Episodes

  • Episode 53 – Abel on the French Revolution

    Episode 53 – Abel on the French Revolution
    May 15 2024
    Drs. Jonathan Abel and Bill Nance discuss the French Revolution. They explore its origins and its various stages. They discuss the different groups involved in it and their machinations as they sought to gain power and shape France in their image. They explore the military aspect of the Revolution as it came to an end under Napoleon. They conclude by examining some of its various elements and legacies.

    Corrections: the Glorious Revolution in England took place in 1689, not 1789, and the French fully conquered Italy only during the War of the Second Coalition.

    “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield

    Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMH

    DMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill Nance

    Artwork: Daniel O. Neal

    Music: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • Episode 52 – Whitford on British Leadership in the Early 20th Century

    Episode 52 – Whitford on British Leadership in the Early 20th Century
    May 1 2024
    Dr. Jonathan Abel and Dr. Bill Nance are back with LTC Andy Whitford, PhD, of DDE to discuss British army leadership in the early twentieth century. They trace the early career of General Nevil Macready through the Boer War and the Tonypandy Riots of 1910-1911. They detail how he managed to use military force effectively to keep peace in his various postings in Egypt, South Africa, and Wales. Finally, LTC Whitford offers some insights into lessons that may be learned from Macready’s career and approach.

    “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield

    Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMH

    DMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill Nance

    Artwork: Daniel O. Neal

    Music: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Episode 51 – Gerges on Napoleonic Cavalry in the Peninsular War

    Episode 51 – Gerges on Napoleonic Cavalry in the Peninsular War
    Apr 1 2024
    Dr. Jonathan Abel and Dr. Bill Nance talk with Dr. Mark Gerges, Napoleonist, about Napoleonic-era cavalry in the Peninsular War. They begin by describing the conflict and the characteristics of the operating environment. They explore Napoleonic cavalry in general, particularly British and French. They detail how British cavalry fought in the conflict, and how Wellington managed his forces in Iberia. Finally, they explain how the lessons from the conflict are still relevant.

    “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield

    Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMH

    DMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill Nance

    Artwork: Daniel O. Neal

    Music: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Episode 50 – On the Road at the 2024 CRE

    Episode 50 – On the Road at the 2024 CRE
    Apr 1 2024
    Dr. Jonathan Abel is on the road at the 2024 meeting of the Consortium on the Revolutionary Era in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His first discussion is with Dr. Julia Osman, Associate Professor of History at Mississippi State University, about early modern French soldiers. They examine misconceptions of soldiers of the period, particularly about their literacy and agency, and explore exciting new research avenues in the field. His second discussion is with Dr. Alexander Burns, Assistant Professor of History at Franciscan University of Steubenville, about various approaches to history. They explore historical reenactment, experimental archaeology, wargaming, and video gaming as methods of learning and teaching history. They examine which have the most value alongside traditional academic history, and they opine on the pitfalls inherent in some.

    “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield

    Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMH

    DMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill Nance

    Artwork: Daniel O. Neal

    Music: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band
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    59 mins
  • Episode 49 – Jennings on Winfield Scott

    Episode 49 – Jennings on Winfield Scott
    Mar 14 2024
    Dr. Jonathan Abel, with Dr. Bill Nance, talks to LTC Nate Jennings, PhD, of DJIMO about the life and career of Winfield Scott. They discuss the early American army and Scott’s place in it as a leading intellectual. They then detail his role in the Mexican-American War from its beginnings to his triumph in Mexico City. They explore how Scott was a joint-minded commander, able to work equally well across branches, services, and domains of warfare.

    “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield

    Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMH

    DMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill Nance

    Artwork: Daniel O. Neal

    Music: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Episode 48 – Hosler on Crusades and Crusading

    Episode 48 – Hosler on Crusades and Crusading
    Mar 1 2024
    Dr. Jonathan Abel sits down with Dr. John Hosler, DMH medievalist, to discuss the Crusades and Crusading. They examine the terminology and interrogate what constitutes a “Crusade.” They discuss the people who went Crusading and their motivations. They interrogate the time range in which Crusades took place. Finally, they opine on the utility of such discussions.

    “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield

    Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMH

    DMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill Nance

    Artwork: Daniel O. Neal

    Music: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Episode 47 – Nagel on Race Relations in the US Army 1865-1906

    Episode 47 – Nagel on Race Relations in the US Army 1865-1906
    Feb 22 2024
    Drs. Jonathan Abel and Bill Nance talk with Dr. Amanda Nagel about race relations in the US Army between the Civil War and World War 2. They discuss the participation of Black soldiers in Reconstruction and how many transitioned to being Buffalo Soldiers in the American West. They detail the issues those soldiers faced, both within the Army and in wider American society of the time. They trace race relations through the Spanish-American War in 1898. Finally, they explore how the Progressive Era did and did not improve race relations, culminating in the 1906 Brownsville Affair.

    “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield

    Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMH

    DMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill Nance

    Artwork: Daniel O. Neal

    Music: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 18 mins
  • Episode 46 – Hull on International Law

    Episode 46 – Hull on International Law
    Feb 1 2024
    Dr. Jonathan Abel, joined by Dr. Bill Nance, talk international law with Dr. Mark Hull. He examines the effects of World War 2, especially the Nuremberg Trials, on the development of international law. He discusses how international law and its implementation languished in the late twentieth century before picking up again in the 1990s. He explains how enforcement evolved after the end of the Cold War and how it might continue in the future.

    “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield

    Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMH

    DMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill Nance

    Artwork: Daniel O. Neal

    Music: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band
    Show more Show less
    1 hr