History 2335 Spring 2019
SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT
1. John Keegan’s 1976 book The Face of Battle remains one of the most influential works
on warfare and the (Western!) experience of battle. His analysis of key battles highlights
both the changing and unchanging aspects of combat over a range of several centuries,
starting with the Hundred Years War and ending with the First World War. Agincourt is
one of the most famous medieval battles while Waterloo marks the end of the Napoleonic
era, and Keegan’s comparative analysis of the two reveals a great deal about the effects
of the Military Revolution of the 16th-18th centuries, that occurred between the two epic
battles. For this assignment you need to compare his accounts of Agincourt and
Waterloo in order to demonstrate how the Military Revolution changed the nature
of combat between 1415 and 1815. You may use the lectures and the textbook for
supplementary reference, but the core of your analysis must be based on the Keegan
readings – make sure you cite specific examples from the Keegan chapters to
support your analysis!!!
2. This assignment must be NO LESS THAN 1000 WORDS (4-5 pages) and is worth 20%
of your grade. The assignment is due in class...
