Tag: class

The Americans learned in the 1770s that there is a material reality to warfare and that this has nothing to do with religion. The Americans developed better cannons to kill as many English Red Coats “at a distance” – so that their inexperienced “volunteer” force could better handle these tough working-class Englishmen hand-to-hand. The evidence suggests that the brutal discipline practiced by the Red Coats still made this process very difficult and very different to the films. The Red Coats carried-on marching in formation despite significant losses – each soldier doggedly “locking forward” and never to the left and right (which often involved huge holes in the lines). Interestingly, both the Union and Confederacy sought to replicate these levels of bravery in their own respective armies – one of the reasons I find this era of history to be quite fascinating. What the Confederacy lacked in material support – it more than make-up for this deficiency in the personal bravery of its soldiers. Of course, soldiers can hold a religious view that assists them in bearing the hardships associated with war (the Imperial Japanese Forces of WWII is often cited as an example – the “Kamikaze” for instance) – but the Soviet Red Amy possessed NO official religion during WWII – and yet its soldiers prevailed over the ruthless material science fielded by Nazi Germany – and the religiosity of the Japanese. America can be defeated but this is usually on the political level – as resistance to war amongst the voters becomes greater than the will to pursue the war.