Patrick K. O'Donnell

Special operations forces require special men. Union major Henry Harrison Young was such a man—born for war.

John Singleton Mosby, one of the main characters of this story, 161 years ago this week conducted what is considered the perfect special operation.

Countless times in American history, commanders have promised to have the boys home by Christmas. In December 1863, in desperate need to relieve Knoxville, Tennessee, from the pressure of the surrounding Confederate troops, the Union high command planned a daring raid.

Jack Hendrick Taylor was America’s first Sea, Air, and Land commando who pioneered operations core to the U.S. Navy SEALs.

“We were about two hundred feet from the beach when a shell blew off the front of our landing craft, destroying the ramp,” recalled Ray Alm from B Company of the 2nd Ranger Battalion.

The terms “disinformation” and “Information warfare” were not coined until long after 1775, but America’s Founding Fathers absolutely understood the importance of them and controlling the narrative.

This week marks the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.  Two hundred and forty-seven years ago, farmers, tradesmen, laborers, and mariners–Americans of all stripes–came together to defend themselves against the most professional army in the world.

Two hundred and forty-six years ago this week the fate of Washington’s army—in fact, the fate of the entire Revolution—lay on the muscled shoulders of the fishermen and sailors of the Marblehead Regiment.

This elite unit of Marylanders, known as “Washington’s Immortals” or the “Bayonets of the Revolution” for their Thermopylae-like charge against a British stronghold, bought with their blood “an hour, more precious to American liberty than any other in its history.”

Two hundred and forty-six years ago, a little-known plot was hatched to assassinate Commander in Chief General George Washington that could have potentially altered the course of history.

Countless times, the fate of the nascent American nation depended on the right person being in the right place at the right time–like the gallant 26-year-old Marblehead captain James Mugford Jr. who captured the largest single prize of the Revolutionary War, the Hope.

This week marks the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.  Two hundred and forty-seven years ago, farmers, tradesmen, laborers, and mariners–Americans of all stripes–came together to defend themselves against the most professional army in the world.

St. Patrick’s Day is renowned for its green beer and revelry, but on March 17, 1776 the day marked a turning point in the Revolutionary War. Through the course of events, a young bookworm would serendipitously uncover a solution that unlocked American innovation and changed history.

Today, we take the term “The United States of America” for granted, but when a plucky Irishman in Washington’s Navy used it for the first time, the unity of the American colonies as well as their quest for independence was in question. 

239 years ago, that freezing night in January was the eve of one of the most decisive battles of the Revolution, one that was won through a combination of leadership and adaptability. 

“Defend the bridge to the last extremity!” Washington shouted to his officers and men 245 years ago as he stared at the massive British army coiling in front of the stone arched bridge that stood between his men and their destruction.

“Our republic cannot exist long in prosperity,” Doctor Benjamin Rush later wrote in a letter to John Adams. “We require adversity and appear to possess most of the republican spirit when most depressed.”

In the fall of 1776, the United States faced complete collapse. In those dark days, Americans reached deep within, through their agency, to change the course of history.

One of the most poignant and meaningful of these ceremonies will take place at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. During this year’s Veteran’s Day memorial celebration, Arlington Cemetery will recreate a portion of the ceremony that took place 100 years ago. 

For those on the ground in Europe the last twenty-four hours before the cessation of hostilities on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, that day was nothing less than hell on earth.

The Founders boldly threw down a nonimportation and exportation agreement against the greatest economic power on earth. 

Most Americans think of General George S. Patton as the great commander of U.S. forces in North Africa and Europe in World War II, but fewer know that the colorful and charismatic officer also played a key role in World War I — and here he learned to command.

Two hundred and forty-five years ago, in a forgotten battle that saved Washington’s Army, a handful of American soldiers accomplished a feat exceptionally rare in history. They successfully prevented an amphibious landing by thousands of British soldiers.

This week marks the 101st anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps’ bloodiest day and one of its most important battles of WW I: Blanc Mont. Several Marines earned Medals of Honor on the blood-soaked ridge, including Corporal John Henry Pruitt.

At several crucial inflection points in American history, the exceptional bravery of our troops and bold leadership of their officers enabled them to execute remarkable, seemingly impossible, retreats that saved lives, resources, and even the future of the nation. 

Two hundred and forty-six years ago this year, in one of America’s most sacred battles, the Battle of Bunker Hill, Americans showed themselves to be not merely a rebellious rabble of colonists but a formidable force to be reckoned with. 

General George Washington, was guarded by an elite unit of trusted soldiers, known as his Life Guard, who protected the commander in chief as well as performed special missions and engaged in battle.  

The spark that ignited the Revolutionary War in 1775 had a long fuse that British General Thomas Gage unintentionally lit when he first seized colonial gunpowder and artillery in 1774. 

The true story of America’s founding and the incredible sacrifice of those who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Americans who made its iconic words a reality is epic.

A Son of Liberty and close friend of Patriots like Samuel Adams and Doctor Joseph Warren, the doctor made great pains to disguise his true loyalties to the British Crown.

Two hundred and forty-six years ago this week, in one of America’s most sacred battles, hundreds of American patriots fought and died for their yet-to-be-born country. America suffered many losses in the Battle of Bunker Hill, but one of the greatest was the life of Patriot leader, Doctor Joseph Warren. 

Both the British and the Americans wanted control of Bunker Hill, the highest point on the Charlestown peninsula north of Boston, for strategic reasons. On June 17, 1775, some of the most ferocious fighting of the Revolutionary War would determine who would keep it.

He furtively lowered the fort’s flag, which proclaimed “Don’t Tread on Me,” and passed the colors to another soldier rather than hand them over to the enemy.

The gallant 26-year-old Marblehead captain James Mugford Jr. captured the largest single prize of the Revolutionary War, the Hope.

The epic battle for control over gunpowder and weaponry between the British government and American colonists motivated much of the action in the Revolutionary War. The fight over gun control is in American’s DNA. 

Two hundred and forty-five years ago, precursors to America’s nascent special operations forces got off to a rough start.