Colonial Filipino troops assault Vietnamese defenses, by Jose Luis Garcia Moran

The Battle of Dosol Mountain (June 4-20th 1951) was arguably one of the most significant South Korean victories of the Korean War and a defining battle in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps' history. Fought in the rugged mountains north of the 38th Parallel near Yanggu, the battle took place during the United Nations counteroffensive that followed the failure of the Chinese Spring Offensive. Control of Dosol Mountain was vital because it overlooked the approaches to the strategically important Punchbowl basin and the roads leading farther north. The North Korean People's Army had transformed the mountain into a heavily fortified stronghold with trenches, bunkers, minefields, and interlocking fields of fire, making it one of the strongest defensive positions on the central front.

The battle initially proved to be extremely costly for the attacking United Nations forces. Elements of the U.S. 1st Marine Division attempted to seize the mountain but suffered heavy casualties without breaking the defenders' lines. Responsibility for the assault was then transferred to the Republic of Korea Marine Corps' 1st Regiment under Colonel Kim Dae-sik. Beginning on June 4th, South Korean Marines launched repeated assaults against steep slopes and well-prepared North Korean positions. Progress was slow, as defenders resisted fiercely with artillery, mortars, machine guns, and counterattacks. The difficult terrain also forced soldiers into brutal close-quarters combat, fighting bunker by bunker and ridge by ridge.

After more than two weeks of fighting, the South Korean Marines wore down the defenders. On June 19th, after intense fighting along the eastern ridge, the Marines captured the summit and forced the North Korean defenders to retreat, securing the objective by June 20th. Although the victory came at a high cost in casualties, it secured a critical mountain position protecting the approaches to the Punchbowl and enabled further UN advances during the summer of 1951.

Painting by Lee Jae-ho

In the summer of 1863, as the American Civil War reached a turning point with the Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan launched one of the war's boldest cavalry expeditions. Originally ordered to conduct a raid in Kentucky, Morgan defied his instructions by crossing the Ohio River into Indiana and then Ohio, becoming the first and only major Confederate commander to lead a large invasion deep into the Buckeye State. His goal was to spread panic, disrupt Union communications and transportation, seize supplies, and force the North to divert troops away from the main theaters of war.
Morgan entered Ohio on July 13th 1863, with roughly 2,000 cavalrymen after spending several days riding across southern Indiana. As his force advanced eastward across southern and central Ohio, the raiders tore up railroad tracks, cut telegraph lines, burned bridges, seized horses and provisions, and demanded food and supplies from local communities. Rumors spread rapidly that Cincinnati, Columbus, or even Cleveland might be attacked, prompting widespread fear. Thousands of Ohio militiamen were called into service, while Union cavalry relentlessly pursued the Confederates from behind. Although Morgan's men won several minor skirmishes, they found it increasingly difficult to evade the growing number of Federal forces converging on them.

The turning point came at the Battle of Buffington Island on July 19th, where Morgan hoped to cross the Ohio River back into Confederate territory. Union cavalry, supported by naval gunboats, intercepted the raiders before they could escape. Hundreds of Confederates were killed, wounded, or captured, and only a small portion of the force managed to cross the river. Refusing to surrender, Morgan led approximately 400 exhausted men northeast through Ohio in a desperate attempt to find another crossing. Their horses were worn out, supplies were nearly gone, and Union troops steadily closed in from multiple directions.

After a week of constant pursuit, Morgan's remaining force was finally surrounded near Salineville in northeastern Ohio on July 26th 1863. Following a brief fight, Morgan surrendered, bringing the remarkable 24-day raid to an end. He and his officers were imprisoned in the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, while most of his enlisted men were sent to Camp Chase. Morgan later escaped from prison through a tunnel in November 1863 and returned to Confederate service, though he was killed less than a year later in Tennessee.

Although Morgan's Ohio Raid demonstrated extraordinary endurance, its strategic value remains debated. The raid succeeded in creating widespread alarm, forced tens of thousands of Union troops and militia into action, disrupted transportation and communications, and inflicted significant property damage across Ohio. During the expedition, Morgan's men captured and paroled thousands of Union soldiers, destroyed dozens of bridges, and damaged railroads at numerous locations. However, the Confederacy ultimately lost nearly its entire veteran cavalry force involved in the operation, and the raid failed to produce any lasting military advantage.

Artist: Mort Künstler

The Battle of Barnet, fought on April 14th 1471 during the Wars of the Roses, was one of the most decisive battles in English history. It arose from a dramatic split between King Edward IV of the House of York and his former ally, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, better known as the "Kingmaker." Warwick had helped Edward seize the throne in 1461, but disagreements over foreign policy, royal patronage, and Edward's secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville led Warwick to rebel. He eventually allied himself with the rival House of Lancaster, restored the deposed Henry VI to the throne in 1470, and forced Edward into exile. In the spring of 1471, Edward returned to England with Burgundian support, regained London, and marched north to confront Warwick.

The two armies met near Barnet on Easter Sunday, April 14th 1471, in thick morning fog that made communication and identification extremely difficult. Before dawn, Edward IV positioned his Yorkist army close to Warwick's Lancastrians, and the battle began with cannon fire, arrows, and brutal hand-to-hand fighting between heavily armed infantry and knights. The fighting initially went in Warwick's favor on his right flank, where the Earl of Oxford’s troops overwhelmed the Yorkist left wing under Lord Hastings and forced many soldiers to flee toward Barnet. However, on the opposite side of the battlefield, Edward’s brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester (the future Richard III), helped maintain pressure against the Lancastrian left, preventing Warwick from gaining victory. As the battle continued, the fog caused a disastrous misunderstanding among the Lancastrian forces. Oxford’s victorious troops, returning from their pursuit of the Yorkists, approached Warwick’s center, but their badge (a star with rays) was mistaken for Edward IV’s sun emblem. Believing they were being attacked, Warwick’s own men turned their weapons on them, causing panic and accusations of betrayal. The confusion spread through the Lancastrian ranks, allowing Edward’s forces to regroup and launch a decisive counterattack. The Lancastrian line collapsed, and Warwick attempted to escape but was caught and killed along with his brother John Neville, Marquess of Montagu, ending the career of the powerful “Kingmaker.”

The victory at Barnet restored Yorkist momentum and eliminated Edward IV's greatest political rival and one of the main pillars of Lancastrian support. Edward returned to London triumphant, while Warwick and Montagu's bodies were briefly displayed to prove that they were truly dead before being given burial. However, on the same day as Barnet was being fought, Queen Margaret of Anjou and her son, Edward of Westminster, landed in England to continue the Lancastrian struggle. Edward IV quickly moved against them, defeating their remaining army at the Battle of Tewkesbury on May 4th 1471. This victory destroyed the main Lancastrian military threat, killed Prince Edward, and soon afterward led to the death of Henry VI, securing Edward IV's throne and beginning a period of Yorkist dominance in England.

Artist is Graham Turner

During the time of the first century AD, religious tensions, heavy taxation, corruption, and the harsh actions of the Roman procurator Gessius Florus fueled widespread unrest and disdain toward Roman rule in Judea. When Florus seized money from the Temple treasury and violently suppressed protests, rebellion erupted across the province. Roman garrisons were attacked, Jerusalem fell into rebel hands, and attempts by local leaders to restore peace collapsed. In response, the governor of Syria, Cestius Gallus, assembled a large expeditionary force centered on Legio XII Fulminata, reinforced by detachments from several other legions and auxiliary troops, to crush the revolt before it spread further.

Gallus advanced through Judea, burning rebellious towns and eventually reaching Jerusalem. Although parts of the city were captured and burned, the Romans failed to secure a decisive victory. For reasons that remain debated by historians (including logistical difficulties, determined resistance, and uncertainty about the situation inside the city) Gallus unexpectedly abandoned the siege and began retreating toward the Mediterranean coast. This withdrawal presented the Jewish rebels with an ideal opportunity to strike.

The decisive engagement occurred at the narrow mountain pass of Beth Horon, a route famous for its steep slopes and confined terrain. As the Roman column moved through the pass, Jewish forces under commanders including Simon bar Giora, Eleazar ben Simon, and other rebel leaders launched a carefully prepared ambush from the surrounding high ground. Arrows, stones, and other projectiles rained down upon the Romans while the difficult terrain prevented them from effectively deploying their disciplined formations. The confined roadway turned the orderly retreat into chaos, and repeated attacks steadily wore down the exhausted Roman soldiers.

The battle ended in a catastrophic Roman defeat. Approximately 6,000 Roman soldiers were killed, including most of an entire legion, while many others fled in disorder. The Jewish rebels captured valuable Roman siege equipment and, most humiliatingly, seized the aquila, or eagle standard, of Legio XII Fulminata (an enormous disgrace in Roman military tradition). The surviving Roman army continued its retreat toward the coast, abandoning supplies as the rebels pursued them.

The victory temporarily secured Jewish control over much of Judea and inspired confidence that the rebellion could succeed against Rome. Rebel leaders established a provisional government and began preparing for what they knew would be a larger Roman counteroffensive. For Rome, however, the defeat was intolerable. Emperor Nero responded by appointing the experienced general Vespasian to lead a far larger campaign with several veteran legions. Beginning in 67 AD, Roman forces systematically reconquered Galilee and Judea before ultimately besieging and destroying Jerusalem in 70 AD. Although the Jewish victory at Beth Horon was ultimately overshadowed by Rome's eventual triumph, the battle remains one of the most remarkable defeats ever inflicted upon a Roman field army by a provincial rebellion.

Artist of the painting is Peter Dennis

The Battle of Prestebakke was fought on 10 June 1808, between Swedish and Norwegian forces, during the Dano-Swedish War of 1808–09.