Photo, above: Pennsylvania, Gettysburg Battlefield, Slaughter Pen.  The Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, between Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. The battle involved the largest number of casualties of the entire was and is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee's attempt to invade the North.

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW

Hour One

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 1, Block A: Gettysburg: The Last Invasion (Vintage Civil War Library) by Allen Guelzo (1 of 8)

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 1, Block B: Gettysburg: The Last Invasion (Vintage Civil War Library) by Allen Guelzo (2 of 8)

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 1, Block C: Gettysburg: The Last Invasion (Vintage Civil War Library) by Allen Guelzo (3 of 8)

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 1, Block D: Gettysburg: The Last Invasion (Vintage Civil War Library) by Allen Guelzo (4 of 8)

Hour Two

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 2, Block A: Gettysburg: The Last Invasion (Vintage Civil War Library) by Allen Guelzo  (5 of 8)

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 2, Block B: Gettysburg: The Last Invasion (Vintage Civil War Library) by Allen Guelzo (6 of 8

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 2, Block C: Gettysburg: The Last Invasion (Vintage Civil War Library) by Allen Guelzo (7 of 8)

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 2, Block D: Gettysburg: The Last Invasion (Vintage Civil War Library) by Allen Guelzo (8 of 8)

Hour Three

"Devise a practical plan to gain victory, advance into the enemy’s vacuities and know when to retreat."

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 3, Block A: Sun Tzu at Gettysburg: Ancient Military Wisdom in the Modern World by Bevin Alexander (1 of 4)

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 3, Block B: Sun Tzu at Gettysburg: Ancient Military Wisdom in the Modern World by Bevin Alexander (2 of 4)

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 3, Block C: Sun Tzu at Gettysburg: Ancient Military Wisdom in the Modern World by Bevin Alexander (3 of 4)

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 3, Block D: Sun Tzu at Gettysburg: Ancient Military Wisdom in the Modern World by Bevin Alexander (4 of 4)

Sun Tzu at Gettysburg: Ancient Military Wisdom in the Modern World.  by Bevin Alexander; reviewed by Commander Youssef Aboul-Enein     Two thousand and four hundred years ago, the Chinese military sage Sun Tzu committed to a series of wooden sticks, tied together to form a scroll, enduring principles on the nature of war. This masterpiece would be entitled, The Art of War, and it is a staple of military academies, war colleges, business leaders, strategists, politicians, and even sports leaders since it became popularized in the west due to the Vietnam War. Bevin Alexander is a prolific military historian who has written 11 books on Robert E. Lee, How Great Generals Win, Inside the Nazi War Machine, and many more books that cause readers to ponder why some military leaders succeed and others fail. His latest book combines the wisdom of Sun Tzu with several decisive battles from the American Revolution’s Saratoga in 1777 to General MacArthur’s landing at Inchon in 1950. While this review will not cover all the battles, the author offers an excellent way to understand Sun Tzu’s principles in a case study method utilizing actual important battles of history. The book discusses how campaigns are carried out and if the commanders followed the universal principles of the Art of War. Sun Tzu at Gettysburg: Ancient Military Wisdom in the Modern World by Bevin Alexander. Published by W. W. Norton, New York. 2011, 270 pages.

Sun Tzu advocates that a commander strike into vacuities, and compel the enemy to rescue objectives you are attacking. The Art of War also recommends taking the indirect approach and knowing both your enemy and yourself before engaging in battle. In the American Revolution, the British understood themselves but not the enemy, and in 1777 General Johnny Burgoyne expected to march from Canada and link up with forces in New England led by General Clinton. What Burgoyne thought would be a stroll with 8,000 troops ended in a grueling march with 5,000 British regulars outnumbered by 20,000 Americans entrenched in Bemis Heights. It is a classic case of overconfidence, misunderstanding the enemy, the terrain and vulnerability of supply lines. The book also contains a chapter on the American Revolutionary battles at the Carolinas and Yorktown in 1781. The British wanted to defeat the Americans on land, isolated the population with heavy handed tactics against civilians, and could never see that the key was to blockade American ports using the powerful Royal Navy. The American strategy was to use the vastness of the colonies to absorb and overcome the British. Bevin Alexander comments that in a strange way British actions resembled the U.S. Army in Vietnam (1965-1972).

In his chapter on Waterloo 1815, Bevin Alexander describes Napoleon as a military genius who sees things other people do not see. For Napoleon this began as a young artillery officer, who saw the British fleet anchored in the safe harbor in Toulon as a trap if the French placed two cannons at the entrance to the harbor. This single bold action led the Royal Navy to evacuate Toulon. The keys to Napoleon’s success were mobility, concentration of forces, and surprise.

A problem of Napoleon’s military style was the appointment of Marshals who took orders and who were not given freedom of action to react to events unfolding in the battlefield. Napoleon never developed leaders and ignored Sun Tzu’s dictum of combining the direct and indirect approaches in war. The book continues with criticism using Sun Tzu of Robert E. Lee in Gettysburg (1863), and German generalship in France (1940) versus Stalingrad (1942).

Take time to read this excellent book to immerse your mind in the colossal mistakes and triumphs in war that would change history. It is recommended that before reading this book, pick up a copy of Sun Tzu. The best translation is Samuel Griffith’s paperback edition published in 1971 by Oxford University Press.

Editor’s Note: Cmdr. Aboul-Enein is author of Militant Islamist Ideology: Understanding the Global Threat, (Naval Institute Press, 2010), and part-time teacher at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C. He maintains a regular book review column in The Waterline.

Hour Four

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 4, Block A: Terrible Swift Sword: The Life of General Philip H. Sheridan by Joseph Wheelan  (1 of 4)

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 4, Block B: Terrible Swift Sword: The Life of General Philip H. Sheridan by Joseph Wheelan  (2 of 4)

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 4, Block C: Terrible Swift Sword: The Life of General Philip H. Sheridan by Joseph Wheelan  (3 of 4)

Friday  4 July 2014 / Hour 4, Block D: Terrible Swift Sword: The Life of General Philip H. Sheridan by Joseph Wheelan  (4 of 4)