Not One Step Back - Motivational Quote Wall Art for Home & Office Decor - Perfect for Living Room, Bedroom, or Workspace Inspiration

Military sieges might be described, as human stubborn resistance at its best or sometimes, worst. Most readers see these historic episodes as heroic or stupid, necessary or pointless, honorable or block headed, gentlemanly or savage. Take any combination you wish. Many of these sieges have become the stuff of myth and legend. Mr. Windrow has selected twenty-one such military sieges. He presents a pretty fair thumbnail sketch of each siege along with a reasonable appraisal of the military and political fall out arising from their respective victory or defeat. His selection of sieges is what drew me to this work. There have been many such "siege anthologies", all having their own strengths and weaknesses. Within Mr. Windrow's work may be found chapters on the Siege of Chateau-Gaillard, August 1203 to March 1204; Nagashino, June 1575; Londonderry, April to July 1689; Gibraltar, June 1779 to February 1783. Other chapters contain more and less famous sieges. Mr. Windrow's work fills in a few gaps left out of other siege collections so enjoyed by gamers and arm-chair generals, myself included. Each chapter contains a brief historical timeline, occasional quotes from those eyewitnesses to these events, maps, illustrations, and written descriptions of a few of the major participants. There is, however, a serious flaw with Mr. Windrow's work. Wether by accident or design, no bibliography or other source materials are indicated beyond a short credit for some of the illustrations. There is present a short glossary of siege and fortification terms and index. But this lack of primary source material is glaring in its absence.