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On Buffery
I have reached the age where, according to sages on the Internet, I either have to develop an interest in cooking meats or find a war to become fascinated with. My landlord doesn’t want me to have a grill too close to the house, so it looks like I’ll have to pick a war. What are my options?
The Blue Chips. By far the two most popular wars for history buffs to get interested in are the Civil War and World War II. The Civil War has the advantage of taking place within the United States, so you can see the battlefields without a passport; World War II has the advantage, now sadly diminishing, of taking place within living memory. Both have the advantage of being clear victories for the right side. While the Confederates were not evil on the level of the Nazis or Imperial Japan, I believe there’s a consensus that the United States is better off without slavery and with sweet potato pie.
If we’ve learned anything from recent presidential politics, it’s that two options aren’t enough, so what are the other ones?
The Alternatives. Among major wars throughout history, the ones with the least amount of history buffery relative to their importance (from an American perspective) are World War I and the American Revolution. The former has its moments (e.g., Belleau Wood and Lawrence of Arabia) and is the first instance of America saving the day for its allies, but the bulk of it — trench warfare punctuated by gas attacks — is too depressing to be fertile ground for buffery. The Revolution, on the other hand, seems quite promising. On a personal level, it has at least two advantages for me. One is that unlike the Civil War, which took place mostly in the South, Revolutionary battlefields are evenly distributed along the East Coast. I sweat a lot, so the prospect of traipsing around battlefields in New England or New Jersey in the summer is more appealing than, say, Tennessee or Mississippi. Also, I owe an eternal debt of gratitude to those who secured our independence for my name not being “Geoffrey”.
Napoleon. Napoleon is the master of Europe. Only the British Navy stands in his way. Oceans, much like my bandwidth for developing a mildly unhealthy fascination with military history, are now battlefields. The problem with Napoleonic war buffery is that it tends to focus on the British Navy (at least for those of us who don’t have the time to read War and Peace), which was impressing Americans into its ranks at the time, which led to an actual shooting war with us. It got so bad that New Englanders evolved a defense mechanism to prevent being shanghaied into the British Navy: becoming insufferable about Boston sports. There is, in other words, a direct line between Britain’s actions in the Napoleonic era to Bill Belichick, which might be unforgivable. Napoleon, for his part, sold us the Louisiana Purchase, which turned out to be a net benefit despite that part of the country having the Iowa caucuses, most of the nation’s tornadoes, and whatever “ambrosia salad” is.
The Startups. Perhaps the smart move is to get ahead of the curve by becoming a buff of a more recent war. Mastering the complexity of the Global War on Terrorism has a certain appeal, although I’m not sure I’d ever want to be the sort of person who understands this:
The Korean War runs the risk of being reactivated, although such would be a profound tactical blunder by Kim Jong Un. As the only fat person in the entire country, I imagine he’d be easy to spot and capture. There are numerous obscure conflicts around the world, but it’s difficult to predict which side of it some of the U.S. will end up on, and I don’t want to pick the wrong side and end up on an FBI watch list. The best choice here might be the first Persian Gulf war, which I could (perhaps with some liquid assistance) learn to spout off about for longer than the actual war. I don’t have kids yet, but I want to, and that sounds like a dad achievement.
The Ethnic Play. For descendants of historically repressed or occupied groups, such as the Irish, or the Poles, or the Irish, or the Greeks, or the Irish, or the Jews, or the Irish, or the Africans, or the Irish, or the Koreans, or the Irish, or the Armenians, or the Irish, studying happier times or your people’s struggle for independence and sovereignty can be inspiring. However, as you might have guessed, my last name and most of my ancestry is German. While my ancestors immigrated before uh, things went downhill there, this path is rather emphatically closed to me. However, if your own ancestry is more conducive to this strategy, by all means, go ahead.
Especially if you’re Irish.
Published in History
Buffery? What about Nerdery? Or Geekery?
I’m not inclined to war buffery itself, or of battlefield tactics and whatnot. But I could easily be a buff of the U.S. Revolutionary War time frame and the circumstances surrounding that war. Learning those sheds a great deal of light on some first principles about the United States. First principles that are still (or again) relevant. Also the prominent men of the time are fascinating. And finally, if costuming, architecture, and accessories are your thing as part of your buffery, the ones from that time are spectacular.
“I always wanted to be a Civil War buff.” – George Costanza.
And don’t forget, there’s always the Grenada conflict of 1983. You could probably become a leading authority in a short time.
Same with Operation Just Cause!
I must say I was worried that the Chaco War might appear in the OP. Phew!
The U.S. Civil War does have the most prospects to become a “reenactor” if costuming, camping, antique firearms, and group activities are fun for you. And if you have a trainable horse, you could become the cavalry! As not a fan of the military per se, I have enjoyed the reenactors that reenact the hangers-on that traveled with the military (seamstresses, tool makers, etc.).
You mean like, right at the end of Monty Python and the Holy Grail?
The War of Jenkins’ Ear (1739 to 1748)?
Go with what was truly the first world war, the Seven Years’ War, known here as the French and Indian War.
You could study the “other” side in a war. One of the most interesting books I read about the Revolutionary War was a history of the war from the British perspective because it showed how the unclear command lines and constant changes to them was a key factor in the British loss. Or the German or Soviet sides in WWII could be interesting if you can get past the senseless mass killing by both of them.
At that point in life I began reading about Grant. (Actually, it started with Sherman in The Soul of Battle by VDH.) The Grant trilogy by Lewis/Catton lead to other (older) books by those who knew him and more by Catton on the war more generally. It has been a quite illuminating journey. (ASIDE: The history of the history of Grant is quite interesting and, if you will, maybe even an early primer on the Progressives anti-American narrative fabrication methodologies. Just sayin’…)
I’m with you, Jeff, but I am awaiting the pushback on both of those regarding who was “the right side.”
There’s a new series on Fox Nation which is about George Washington as a young man and his involvement in the French and Indian War. It’s very good, by no means uncritical hagiography. Four or five episodes available now, more next summer.
I am particularly interested in the French campaign leading to the disaster of 1940, both the military aspects and the social and political trends that preceded the outbreak of the war. See my post An Unexpected Defeat.
Yes, yes…the War between the States and World War II tend to be where amateur scholars settle. There’s nothing wrong with these, and the good news is that as a hobby, you will NEVER run out of books to read, tours to make, or online windmills to tilt at with either of them.
The safe option I’d recommend is the War of Independence; a great place to start is with your local chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (here) I’ll bet you have at least one “patriot ancestor” in your family tree, and even if you don’t think so, local chapter members will likely jump at the chance to help you track one down. Researching this individual is a great way to dive into becoming a Revolutionary War buff.
HOWEVER…there are any number of fascinating lesser-known wars that America has fought, and each of them is worth knowing more about. Many of them are dismissed by so-called “experts” as being of little or no concern; as a retired Soldier, to such ill-considered opinions I say “Oh, bull-snot!” The War of 1812, the Mexican War of 1846-48, the Spanish War of 1898, and the Philippine Insurrection of 1898-1902 are all worthy of in-depth study as a hobby.
As for me, I heartily endorse @arahant’s suggestion, and encourage you to become a “French and Indian War” buff. There’s not many of us, but we’re always looking for bright and promising young lads to join the cause!
Rule #1: If you can’t read French, don’t sign that document.
He trusted his translator…didn’t seem to have much of a choice.
The Indian Wars are an interesting subject…the whole topic of two very different kinds of cultures meeting, something we probably won’t see again to that level until the Space Aliens show up.
I like something Neptunus Lex said in one of his Memorial Day posts:
Our Indian Wars spat and guttered from before the Revolution all the way up until 1898, taking the life of George Armstrong Custer along the way while opening up the westward frontier all the way to the Pacific Ocean and teaching us a specific lesson on the dangers of hubris on the one hand, and on the other the general lesson that savagery in warfare was by no means a characteristic exclusively limited to our foes. Many tens of thousands died over the years, great warriors in blue and great warriors in buckskin and all too often non-combatants on every side. Nearly all of them fought for the right as they saw it, usually in exceptional circumstances of great hardship. Great bravery and low barbarism were sufficient to share all around even as it became clear over time that the outcome was never seriously in doubt.
But we remember them still. We remember them all.
And so many to choose from:
King Philip’s War
King William’s War
Queen Anne’s War
King George’s War
War of Jenkins’ Ear
The French and Indian War
And then you get to US history.
It is the “etc.” that might be the most amusing.
I was always interested in WWI and the lead up to it- this war changed so much (and my grandfather fought in it)
Agree on the pre-Revolutionary War wars, it’s been a while since I’ve read anything in that space but King Philips War stands out for me.
https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/king-philips-war
This is worth the read:
https://www.amazon.com/King-Philips-War-Americas-Forgotten/dp/1581574894/
Also the French and Indian war
The war against the Barbary Pirates has contemporary relevace in view of the depredations on shipping now being conducted by the Houthis.
There’s a very good historical novel which encompasses the Barbary War, in addition to the Alien & Sedition Acts and the Haitian Revolution. Lydia Bailey, by Kenneth Roberts.
How about World War III? We seem to be repeating many things that caused the previous wars – you could list them in a post – for example – the resurgence of antisemitism has not been this alarming since WWII. Extremism in many forms, the loss of freedom, information control and the erasing of history – governments co-opting natural resources like oil and gas and shutting off the valves, controlling food and farming, forced vaccines, goods and services, including housing becoming unaffordable – – I could go on and on but it would make an interesting study before we all go off the cliff……
The 100 years war. (France and England)
Pros:
Famous battles like Crecy, Poitiers, Agincourt
St Crispins Day speech (as written by one W. Shakespeare)
Long bows
chevauchee
Cool nicknames like “the Black Prince”
Cons
dysentery
lots of French words like chevauchee
essentially one interminable real estate dispute over who rules regions of France because of who married who two hundred years before
Neutral
King John of Bohemia. A blind king fighting with France, he ordered his retainers to lead him into battle at Crecy which led to his demise.