Military History Commons^™

Bibliography For "Commemorating The American Revolution 250 Years Later" Display, Victoria Perez, Sally Park

Library Displays and Bibliographies

A bibliography created to support a display about the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in fall 2026 at the Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University.

Scientific Innovation, Institutionalization, And Moral Dilemmas: From Chemical Warfare In World War I To Ai In Modern Conflict, Kylie Kiefer

Holster Scholar Projects

This research examines the different American perspectives surrounding the morality and future of chemical warfare during and after World War I. Using primary sources collected at the National Archives at College Park, it argues that the Chemical Warfare Service survived not because Americans agreed that poison gas was morally acceptable, but because wartime mobilization created scientific expertise, military facilities, and relationships that made dismantling the service after the war difficult. While opponents emphasized moral and humanitarian concerns, advocates defended chemical warfare through arguments about preparedness, military necessity, and claims that gas was more humane than conventional weapons. The paper also …

"A Pioneer Lady Who Saved Her Home", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

In Spring of 1811, Polly Allen, a settler on the land that would become Lauderdale County, Alabama, was forced to leave her home by soldiers acting upon orders of territorial agreement. Before the soldiers burned her home, Allen offered them a meal, which led the soldiers to extinguish the flames rather than leave her and her family homeless.

"Nature's Masterpiece Of Power: A Historical Synopsis Of Muscle Shoals, Alabama In The Tennessee Valley", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The article presents a brief history of the establishment of the city of Muscle Shoals, Alabama in the Tennessee River Valley. The text is organized by headings as follows:

• The Indians, pg. 1
• Keeping the Settlers Out, pg. 2
• The First Whites, pg. 2
• Trails That Blazed the Wilderness, pg. 3
• Giants in the Valley, pg. 4
• Organization and Development, pg. 6
• The Green Decades, pg. 7
• The Turning Wheels, pg. 8
• The War, pg. 8
• Cutthroats, pg. 9
• Hard Years, pg. 10
• Excitement and Prosperity, pg. 11
• On the Way to Tatham's Declaration, pg. 12
• Fulfilled at Last, pg. …

"The Grave Of A Patriot's Widow", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The widow of Revolutionary War veteran, Brigadier General Levi Casey, Elizabeth Duckett Casey is buried in a Lauderdale County cemetery. The article offers a brief overview of her and her husband's lives, as well as information on the degradation of the cemetery she rests in.

"Lauderdale County Named For War Of 1812 Hero", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

As the article's title suggests, Lauderdale County, Alabama was named after a veteran of the War of 1812 named Lieutenant Colonel James Lauderdale. The article offers a brief historical overview of the colonel.

"The Mysterious Disappearance Of Parson Dick: A Civil War Story", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

Parson Dick was enslaved on the Forks of Cypress plantation in Florence, Alabama. The article relates a brief history of his life including his marriage to an unnamed woman enslaved on the nearby Woodlawn plantation, his conversion to Christianity and decision to preach, and eventual escape from slavery, which the Jacksons (his enslavers) and McDonald refer to as "his disappearance."

"The Courtview Diary", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The article offers an excerpt and overview of the diary of Sally Independence Foster, a young girl from Florence, Alabama who recorded her experiences during the Civil War. Foster lived in Courtview, now known as Rogers Hall on the campus of the University of Alabama. Additional photographs of Courtview (Rogers Hall) are available in the University Architecture and William Lindsey McDoanld Image Collections by searching the side bar located on the left.

Additional information about Sally Independence Foster, can be found in this LibGuide, the digital archival collection, or the finding aid to the physical collection.

"The Blockade Runner", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

During the Civil War, Mary Nail Blair of Florence, Alabama organized a secret operation to bring essential supplies into Florence and the surrounding area from behind enemy lines.

"The Civil War Years At Florence And Lauderdale County", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The article is organized by headings and presents a brief overview of the effects of the Civil War in Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama.

Headings

• Gunboats at the Florence Port
• Florence Bridge over the Tennessee Burned
• Local Presbyterian Minister Sent to Union Prison
• The First Battle of Florence
• General William T. Sherman Occupies Florence
• Battle of Center Star
• Capture of the White Horse Company
• The Two Skirmishes at Four Mile Branch
• Second Battle of Florence
• Federal Cavalry Encampment Near Florence
• A Civil War Medical Center

Fuji Fire: Sifting Ashes Of A Forgotten U.S. Marine Corps Tragedy, Ken Allard

Joint Force Quarterly

Colonel Ken Allard, USA (Ret.), reviews Chas Henry’s Fuji Fire: Sifting Ashes of a Forgotten U.S. Marine Corps Tragedy, an account of the October 1979 fire at Camp Fuji, Japan, that killed 13 Marines and injured more than 73. Drawing on interviews, archival records, maps, command chronologies, and other sources, Henry reconstructs the conditions that produced the disaster, including a fuel farm located uphill from troop quarters, hazardous terrain, and the effects of Typhoon Tip. The book also documents the response of Marines, medical personnel, and commanders, who improvised the collection, treatment, and evacuation of severely burned casualties amid …

War And Power: Who Wins Wars—And Why, Frank Hoffman

Joint Force Quarterly

Frank Hoffman reviews Phillips Payson O’Brien’s War and Power: Who Wins Wars—and Why, which proposes a multidimensional framework for assessing national power and explaining military outcomes. O’Brien argues that success in war depends on more than the size of a state’s armed forces or inventories of weapons. His concept of “Full Spectrum Powers” evaluates five interacting elements: economic and technological strength, political leadership, social and governmental structures, military effectiveness, and alliances. Drawing on conflicts including the world wars, the Cold War, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Russo-Ukraine War, the book examines how states generate, adapt, and sustain military power. …

Training For Victory: U.S. Special Forces Advisory Operations From El Salvador To Afghanistan, Tobias Bernard Switzer

Joint Force Quarterly

Tobias Bernard Switzer reviews Frank K. Sobchak’s Training for Victory: U.S. Special Forces Advisory Operations from El Salvador to Afghanistan, a comparative study of efforts to build host-nation special operations forces in El Salvador, Colombia, the Philippines, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Sobchak evaluates five factors that may influence advisory outcomes: consistency in advisor pairing, language proficiency, partner-to-advisor ratios, authority to organize host-nation units, and combat advising. He finds that advisors’ ability to organize partner forces is most strongly associated with combat effectiveness, while language proficiency is less decisive than commonly assumed. Switzer interprets these factors as measures of two broader …

“Creating The Point Of The Spear”: The Deployment Of Kitty Hawk (Cv-63) As An Afloat Forward Staging Base During Operation Enduring Freedom, Justin B. Blanton

Joint Force Quarterly

On 27 September 2001, Kitty Hawk (CV-63) received orders to deploy to the northern Arabian Sea to serve as an afloat forward staging base for joint special operations forces (SOF) tasked with conducting raids into Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), the U.S. military response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September. In order to accommodate the SOF, the aging, large-deck carrier reconfigured to deploy with fewer than 20 aircraft: Eight F/A-18Cs, three S-3Bs, two C-2As, and two SH-60F/HH-60H Seahawks. On 1 October Kitty Hawk departed Yokosuka, Japan, transited to Masirah Island, Oman, and embarked Task Force Sword, …

Resilient By Design: Reforming Medical Logistics To Support Global Operations, Michael Ackman, Jonathan Fowler

Joint Force Quarterly

History has shown that global medical supply chains can be easily disrupted by war, disaster and of course pandemics. As we plan for global military operations and shift our focus from Counter-insurgency Operations (COIN) to Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) we need to ensure our medical supply chains are flexible, resilient and adaptable. In the current state, our ability to leverage the medical supplies of our Allies and Partners is difficult to achieve in peacetime, and very uncertain in the face of global conflict. We need real and effective solutions today so that we can build and refine a resilient …

Reimagining U.S. Industrial Mobilization, Alexis R. Johnson

Joint Force Quarterly

This paper identifies a critical vulnerability in U.S. defense sustainment strategy and proposes a solution: the Civil Reserve Sustainment Readiness Program (CRSRP). The CRSRP focuses on bolstering Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities. Given the intensifying great power competition and the increasing likelihood of a contested conflict in the Indo-Pacific, the current Organic Industrial Base (OIB) lacks the surge capacity and agility necessary for rapid, distributed sustainment. Drawing on historical lessons from World War II and contemporary analysis of OIB limitations, this study details how the CRSRP would leverage public-private partnerships, incentivize commercial sector participation, and utilize digital tools like …

Disjointed Command And Air Domain Challenges In Alaska: The Case For A Single U.S. Combined/Joint Force Air Component Commander, Jeffrey W. Kempff

Joint Force Quarterly

The current command and control (C2) organizational structure over the air domain in Alaska is fragmented and doctrinally inconsistent, undermining homeland defense and reducing wartime lethality. Disjointed roles between the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)—particularly in the Alaska Theater of Operations (AKTO) and Alaska NORAD Region Area of Operations (ANR AO)—create gaps in unity of command and effort, especially within the air component. This article examines Alaska's fractured air domain organization and command relationships, illustrating operational ambiguity, duplicative efforts, and inconsistencies that delay decision-making. It proposes a focused, near-term solution: unify the …

Mission Over Bureaucracy: Special Operations Command’S Warrior-Driven Model For Defense Innovation, Robert D. Seader

Joint Force Quarterly

In an era of accelerating technological change, military organizations must rapidly develop and field new capabilities to maintain battlefield superiority. Traditional defense acquisition processes, optimized for peacetime oversight and risk avoidance, now take four times longer than in the 1950s, threatening to undermine military effectiveness against rapidly modernizing adversaries. This paper examines how the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has pioneered a fundamentally different acquisition approach that delivers new capabilities in months rather than the decades typical of conventional programs.

Through extensive interviews with senior acquisition leaders, this analysis identifies three core elements of USSOCOM’s success: a mission-centric culture …

Boot Camp For The Mind: The Role Of Jpme In Developing National Security Strategists, Joseph Gagliano, Nick Gvosdev, Derek Reveron, Rebecca Russo, Dana Struckman

Joint Force Quarterly

Joint professional military education (JPME) plays a deliberate and pivotal role in an officer’s operational and strategic growth. JPME provides a structured environment for officers to develop the intellectual agility, critical thinking, and collaborative skills necessary to lead complex decisionmaking at headquarters away from the battlefield. Translating broad strategic guidance into employable strategies and executable plans requires (1) assessing the international security environment and (2) analyzing domestic policymaking system constraints. This approach stresses that a comprehensive education in national security affairs must acknowledge that a well-crafted security strategy is meaningless if not informed by the domestic policymaking system that develops …

Examining The Lavelle Affair 54 Years Later: An Injustice That Needs To Be Rectified Now, Mark Clodfelter

Joint Force Quarterly

Mark Clodfelter reexamines the case of U.S. Air Force Major General John D. Lavelle, who was relieved as commander of Seventh Air Force in 1972 and reduced in retired rank following allegations that he ordered unauthorized airstrikes against North Vietnam and the falsification of mission reports. Drawing on documentary and recorded evidence, including materials that remained classified until 2015, Clodfelter challenges the findings of earlier congressional and official reviews. He argues that Lavelle acted within an ambiguous command environment shaped by evolving North Vietnamese air defenses, unclear rules of engagement, and guidance from senior military and civilian leaders. The article …