Battles!

I know very little about battles. I have played a few war games but I am not all that interested in warfare. My husband got me a very simple book reviewing key battles throughout the world. some were important because they signaled the end of the was, some the beginning, some turning points, some because they introduced new technologies or ignited public imagination. Reading this has been very informative. There are lots of pictures too. :) Some probably obvious but hadn't occurred to me realizations:

1) Soldiers loot. I always thought the looting took place when the battle was over. I was wrong. The enemy realizes they are getting their butts kicked and just runs. They leave a whole lot of stuff behind. Do you pursue or try for your share of the loot? Undisciplined armies full of conscripts pretty much always go for the loot, despite orders. Somehow, the image of people battling around someone as he searches for money in a tent amuses me, even if it is realistic.

2) Horses require technology. I visualize horses with knights charging. To be a shock troop, you need stirrups to hold you in. You can also use horses with chariots, which is how they used them in the past. In the battle of Medea, the chariots had two passengers, one to drive the horse, one to shoot at people. When you ran out of arrows, you threw your javelin. And if you got stuck in the battle, you had a short sword to battle your way out.

3) A win is not always a win.