Hotel Havoc

21/05/2024

I sat down with Tetyana, a Ukrainian-American who is an award-winning author and a multi-lingual translator and who has spent 20+ years in the media and creative in…

15/05/2024

On Episode 9, I had the opportunity to sit down with Pekka Kallioniemi, star of the now infamous "Vatnik Soup" series of articles and videos that exposes propagandi…

23/04/2024

https://mwi.westpoint.edu/the-illusion-of-conventional-war-europe-is-learning-the-wrong-lessons-from-the-conflict-in-ukraine/

For more than two years, Western observers have produced a seemingly infinite number of articles and reports trying to derive key lessons from the war in Ukraine and predict their […]

17/04/2024

New Episode! "Men of God / Men of War"

On this episode, I sat down with Steve and Nate, twin brothers separated by church and tradition. They recently released a book titled "Men Of God Men Of War": two journeys, two stories - and one shared vision. Nate learned h...

On this episode, I sat down with Steve and Nate, twin brothers separated by church and tradition. They recently released a book titled "Men Of God Men Of War": two …

12/04/2024

New Episode! "Public Affairs in the U.S. Army"

On the latest episode, I chatted with Sergeant Major Jason Baker. Baker is a seasoned Public Affairs Soldier who has spent half his 24-year-long Army career supporting Airborne and Special Operations units. As a flailing fine...

On the latest episode, I chatted with Sergeant Major Jason Baker. Baker is a seasoned Public Affairs Soldier who has spent half his 24-year-long Army career support…

10/04/2024

Chuck is on year 25 of service with the U.S. Army. A former infantrymen, Special Forces Weapons Sergeant, Intel Sergeant, Team Sergeant, and current Deputy Commandant for the Army Special Warfare School. He has served in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

On Episode 10, I had the chance to sit down with Chuck Ritter. Chuck is on year 25 of service with the U.S. Army. A former infantrymen, Special Forces Weapon...

09/04/2024

08/04/2024

Happy Eclipse Day!

06/04/2024

Eyes on the hills

05/04/2024

In the Civil War...1 in every 4 Union Soldiers were immigrants. Majority were Irish and German. 43% of the Armed Forces in that war, were in fact of foreign birth yet fought for what they truly believed America could be.

The Civil War saw neighbors, brothers, and even fathers and sons take up arms against each other, each side believing completely in the Union or the Confederate cause. The bloodshed spilled during the Civil War was not confined to native born Americans. Many men from other countries fought for both....

05/04/2024

A Bridge To Victory: Union Army Military Bridging in 1864

In the spring of 1864, General Ulysses S Grant began his "Overland Campaign", an ambitious attempt to end the war by destroying the Army of Northern Virginia, led by Robert E Lee, and take the Confederate capital of Richmond. By June, however, Union assaults and attempts to outmaneuver Lee's forces had failed, resulting in a stalemate. Grant decided on another ambitious plan: Union Army engineers would conduct one of the most consequential bridging operations in early modern military history.

In order to starve out the entrenched Confederate forces defending Richmond, Grant set his sights on the city of Petersburg, Virginia - 20 miles south of Richmond. Petersburg served as a vital commercial and transportation hub for the Confederate military. In order to achieve this, however, Grant would have to cross the James River - all the while masking his true intentions.

Fortunately, the Engineers of the Union Army were experienced. Since the beginning of the campaign, they had already built 38 separate pontoon bridges, with an aggregate length of 6,458 feet. Major Nathaniel Michler, acting chief engineer of the Army of the Potomac, later commented: “The facility, ease and promptness with which a thoroughly trained body of engineer troops can accomplish such important duties, also bear testimony to the zeal, energy, and ability displayed by both officers and men, and to the important services rendered by this arm of the service, not only during the weary marches of a long and trying campaign, but also in the preparation and ex*****on of the more tedious [later] operations of the siege [of Petersburg].”

Grant tasked his men with finding suitable crossing sites - close enough to their target to push the initiative quickly while also maintaining just enough distance from Lee's forces to prevent a quick counterattack against his crossings. On June 12th, his officers returned with a recommendation: a location near Fort Powhatan that "was the narrowest point that could be found on the river below City Point.”

Grant had anticipated the need to cross the James River in force, and had made logistical preparations in April - he had sourced & staged bridging and engineering equipment at Fort Monroe. He ordered 155 pontoon boats (sometimes spelled 'ponton') and all associated men & material to the Bermuda Hundred settlement, while an additional battalion of bridge trains from the 50th New York went south.

Lieutenant Peter Michie was ordered to conduct an engineer reconnaissance in the vicinity of Fort Powhatan in order to determine suitable crossing sites. He focused on two - a potential ferrying location 3/4 of a mile upstream from Port Powhatan, and a bridge bridging site located at Weyanoke Point, 3 miles downstream. The width of the river at the latter point was approximately 1,992 feet. Major Michler, meanwhile, was ordered to occupy an entrenched bridgehead position at the crossing sites. General Lee and his officers, for their part, tried to ascertain the ultimate objective of any attempted crossing.

On June 12th, the Engineer Battalion moved out in full marching orders and crossed the Chickahominy River about 24 hours later, over the pontoon bridge built by the 50th New York. They soon made camp, ate, and rested while they awaited the passage of VI corps on the far side. The next few days would prove brutal as high temperatures ensured the Soldiers were miserable.

A mistake by unknown individual created an early headache - the bridging materials that had been sent to Bermuda Hundred in preparation had been inexplicably sent back to Fort Monroe, meaning it would take another 24 hours to reposition the equipment at Weyanoke point. This did not stop the Engineers, however, from getting preparations done. Led by their NCOs, 200 men jumped into the neck-deep muddy water and built an abutment of trestle work 150 feet long and reaching into the deep water - in just an hour.

General Benham, dispatched to retrieve the 15th New York and a number of vessels w/ bridge materials, arrived at noon on June 14th. He was soon followed by 200+ additional engineers of the 50th New York along with their bridge train. The bridge was built on both shores simultaneously, with successive "rafts" made up of 6 pontoon boats that had been rowed into position. Infantry troops, meanwhile, began ferrying across at their designated points.

Engineers had started building at 4:00PM on June 14th. They finished 7 hours later, with a total bridge length of approximately 2,170 feet, and using over 100 pontoon with 20 foot spans, center-to-center. It provided a roadway 11 feet wide between guardrails, and a draw 100 feet wide was incorporated so that vessels could still travel upstream and downstream as required. Three schooners provided anchorage.

Grant estimated that the combined strength of the Armies of the Potomac and the James was roughly 115,000 men. Over the course of 46 hours, the bridge was in near constant use - men, weapons, artillery, pack animals. It was noted that that the cattle herd (perhaps 3,000 head of cattle) & logistics trains stretched over 50 miles to the rear. The V Corps Chief of Artillery, Colonel Charles Wainwright, noted later: It was “really a wonderful piece of pontooning [sic], equal I suspect to anything of the sort ever done before. Very steady in crossing, nor has there been the slightest trouble as far as I can learn.”

While some subsequent tactical failures meant that Petersburg would not fall as quickly as hoped - a general officer failed to seize the initiative and press his early advantage - the crossings enabled Grant to funnel overwhelming numbers into the fight, forcing Lee to react quickly or lose his last supply lifeline. The Siege of Petersburg would, interestingly enough, be a dark sign of things to come in the First World War, as much of it was fought in trenches. It took 9 grueling months for the city to fall to Union troops.

Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was finally and decisively defeated during the Appomattox campaign, which followed the Siege of Petersburg. He formally surrendered on April 9th, 1865, at the Appomattox Courthouse. Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, was captured soon after in May. Remaining Confederate forces would themselves surrender shortly after.

I hope you enjoyed this interesting piece of American military engineering history. Full credit goes to the author of the article I heavily referenced, Gustav Person, a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the New York National Guard. I highly recommend you read the whole article - I glossed over some details that are fascinating, simply for the sake of keeping this relatively short. You can find it here, where it also cites additional sources:

https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA568791…

02/04/2024

A ceremony to remember The Battle of Iwo Jima took place over the weekend. Sadly, no Veterans of the battle were able to attend.

Why?

Of the estimated four or so Americans still alive, none were able make the journey. There are allegedly no living Japanese veterans.

Within the next few decades, we'll see an entire war-time generation slip away. Their stories, experiences, and memories will stay with us in our movies, books, documentaries, and photos - but that'll never compare to sharing a beer with a guy who was 17 when he experienced things that most of us will hopefully never experience. All of this thanks to him and others like him.

Talk to these guys and gals any chance you get.

31/03/2024

Happy Easter

28/02/2024

I sat down with Tetyana, a Ukrainian-American who is an award-winning author and a multi-lingual translator and who has spent 20+ years in the media and creative industries. While she has also wrote as a freelance writer and editor for magazines/n...

28/02/2024

New Episode! "20 Days In Mariupol"

I sat down with Tetyana, a Ukrainian-American who is an award-winning author and a multi-lingual translator and who has spent 20+ years in the media and creative industries. While she has also wrote as a freelance writer and ...

I sat down with Tetyana, a Ukrainian-American who is an award-winning author and a multi-lingual translator and who has spent 20+ years in the media and creative in…

27/02/2024

My latest: "The U.S. Military As A Learning Organization"

https://www.hotelhavoc.com/blog/the-us-military-as-a-learning-organization/

War, peace, and everything in between. A light hearted but inquisitive approach to some of the complex events, topics, and people that defines our lives, featuring …

31/01/2024

"What was seen as an outlandish idea two years ago—that frozen Russian assets could be used to pay for war-torn Ukraine’s reconstruction—is edging closer to becoming reality, in what could become a landmark precedent in international law."

The unprecedented move could offer a tidy way to make Moscow pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

28/11/2023

What does it take to become a Green Beret?

Can women succeed in Special Forces? Are standards sacrificed?

Hear from Chuck Ritter, current Deputy Commandant for the Army Special Warfare School.

On Episode 10, I had the chance to sit down with Chuck Ritter. Chuck is on year 25 of service with the U.S. Army. A former infantrymen, Special Forces Weapon...

27/11/2023

New Episode! "EP 10: Green Berets & Special Operations w/ Chuck Ritter"

On Episode 10, I had the chance to sit down with Chuck Ritter. Chuck is on year 25 of service with the U.S. Army. A former infantrymen, Special Forces Weapons Sergeant, Intel Sergeant, Team Sergeant, and current Deputy Comman...

On Episode 10, I had the chance to sit down with Chuck Ritter. Chuck is on year 25 of service with the U.S. Army. A former infantrymen, Special Forces We…

11/11/2023

Never forget what we're fighting for

06/09/2023

New Episode! "EP 08: Iraqi Children Foundation"

On episode 8, I spoke with Justin, a former Marine/Army officer who currently serves as the Associate Director for Outreach & Veteran Engagement at the Virginia based non-profit, Iraqi Children Foundation. The 501c3 is focuse...

On episode 8, I spoke with Justin, a former Marine/Army officer who currently serves as the Associate Director for Outreach & Veteran Engagement at the V…

22/08/2023

New Episode! "EP 07: Officers, NCOs, and the Ukrainian 47th Brigade"

On episode 7, I sit down with two members of the United States Marine Corps to analyze and discuss a recent video provided by the 47th "Magura" Brigade in Ukraine. We also discussed some of the changes coming for the Marines,...

On episode 7, I sit down with two members of the United States Marine Corps to analyze and discuss a recent video provided by the 47th "Magura" Brigade i…

14/08/2023

https://twitter.com/Havoc_Six/status/1690907119292166145?s=20

“https://t.co/USlSVkUf0q”