This book offers fresh insight into the future of the mercenary as an instrument of state coercion and explains why there is a mercenary renaissance in the 21st century. The start of the 21st century has seen renewed interest in the mercenary from across the political spectrum. The growing reliance by the US, Russia, and China on military and security contractors suggests that the mercenary remains a key player in International Politics, now emerging from the shadows to help expand state influence on the world stage by serving as an important actor in the conduct of conflict and the winning of small wars. Far from being marginalized, the future of the mercenary is set to be increasingly active.
Across the span of more than forty years, Raphael Dorman O’Leary, a professor of English rhetoric and English literature, taught his students at the University of Kansas to think straight, to put sinew into their sentences, and to embrace the magnificent literary treasures of their mother tongue. The English Professor, by authors Margaret R. O’Leary and Dennis S. O’Leary, offers a narrative of the life, work, and times of a revered Midwestern university English teacher. This memoir narrates how the professor, born in 1866, was raised on a Kansas farm in the post-bellum era. Like his father before him, he was committed to a life of learning and teaching. His colleagues knew him for his ...
Rank and file soldiers were not ‘the scum of the earth’ but included a cross section of working-class men, who retained their former civilian culture. While they often exhibited pride in regiment and nation, soldiers could also demonstrate a growing class consciousness and support for political radicalism. The book will challenge assumptions that the British army was politically neutral, if privately conservative, by uncovering a rich vein of liberal and radical political thinking among some soldiers, officers and political commentators. This ranges from the Whig ‘militia’ tradition, through radical theories on tactics and army reform, to attempted ultra-radical subversion amongst tr...
Between 1817 and 1825, 10,000 British mercenaries, many of them veterans of the Napoleonic Wars, left Europe to join the armies and navies of Bolivar, San Martin, and other leaders fighting to liberate their countries from the colonial domination of Spain and Portugal. Very few of these mercenaries came back. Many succumbed to tropical diseases or battles, and the remainder settled in the new states that they helped to create. This two-volume edition tells the little known story of these freedom mercenaries. Using historical evidence, this work offers a complete study of the struggle of both Britons and South Americans in these Wars of Independence and analyzes their actions in the larger context of the foreign policies of the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Imperial Russia, and the German States. Each volume features self-contained, but complementary chapters that follow one major unit or volunteer. Written in an approachable style, this book offers insight into an under-examined historical epic.
In Masters of Warfare, Eric G. L. Pinzelli presents a selection of fifty commanders whose military achievements, skill or historical impact he believes to be underrated by modern opinion. He specifically does not include the household names (the "Gods of War" as he calls them) such as Alexander, Julius Caesar, Wellington, Napoléon, Rommel or Patton that have been covered in countless biographies. Those chosen come from every period of recorded military history from the sixth century BC to the Vietnam War. The selection rectifies the European/US bias of many such surveys with Asian entries such as Bai Qi (Chinese), Attila (Hunnic), Subotai (Mongol), Ieyasu Tokugawa (Japanese) and Võ Nguyên Giáp (Vietnamese). Naval commanders are also represented by the likes of Khayr al-Din Barbarossa, Francis Drake and Michiel de Ruyter. These 50 "Masters of War" are presented in a chronological order easy to follow, with a concise overview of their life and career. Altogether they present a fascinating survey of the developments and continuities in the art of command, but most importantly their contribution to the evolution of weaponry, tactic and strategy through the ages.
In 1822, the Mary departed Philadelphia and sailed in the direction of the Spanish colony of Puerto Rico. Like most vessels that navigated the Caribbean, the Mary brought together men who had served under a dozen different flags over the years. Unlike most crews, those aboard the Mary were in a different line of commerce: they exported revolution. In addition to rifles and pistols, the Mary transported a box filled with proclamations announcing the creation of the "Republic of Boricua." This imagined republic rested on one principle: equal rights for all, regardless of birthplace, race, or religion. The leaders of the expedition had never set foot in Puerto Rico. And they never would. When w...
A study of the relations between Britain and Chile during the Spanish American independence era (1806–1831). It focuses on the dynamic, unpredictable and changing nature of cultural encounters to cast doubt on the assumption that imperialism was their obvious outcome and to understand further nation-building processes.