Military History

Commissioned in 1895, USS Indiana (BB-1) (right) was the US Navy's first modern battleship.  The lead ship of its class, Indiana saw service with the North Atlantic Squadron and was at Key West when the Spanish-American War began.  Part of RAdm. William T. Sampson's squadron, it took part in the bombardment of San Juan, PR in May 1898 before playing a role in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in early July.  Following the war, Indiana was quickly eclipsed by newer and more powerful battleships.  Largely serving in a reserve role, the battleship was re-commissioned in 1917 and used as a gunnery training vessel during World War I.  Three years later, Indiana was sunk during aerial bombardment tests in the Chesapeake Bay.

Spanish-American War:

• USS Maine Explosion
• Battle of Manila Bay
• Commodore George Dewey
• Battle of San Juan Hill

Photograph Courtesy of the US Naval History & Heritage Command

May 22, 1863 - Union forces under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks begins the siege of Port Hudson (right). Advancing in support of Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg Campaign, Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks was tasked with capturing Confederate stronghold at Port Hudson, LA. Investing the town on May 22, 1863, he launched a massive assault against its defenses five days later. This was repulsed with heavy losses and Banks began siege operations. Eager to break the deadlock, he again attacked the town on June 14 with similar results. Settling into a siege, his army slowly starved Maj. Gen. Franklin Gardner's garrison. Upon learning of Vicksburg's fall, Gardner, seeing that nothing could be gained by continuing, surrendered on July 9. The two victories opened the entire length of the Mississippi to Union traffic and split the Confederacy in two.

Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration

May 19, 1643 - French troops defeat the Spanish at the Battle of Rocroi. In early 1643, a 27,000-man Spanish-Imperial army crossed the French border from Flanders. Moving through the Ardennes, the Spanish troops, led by Francisco de Melo, laid siege to the town of Rocroi. Advancing to meet this invasion were 23,000 men led by the Duc d'Enghien (the future Prince of Conde). On May 18, 1643, d'Enghien deployed his troops on a ridge south of Rocroi with his infantry in the center and cavalry on the flanks. Moving to meet this threat, de Melo formed his men in a similar fashion. The following morning, d'Enghien advanced. As the armies met, the Spanish infantry began to get the better of the French. A similar situation developed on the French left where de Melo's German cavalry blocked a French thrust. Counterattacking, the Germans were stopped by the French infantry reserve. On the right, d'Enghien's cavalry, supported by musketeers, was able to rout its Spanish counterparts. Turning, they next attacked the flank and rear of the Spanish infantry. As the fighting raged, the Spanish army was reduced to the core of their infantry. Though fighting valiantly they were forced to surrender. The Battle of Rocroi was the first major defeat for the Spanish in nearly a century.

May 18 ,1863 - Union forces begin the Siege of Vicksburg (right).  Crossing the Mississippi River at Bruinsburg on April 29-30, 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee embarked on a stunning campaign which saw it win several battles before driving Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton's forces back into the Vicksburg defenses.  A fortress that commanded the Mississippi, holding the city was key if the  Confederates wished to deny use of the river to the Union.  Attacking on May 19, Grant's army was repulsed by the Vicksburg defenses.  Trying again on the 22nd, the result proved no better.  Unwilling to suffer more casualties, Grant elected to lay siege.  Reinforced over the next month, he compelled Vicksburg to surrender on July 4, 1863.  Coming a day a after the Union victory at Gettysburg, the fall of Vicksburg, and Port Hudson fours days later, opened the river to Union traffic and marked the turning point of the Civil War.

Civil War Battles - 1863 in the West

• Battle of Arkansas Post
• Battle of Raymond
• Siege of Port Hudson
• Battle of Chickamauga
• Battle of Chattanooga

Photograph Source: Public Domain

Envisioned as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, the Hawker Typhoon (right) suffered from a series of developmental and operational issues early in its career.  Though intended as a mid- to high-altitude interceptor, the Typhoon's performance dropped badly over 20,000 ft.  Nearly cancelled, the aircraft was rushed into production in mid-1941 to counter the threat posed by the new Focke-Wulf FW 190.  Effective as a low-altitude interceptor, the Typhoon later made its mark as the Royal Air Force's premier ground attack aircraft.  Commencing these types of operations in late 1942, the Typhoon was honed over the following year and proved capable of carrying both bombs and rockets.  Forming the backbone of the RAF's tactical air forces, it played a key role in supporting Allied forces in the weeks after D-Day and during the campaign in northwest Europe.

World War II - British Aircraft:

• Supermarine Spitfire
• Avro Lancaster
• De Havilland Mosquito
• Bristol Blenheim
• Gloster Meteor

Photograph Source: Public Domain

May 14, 1747 - Admiral George Anson defeats the French at the Battle of Cape Finisterre. Entering the Royal Navy in 1712, George Anson rapidly moved through the ranks and was promoted to post-captain in 1724. Serving in a variety of posts, he was given command of HMS Centurion in 1737. After a cruise off Africa, Anson returned to England and was ordered to lead a squadron into the Pacific to attack the Spanish. Enduring a hellish crossing and rounding of Cape Horn, Anson's squadron was ultimately whittled down to his flagship. Crossing the Pacific, he captured the treasure galleon Nuestra Señora de Covadonga in June 1743, before completing his circumnavigation via the Cape of Good Hope. After serving in the Admiralty, he took command of the Channel Fleet and decisively defeated the French off Cape Finisterre in May 1747. Returning to an administrative post, he played a key role in re-writing the Articles of War, re-structuring the marine corps, improving ship design, and reducing corruption in the dockyards. Made First Lord of the Admiralty in 1751, he served in the post almost continuously until his death in 1762.

War of the Austrian Succession:

• Battle of Mollwitz
• Battle of Dettingen
• Siege of Louisbourg
• Battle of Fontenoy

May 11, 1745 - French forces win the Battle of Fontenoy. Moving to relieve the French siege of Tournai, the Duke of Cumberland (right) and the Pragmatic Army encountered enemy forces under Marshal Maurice de Saxe near Fontenoy. Unsure of his men's ability to face Allied forces in open battle, de Saxe assumed a strong, fortified defensive position on the heights around the village. Attacking with an "Infernal Column" of around 15,000 men, Cumberland succeeded breaking the French line, but was halted by determined French counterattacks. Massing his troops, de Saxe succeeded in throwing back Cumberland's men and forcing him to withdraw to Brussels. Having won a key victory, he was able to take Tournai as well as several other towns in Flanders.

Photograph Source: Public Domain

May 11, 1945 - USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) (right) is hit by two Japanese kamikazes while operating off Okinawa.  An Essex-class aircraft carrier, Bunker Hill was launched in 1942 and commissioned the following year.  Reporting to the US Pacific Fleet in late 1943, the carrier first saw action when it launched raids against the Japanese base at Rabaul.  After supporting the landings on Tarawa, Bunker Hill took part in RAdm. Marc Mitscher's attack on Truk.  Raiding through the Pacific for most of the spring, the carrier was engaged during the Battle of the Philippine Sea that June.  Hit once in the fighting, its air group helped deliver a devastating blow to the Japanese.  Overhauled in November-December 1944, Bunker Hill returned to the fleet in early 1945 and helped cover the invasion of Iwo Jima.  After raiding the Japanese home islands, it shifted south to provide assistance to Allied forces during the Battle of Okinawa.  While operating off the island on May 11, Bunker Hill was hit by two A6M Zero kamikazes.  Killing over 340 sailors, the attack crippled the ship and caused explosions and gasoline fires.  Valiant efforts by Bunker Hill's damage control parties saved the ship and it limped back to Bremerton Naval Shipyard.  The carrier was still undergoing repairs when the war ended.  Though repaired, Bunker Hill remained in reserve until being sold for scrap in 1973.

World War II - US Navy Aircraft Carriers:

• USS Lexington (CV-2)
• USS Saratoga (CV-3)
• USS Ranger (CV-4)
• USS Yorktown (CV-5)
• USS Enterprise (CV-6)
• USS Wasp (CV-7)
• USS Hornet (CV-8)

Photograph Courtesy of the US Naval History & Heritage Command

May 10, 1863 - Lt. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (right) dies of pneumonia after being hit by friendly fire during the Battle of Chancellorsville. Born in 1824, Thomas Jackson was largely self-educated before attending West Point. Graduating in 1846, he saw service with Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott's army during the Mexican-American War. Later serving as an instructor at the Virginia Military Institute, he was known for his religious nature and eccentricities. Commissioned a colonel in the Virginia forces at the outbreak of the Civil War, he quickly rose through the ranks and earned the sobriquet "Stonewall" during the First Battle of Bull Run. Promoted to major general he conducted a brilliant campaign in the Shenandoah Valley in early 1862, before join Gen. Robert E. Lee's army. While with Lee, he led the Left Wing of the army and took part in the Seven Days Battles, Second Manassas, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. His finest hour came on May 2, 1863, when he led a daring flank attack on the Union army during the Battle of Chancellorsville. In the wake of the assault his was wounded by friendly fire and soon died from pneumonia. One of the finest leaders of the Civil War, Jackson excelled in independent commands and his loss was mourned by the Confederacy. Where does Jackson rank your pantheon of Civil War leaders?

Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration

May 7, 1774 - Commodore William Bainbridge (right) is born.  The son a British Loyalist during the American Revolution, Bainbridge was raised by his grandfather in New Jersey.  Taking to the water at an early age, he received a lieutenant's commission in the US Navy in 1798.  Commanding USS Retaliation (14 guns) during the Quasi-War with France, his ship was captured that fall in the US Navy's only defeat of the conflict.  later commanding the frigate USS George Washington (32), Bainbridge transported tribute to the Dey of Algiers in 1800.  While in North Africa, he was compelled by the Dey to use his ship to transport gifts to Constantinople.  Returning to the North African coast three years later during the First Barbary War, Bainbridge's luck continued to be poor as he ran the frigate USS Philadelphia onto an uncharted reef in Tripoli harbor.  Captured, he remained a prisoner for nineteen months.  With the beginning of the War of 1812, Bainbridge returned to combat operations.  Commanding USS Constitution (44) that fall, he captured the frigate HMS Java (38) off the coast of South America.  Hailed a hero, he spent the rest of the conflict commanding the Charlestown Navy Yard.  In the years after the war, Bainbridge held a variety of peacetime posts.  On May 22, 1820, he served as Commodore Stephen Decatur's second in his duel with Commodore James Barron.  The duel resulted in the mortal wounding of Decatur.  Bainbridge remained in the US Navy until his death in 1833.

War of 1812 at Sea:

• USS Constitution vs. HMS Guerriere
• Battle of Lake Erie
• USS United States
• Commodore Stephen Decatur
• USS President
• USS Chesapeake

Photograph Courtesy of the US Naval History & Heritage Command