They Died with Their Boots On, Volume 2 Quiz

Answer: Epaminondas

After Sparta defeated Athens in the Peloponnesian War in 404 BCE it tried to take over the whole of Greece, but met resistance from Thebes. At that time Thebes was led by a brilliant statesman-cum-general named Epaminondas; he'd already inflicted a heavy defeat on the Spartans at the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BCE by the use of a stunning tactical innovation.

In 362 BCE the Spartans and the Athenians became concerned about the further growth of Theban influence and formed a coalition, and Epaminondas led his army into the Peloponnese to confront them. Using yet more tactical innovation he achieved another overwhelming victory, but sadly he was killed in the heat of battle. Both sides were considerably weakened by the losses they suffered in the battle; this opened the way for Macedonia to become the major power in Greece, led by Phillip II who had in fact been mentored by Epaminondas.

Answer: Gaius Cassius Longinus

Philippi in Macedonia was the scene of the showdown between on the one hand Octavian and Marc Antony of the Second Triumvirate, and on the other hand Brutus and Cassius of the so-called "Liberators", the assassins of Julius Caesar. These battles involved about 200,000 men; in the First Battle Brutus faced Octavian and Antony faced Cassius.

The battle was shambolic, with nonexistent tactical coordination. At first Brutus successfully resisted and then pushed back Octavian, taking his legions' camp.

However Cassius was defeated by Antony, and when he heard a false report that Brutus had been defeated he killed himself. Brutus rallied the Liberators' remaining troops, and both sides retreated to their camps to await the Second Battle.

Answer: Marcus Junius Brutus

Three weeks after the First Battle of Philippi came the Second Battle. Brutus drew up his legions on an east-west axis but soon became endangered by the Triumvirs' legions outflanking him. He stretched his lines, but this resulted in disaster when his weakened centre was unable to withstand his enemies' attack. Octavian captured his camp and his legions were unable to reform, so Brutus killed himself.

After the Battle Marc Antony remained in the East, where he eventually got entangled with Cleopatra. Octavian returned to Rome, where he bided his time and waited for the inevitable clash between the two remaining Triumvirs.

Answer: King Theoderic

The Great Migration was the period between about 375 and 568 during which mass migrations of various tribespeople from the East brought about the fall of the Western Roman Empire; their subsequent settlement of Rome's former territories led to the establishment of the post-Roman kingdoms.

One of these tribes was the Huns led by Attila, who in 451 crossed the Rhine and invaded Gaul. After much looting and unsuccessfully besieging Aurelianum (near the present French city of Orléans), Attila was brought to bay near Châlons by a coalition led by the Roman general Flavius Aetius and the Visigothic king Theodoric I. Theoderic led his army to a comprehensive victory on June 20th, 451, but in the melee he was killed, apparently without his men noticing.
The import of the battle and its consequences have been widely debated: it either saved the Western World or it didn't, according to which authoritative historian you consult!

Answer: Roland

In 778 the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne and his Frankish army had been campaigning in Spain. On his way back to France he attacked the Basque territory, believing that many of its inhabitants were allied with the Moors. The walls of the Basque capital Pamplona were demolished, and Frankish garrisons throughout the territory treated the Basques harshly. Crossing the Pyrenees via the Roncevaux Pass, the rearguard of the Frankish army along with its baggage train was cut off and annihilated by a vengeful Basque force.

The rearguard was commanded by Roland, the military governor of the Breton March. Rather like the glorification of King Arthur in England, Roland's character, deeds and death became the subject of much medieval and Renaissance literature, the first and most famous work being the Old French "Chanson de Roland" of the 11th century. This was followed by two masterpieces of Italian Renaissance poetry, the "Orlando Innamorato" and "Orlando Furioso" by Matteo Maria Boiardo and Ludovico Ariosto respectively.

Answer: Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos

Constantinople was besieged about three dozen times in the two millennia between its foundation by the Greeks in the 7th century BCE and its final defeat by the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The final siege lasted 53 days, during which the attacking Ottoman army was commanded by the 21-year-old Sultan Mehmed II while the Byzantine army was commanded by Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos. After much bombardment the Ottomans managed to breach the city's walls; Emperor Constantine was involved in the fighting at the breach, but was unable to stop the Ottomans entering and taking possession of the city; his body was never found.

The fall of Constantinople and of the Byzantine Empire is seen as a watershed moment by historians, marking the end of the Roman Empire, the end of the medieval period and the beginning of the early modern period. It also marked a turning point in military history, as the use of gunpowder ramparts and walls could no longer repel besiegers.

Answer: Vice-Admiral François-Paul Brueys d'Aigalliers, Comte de Brueys

In 1798 Napoleon had developed a strategic plan to invade British India via Egypt, thus forcing the British out of the French Revolutionary Wars. His invasion fleet managed to reach Egypt and to disembark the army, whereupon his ships anchored in Aboukir Bay in a line running parallel to the coast. Nelson split his fleet; one group engaged the French from the seaward side, while the other group sailed between the French fleet and the coast, catching the French in a devastating crossfire. The French admiral, François-Paul Brueys d'Aigalliers, was killed when he was struck in the midriff by a cannon ball; his flagship the Orion later exploded. By the time the battle ended, Nelson's fleet had lost no ships and about 250 men. The French lost 11 of its 13 ships of the line, two of its four frigates, and about 5,000 men.

Nelson demonstrated his immense tactical flair in this battle, the result of which gave the British navy control of the Mediterranean for the remainder of the Napoleonic Wars.

Answer: Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore

After Napoleon led the successful French invasion of Spain in 1808, a British expeditionary force under Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore was sent to Spain to assist the Spanish forces. However the defeat of the Spanish meant that Moore and his men were forced to make a fighting retreat across northern Spain to the sea at Corunna in the depths of winter, pursued by the French under Marshall Soult. Sadly the expected evacuation fleet was delayed, and when it eventually arrived the British had to embark while under attack from Soult's men.

The French advanced, particularly on the right wing, but Moore led a counter-attack in person. Sadly, however, a cannon ball took off his left arm and shoulder and he soon died. Eventually the fighting petered out, and over the next two days the evacuation was completed. Both sides lost about 1,000 men each, but the French also captured immense amount of military matériel. Moore was buried under the ramparts of Corunna, inspiring the poet Charles Wolfe to write "The Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna".

Answer: Marshall Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski

Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski was a nephew of King Stanislaus Augustus of Poland. He served in the Austrian and Polish armies, but when in 1807 Napoleon established the Duchy of Warsaw he was appointed Minister of War. He conducted campaigns against the Austrians and the Russians, on occasion leading his troops in bayonet charges.

Taking part in Napoleon's invasion of Russia he distinguished himself in a number of battles, especially at Vinkovo where he saved Murat's corps from a comprehensive defeat. Despite being offered an amnesty in 1813 by Tsar Alexander I he stayed loyal to Napoleon; in October he was promoted to Marshall of the Empire, but he lost half his corps in the fighting at the climactic Battle of Leipzig ("The Battle of the Nations") and then probably drowned during the French retreat.

A Poniatowski cult developed after his death; he was commemorated by a statue in Warsaw, he was an inspiration to Polish freedom fighters throughout a number of armed conflicts, and a WWII RAF Polish bomber squadron was named after him.

Answer: Lieutenant Colonel William B Travis

The Battle of the Alamo in the spring of 1836 was a pivotal moment in US history, as the increasingly large population of Anglo-American settlers in the Mexican province of Texas wanted to break with the Mexican government and to establish a Republic. Issues such as slavery were also important: the Mexican government had officially abolished slavery in Texas in 1829, but many Anglo Texans wanted to maintain the institution of chattel slavery. Texas declared independence in 1836, so President Santa Anna of Mexico led forces into Texas to control this rebellion.

Texas army Colonel Jim Bowie arrived in Béxar with 30 men in January to defend the Alamo from the expected attack; he was later joined by Lieutenant Colonel William B Travis with a small group of volunteers including the famous frontiersman Davy Crockett. The arrival of Santa Anna led to a 13-day siege; Bowie and Travis were joint commanders, but illness struck Bowie leaving Travis in sole command. Eventually Santa Anna's men successfully attacked the fortifications and killed all the Texas combatants.

The events at the Alamo and at the later Goliad Massacre when about 342 Texan POW's were killed were taken as symbolic of the Texan will to endure suffering and to seek victory at any cost: "Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!". Eventually Santa Anna was defeated at the Battle of San Jacinto in April 1836, and the road to Texan independence became clear.

Answer: Brigadier General William Rufus Terrill, USA

William Terrill was born in Virginia in 1834; he became a U.S. Military Academy cadet in 1849, graduating in 1853. Unlike many other army officers from Virginia he refused to resign from the Union Army, despite his father's intense disapproval. He commanded an artillery battery at Shiloh, and then in 1862 he was promoted to Brigadier General, taking command the 33rd Brigade in the Army of the Ohio. He led these inexperienced troops at the Battle of Perryville, but was hit in the chest by shrapnel and soon died of his wounds.

His brother James served in the Confederate Army; he was killed at the Battle of Bethesda Church in 1864. The Terrills were thus one of the few sets of American brothers killed in action while commanding brigades. An unscrupulous reporter from "Harper's Weekly" manufactured the legend that their father erected a memorial stone for both brothers, reading "This monument erected by their father. God alone knows which was right.". A third brother, CSA Private Phillip Terrill, was killed in action at the Battle of Cedar Creek.

Answer: Brigadier General James Barbour Terrill CSA

James Terrill was born in Virginia in 1838; he was a lawyer in Virginia when the was broke out but volunteered for the Confederate Army. He was elected Major with the 13th Virginia Infantry Regiment, and became Colonel of the regiment after the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. He fought at all the major battles in the Eastern theatre, but at the Battle of Totopotomoy Creek (Battle of Bethesda Church) in 1864 he was killed in action; an already-approved promotion to Brigadier General was confirmed the next day.

His brother William served in the Union Army; he was killed at the Battle of Perryville in 1862. The Terrills were thus one of the few sets of American brothers killed in action while commanding brigades. An unscrupulous reporter from "Harper's Weekly" manufactured the legend that their father erected a memorial stone for both brothers, reading "This monument erected by their father. God alone knows which was right.". A third brother, CSA Private Phillip Terrill, was killed in action at the Battle of Cedar Creek.

Answer: Major-General Charles George Gordon

Major-General Charles George "Chinese" Gordon travelled the world fighting. He fought for the British during the Crimean War, and then in China he led the "Ever Victorious Army", an army of Chinese soldiers officered by Europeans that played a decisive role in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion. From 1873 to 1880 he served under the Khedive of Egypt as Governor-General of the Sudan, suppressing revolts and the local slave trade.

He left Egypt in 1880 but returned in 1884 when a serious revolt broke out in the Sudan, led by the Mahdi, a religious leader. He was sent to Khartoum with instructions to evacuate about 2,500 loyalist soldiers and civilians; this he accomplished, but contrary to orders he remained in Khartoum and set out to endure a siege. The British public approved of his actions but Gladstone's government didn't; eventually they were more-or-less forced to send a relief force was sent, but it arrived two days after the city had fallen and Gordon had been killed on January 26 1885.

How Gordon died is not known, but it was romanticised in a painting by George William Joy "General Gordon's Last Stand" (1893, currently in the Leeds City Art Gallery). It seems that Gordon secured the martyrdom he had been seeking at Khartoum; the British press revelled in portraying him as a saintly Christian hero and martyr who had died nobly resisting the Mahdi's Islamic onslaught.

Answer: Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock, RN

At the outbreak of WWI a German naval squadron under Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee was roaming the Pacific Ocean, forming a major threat to Allied shipping and shore bases. Receiving vague orders from the Admiralty, Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock formed the opinion that he was to attack von Spee's fleet; this was despite the German superiority in speed, firepower, efficiency and numbers. Cradock was also conscious that a friend of his, Rear Admiral Ernest Troubridge, was being court-martialed for failing to engage the enemy.

On November 1 off the coast of Chile the two squadrons sighted each other. Cradock decided that he must fight. Sadly the larger, longer-ranging German guns soon silenced and sank the British ships. Cradock was killed, along with 1,660 of his men; both his armoured cruisers were sunk and his light cruiser damaged. In contrast, von Spee's only casualties were three sailors wounded.
This was Britain's first naval defeat since 1812. However vengeance was swift and sure, as von Spee's squadron was destroyed a month later at the Battle of the Falkland Islands.

Answer: Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Jones

In late May 1982 a British expeditionary force was sent to the Falkland Islands to recover them from Argentine forces that had invaded the Islands a few weeks previously. Although neither state officially declared war on the other, both governments declared the Islands to be a war zone. An important target for the British forces was the village of Goose Green and its tactically vital airfield. However Argentine forces were well dug-in all around the settlement, also threatening the British landing site at San Carlos Water.

The 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment (2 Para), commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert Jones - known as H. Jones - was tasked with taking Goose Green. Somehow the BBC were allowed to broadcast news of the attack. Although 2 Para's initial advance went well, they soon became pinned down by heavy machine gun, rifle and sniper fire. Jones launched an attack on a machine-gun post, but lost two Captains and a Corporal, all killed. He was then seen to run towards another Argentine trench and then to be shot down. The helicopter sent to evacuate him was shot down by an Argentine fighter plane.

The battle resumed the next day, and after some heavy fighting the Argentine forces surrendered, followed by all the Argentine forces at Port Stanley. Colonel H. Jones was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross, the UK's highest award for gallantry. It has to be said, however, that former Para officer and military theorist Spencer Fitz-Gibbon wrote in 1995 that despite his courage Jones lost sight of the overall battle picture and failed to allow his junior officers to exercise mission command.