THE U.S. ARMY AND IRREGULAR WARFARE - United States Army

263 Pages·2008·2.47 MB·English

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THE U.S. ARMY AND IRREGULAR
WARFARE, 1775–2007
Selected Papers from the 2007 Conference of Army Historians
Edited by
Richard G. Davis
CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY
UNITED STATES ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., 2008
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Conference of Army Historians (16th : 2007)
The U.S. Army and irregular warfare, 1775–2007 : selected papers from
the 2007 Conference of Army Historians / edited by Richard G. Davis.
p. cm.
1. Special forces (Military science)—United States—History—
Congresses. 2. Counterinsurgency—United States—History—Congresses.
3. Guerrilla warfare—United States—History—Congresses. I. Davis,
Richard G. II. Title.
UA34.C66 2007
355.02’180973—dc22
2008026508
First Printing
CMH Pub 70–111–1
Contents
Page
Foreword .................................................. v
The U.S. Army and Irregular Warfare, 1775–2007
Introduction ................................................ 1
Part One—Non-American Counterinsurgency Operations
The Roar of Lions: The Asymmetric Campaigns of Muhammad,
Russell G. Rodgers ....................................... 15
Southern (Dis)Comfort: British Phase IV Operations in South Carolina
and Georgia, May–September 1780, Steven J. Rauch ............ 33
When Freedom Wore a Red Coat: How Cornwallis’ 1781 Virginia
Campaign Threatened the Revolution in Virginia,
Gregory J. W. Urwin ..................................... 59
Learning the Good and the Bad: Canadian Exposure to British Small
War Doctrine in South Africa, 1900–1901, Chris Madsen ........ 89
Blindness and Contingencies: Italian Failure in Ethiopia (1936–1940),
Richard Carrier ......................................... 107
The Roots of Dutch Counterinsurgency: Balancing and Integrating
Military and Civilian Efforts from Aceh to Uruzgan,
Thijs W. Brocades Zaalberg ................................ 119
Part Two—Special Aspects of Irregular Warfare
The History of Military Commissions in the U.S. Army: From the
Mexican-American War to the War on Terrorism,
Frederic L. Borch ........................................ 133
Intimidation, Provocation, Conspiracy, and Intrigue: The Militias of
Kentucky, 1859–1861, John A. Boyd ......................... 145
The Spoliation of Defenseless Farmers and Villagers: The Long-Term
Effects of John Hunt Morgan’s Raid on an Indiana Community,
Stephen I. Rockenbach .................................... 161
Irregular Engineers: The Use of Indigenous Labor in the Rebuilding of
Critical Infrastructure During the Korean War, 1950–1953,
Eric A. Sibul ............................................ 171
iii
Page
Part Three—U.S. Counterinsurgency Operations
The Victorio Campaign: Hunting Down an Elusive Enemy,
Kendall D. Gott ......................................... 183
Without the Need of a Single American Rifleman: James Van Fleet
and His Lessons Learned as Commander of the Joint United States
Military Advisory and Planning Group During the Greek Civil War,
1948–1949, Robert M. Mages .............................. 195
Chasing a Chameleon: The U.S. Army Counterinsurgency Experience
in Korea, 1945–1952, Mark J. Reardon ....................... 213
Lessons Learned and Relearned: Gun Trucks on Route 19 in Vietnam,
Ted Ballard ............................................. 229
Some Observations on Americans Advising Indigenous Forces,
Robert D. Ramsey III ..................................... 239
Contributors ............................................... 249
iv
Foreword
Using the theme “The U.S. Army and Irregular Warfare, 1775–2007,”
the 2007 Conference of Army Historians featured over sixty formal papers
exploring the nature of unconventional warfare and its significance throughout
history. The event also included several workshops and sessions on administra-
tive issues of common concern across the Army historical community and much
informal discussion and networking. From the opening of the conference to the
final dinner, where U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff General Richard A. Cody
addressed the current operating environment and answered hard questions
from the audience about the future, the conference informed participants
about differing aspects of the type of warfare confronting the U.S. Army in
the Global War on Terrorism today.
The fifteen papers selected for this publication are not only the best of
those presented, but they also examine irregular warfare in a wide and diverse
range of circumstances and eras. Together, they demonstrate how extremism
was intimately connected to this type of warfare and how Americans have,
at different times in their history, found themselves acting as insurgents,
counterinsurgents, or both. The titles of the papers themselves reflect how
often the U.S. Army has engaged in such irregular operations despite a formal
focus on conventional warfare. Using imperial British and Italian examples,
several presentations also underline how the ease of conquering lands is often
no indication of the level of effort required to pacify them and integrate them
into a larger whole.
Each paper provides useful insights to the reader, soldiers and historians
alike. I hope that after you have finished with this collection you will continue
to broaden your knowledge of military history by turning to the U.S. Army
Center of Military History (CMH) Web site (http://www.history.army.mil/) and
by examining the Center’s many publications and other features highlighting
the 233-year history of our Army.
Washington, D.C. JEFFREY J. CLARKE
1 August 2008 Chief of Military History
v

The U.S. Army and Irregular Warfare
1775–2007